Occupational Therapy Admissions

Requirements for admission to the MSOT Program

To be considered for admission to the CMU MSOT program, applicants must meet the following criteria.

1. GPA  

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for their most recent 60 credits.

2. Prerequisites 

All Prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited US university, college, or community college. A grade of C or better is required in each course. 

• Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab
• Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab
• Statistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Medical Terminology 
  • **NOTE- Human Anatomy and Human Physiology must be taken within the last 5 years by the time applicants begin submitting an application to the program. Medical Terminology can be a certificate. 

At the time of application, prerequisites may be in progress and any pending must be completed by June 30th. Courses taken to fulfill prerequisites may be taken at any U.S. accredited university or college (including community colleges and accredited online programs).
Note: All transcripts must be uploaded directly to OTCAS*

3. Observation Hours Applicants must complete 40 hours of professional observation/shadowing in at least two different practice settings (e.g., hospitals, pediatric clinics, outpatient rehab, skilled nursing facilities). We encourage experience in both adult and pediatric settings when possible.

4. Professional References (Evaluations)  Applicants must submit at least three evaluations (references) as part of the OTCAS application. This documentation will go into the Supporting Information section of the OTCAS application under the section labeled "Evaluations". Evaluations are submitted electronically to OTCAS. It is recommended that applicants request at least one evaluation from a professor, supervisor, and any non-relative who can attest to your character.

5. Experiences Complete the Experiences with an emphasis on: 

• Health-related experiences
• Employment
• Internships & Clinical Experiences
• Leadership
• Teaching experiences
• Research
• Volunteer/Community Enrichment

6. Connection to Colorado Preference will be given to applicants that attended Colorado Mesa University, live in the state of Colorado, and those interested in staying in Western Colorado. 

*NOTE: Felony Conviction Statement A felony may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. Students are required to contact NBCOT directly if this condition applies. Any student who has concern about their potential eligibility for the certification exam is encouraged to complete the Early Determination Review through the NBCOT.

Any questions related to the submission of transcripts should be directed to OTCAS at otacasinfo@otcas.org or calling (617) 612-2860. Any questions specific to the CMU OT program may be submitted to [email protected].

• A minimum GPA of 2.0 (letter grade of C) is required for each prerequisite course.  
• Applicants may have prerequisite courses outstanding at the time of submission; but all prerequisites must be completed by June 30th, before classes start at the beginning of the first semester. Courses taken to fulfill prerequisites may be taken at any U.S. accredited university or college (including community colleges and accredited online programs).
• Evidence of completion of a Bachelor's degree and all prerequisites must be submitted prior to the start of the program.
• Post-Baccalaureate prerequisite credits must be approved by the MSOT program in OTCAS.
• The MSOT program does not accept Advanced Placement, experiential learning, or work experience as credit for any required course. Post baccalaureate prerequisite credits must be approved by the MSOT program in OTCAS.

A minimum of 3.0 cumulative grade point average of the last 60 credits may be considered for a holistic approach. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for each prerequisite course. 

Your official GPA will come from Official Transcripts and through the OTCAS calculations.

Applicants must complete a minimum of 40 hours of occupational therapy observation/shadowing and at least 20 of those hours must be completed with an Occupational Therapist (OT).Hours must be completed in at least two different clinical or community-based settings (e.g., school, early intervention program, skilled nursing facility, community health center). Experiences should ideally include both adult and pediatric populations and the observation hours must be conducted outside of paid employment. 

 All hours much be documented and signed by a licensed OT or OTA. 

Use this form provided by the program to log observation hours - CMU OT PROGRAM OBSERVATION HOURS

Applicants must consider program deadlines carefully and start the application process early. Once an applicant has completed and submitted the OTCAS application, OTCAS will verify all information, which can take up to four weeks. Only after it is verified by OTCAS will the CMU MSOT Program evaluate an application for consideration of interview and/or admission to the program. This process may take an additional two weeks beyond the verification date. The OTCAS application cycle closes June 20th for our program. 

More information on OTCAS and the verification process can be found at: OTCAS Applicant Help Center

Yes, a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university must be completed by the end of the Fall Semester prior to matriculation. Degrees earned outside of the U.S. must be evaluated and accepted by a U.S. equivalency reporting agency as an equivalent degree from a foreign institution. 

All prerequisite courses must be from a Regionally Accredited US College or University. 

We highly recommend that all prerequisites are completed within the last five years. All prerequisites must be successfully completed and transcripts for outstanding prerequisite coursework must be received by CMU no later than June 30th, for the first semester in August. 

A certificate for Medical Terminology course will be accepted and can be taken online. 

International applicants with a degree earned outside the U.S. must meet the following criteria:

• Submit your foreign degree coursework to a U.S. based evaluation service for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to OTCAS from the evaluation service. Click here to learn more about foreign evaluation vendors used by OTCAS. 
• All required prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited U.S. higher education institution and be verifiable through official transcripts.
• Applicants must communicate well in English as all course work is conducted in English.
• TOEFL Exam Score: Minimum of 550 on the paper-based exam; minimum of 80 on the internet-based exam