Physical Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy

 

Entry Requirements

Mental Health Group

The following information provides the specific requirements for applying to the ISU Occupational Therapy (OT) Program. The requirements include the completion of a bachelor's degree, graduate record exam (GRE) scores, grade point average, prerequisite course work, and volunteer or paid aide experience under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist. Please read the following information carefully and then contact the ISU DPOT if you have questions or comments.

Completion of a Bachelor's Degree

Applicants must complete a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited in the U.S. or its equivalent from a school in another country. This degree may be in progress during the application process but must be completed prior to beginning OT courses in the Fall semester.

ISU Graduate School Requirements

All applicants applying to the ISU OT Program must also apply for admission to ISU through the Graduate School. General admissions requirements may be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office in the ISU Graduate Bulletin.

Please Note: Some of the requirements for admission into the OT Program are higher than the general requirements for the ISU Graduate School.

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GPA Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum of an earned grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 over all upper division course work to apply to the OT Program. A minimum of 25 upper division credits must be completed, or in progress, by January of the year of admission for applications to be considered. Applicants with advanced degrees may use the most recent upper division or graduate credits completed.

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GRE/MAT Requirements

Applicants must take either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). The scores on these tests must meet the following requirements:

GRE

  • A total combined score of at least 950 in the verbal and quatitative portions. Verbal must be at least 400.
  • With a minimum of 4.5 on the analytical portion.

MAT must meet the following requirement to be competitive: A total score of 390.

Test of English as a Foreign Requirements

  • International students must complete the TOEFL Examination with a score of 550 (paper based) and 213 (computer based).
  • In addition, the score of Section I of the exam must be 55 (paper based) and 21 (computer based).

Applicants with scores lower than the requirements will not be competitive in the application process. The scores of the GRE/MAT must be received by the ISU Graduate School by the application deadline (December 15) for an application to be considered. The ISU code for the GRE is: 4355

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Prerequisite Course Work

Applicants must complete specific prerequisite courses with a GPA of 3.0 in each of the specified categories. Prerequisite course work in anatomy and physicology must be completed within the last five (5) years. Prequisite corse work that is ten (10) years or older may not be acceptable for admission unless approved by the Department Admission's Committee prior to application. An applicant with more than five (5) prerequisite courses in progress or planned for the spring/summer semesters may not be considered for admission. Please contact the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy for specific information on the prerequisite course work.

Click here for complete list of OT course requirements.

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40 hours of Volunteer or Paid Experience In Occupational Therapy

Applicants must demonstrate knowledge and exposure to the occupational therapy profession. All of the required experience must be completed PRIOR to admission to the ISU MOT Program. All of the experience must be completed under the direct supervision of a licensed occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant and must have occurred within the last five years. A minimum of 40 hours of experience is required and must be completed in at least two different occupational therapy practice settings. Examples of practice settings include, but are not limited to acute care or rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient clinics, school-based or pediatric practice, mental health practice and nursing homes.

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Letters of Reference
Letters of Reference
Each applicant is required to submit three letters of reference to complete their application. The letters of reference should come from the following individuals:

  • Two of the letters reference must be from the occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants who directly supervised your volunteer or aide experience(s). Please contact the ISU OT Program for aditional information.
  • One letter must be an Academic Reference – professor or advisor who is familiar with your academic performance

Please Note: Letters of reference will not be accepted from relatives of the applicant.
Letters of reference from doctors, nurses, physical therapists and other health care professionals will not be accepted in place of letters from an occupational therapist.

The ISU MOT Program will include a form on which to obtain letters of reference. Letters of reference may not be read by the applicant and must be submitted with the application in a sealed envelope with a signature across the seal.

Applicants meeting all of the above requirements will be given preferenced for admission into the program and have been more successful in gaining entry. The Admissions Comittee reviews all applicants on a competitive case-by-case basis during any admissions cycle.

Note:

As part of your Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy program, you will be placed in several off-campus sites for clinical training. You will be required to successfully complete a series of immunizations, drug testing and a criminal background check prior to entering the program. Once the acceptance form is received you will be sent a list of these immunizations.

Conviction of a felony or other serious offense will likely result in denial of placement for the clinical assignment, and consequently affect your standing in the program.

If you have any questions about whether your criminal history, if any, will prevent or restrict your ability to obtain a license in this field, you should discuss this with the appropriate licensing agency or board.
Immunization, Background Check and CPR Verification Form

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