Which Program is Right for You?
BACHELOR TO MASTER- ANY DEGREE/ANY UNIVERSITY:
This is the most common avenue for admissions into Idaho State University's Master of Occupational Therapy program. To be eligible for admission into ISU's MOT program, applicants must first complete a bachelor’s degree from any regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Although any undergraduate degree is acceptable, students may wish to select a degree whose requirements closely align with our prerequisite requirements. Check with an undergraduate advisor at your school to learn which degrees at your institution incorporate many or all of our prerequisites.
At Idaho State University, the Psychology and Health Sciences degrees are the best matches. Students who have already completed an unrelated degree (Art, Geology, History, etc.) may need to take additional prerequisites and can do so at most schools by registering as a non-degree seeking student.
Your degree can be in progress during the application process but must be completed by August of the year the applicant plans to matriculate into our program. Successful applicants must provide official transcripts to the ISU Graduate School to verify degree.
PRE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY- ANY UNIVERSITY:
This avenue is for students who have already selected occupational therapy as their career choice and plan to get their undergraduate degree at a university other than Idaho State. To be eligible for admission into ISU's MOT program, applicants must first complete a bachelor’s degree from any regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Many institutions have a specific Pre Occupational therapy minor or degree. Applicants should ensure that their respective minor or major and subsequent degree includes all the prerequisites required for admission into ISU's program. Many universities differ in their requirements.
BSHS TO MASTER- BACHELOR OF SCIENCE/PRE-OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY- ISU:
Idaho State University students who plan to pursue Occupational Therapy can choose to earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS). The BSHS degree is offered at ISU's Pocatello campus through the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences (KDHS) and provides several pathways for students depending on their ultimate educational and career goals. The choice of four different areas of concentration allows students flexibility in meeting their professional goals.
The pre-occupational therapy concentration of the BSHS will prepare students to apply to a variety of graduate programs in occupational therapy. Graduate occupational therapy programs will accept a wide range of undergraduate degrees, but this concentration prepares the student for future practice in health care while efficiently including the prerequisite courses required by most entry-level occupational therapy programs throughout the country. Students should check for specific requirements of the programs to which they intend to apply.
The objectives of this multidisciplinary degree are to prepare marketable students for entry-level employment in the health care field and to prepare students for admission to professional schools or graduate programs, including but not limited to Idaho State University.
ACCELERATED BSHS TO MASTER- PRE-OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY- ISU:
The Pre-Occupational Therapy Accelerated option within the BSHS in the KDHS is another means of entry into the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program. The accelerated option is administered as a combined program. This competitive track will prepare students to apply for early entrance into the ISU three-year MOT Program. Successful students will receive both a BSHS and a MOT degree in 6 academic years instead of the traditional 7 years.
Students pursuing this option must be an enrolled student at ISU with junior standing and a declared major in Health Science within the KDHS. Students apply with an Accelerated Option Application in the fall of their undergraduate junior year. Students who prepare but are not accepted into the Accelerated Option can choose to complete their BSHS degree and apply to any graduate program in occupational therapy, including ISU’s.
