M.S. in Occupational Therapy Admissions

Admissions Requirements

Application

The University of New England Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program participates in the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). All applicants are required to apply online through this service.

Degree Requirement

• Completion of Bachelor’s Degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution, or international equivalent, prior to matriculation.
• All applicants are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Official transcripts should be sent directly to OTCAS. Please see the OTCAS application for additional information and instructions.

GPA Requirement

• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is preferred, as calculated by OTCAS (inclusive of all coursework taken with no forgiveness for retakes).
• A minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 is preferred, as calculated by UNE using the highest grade received for repeated coursework; calculated using the OTCAS universal computation scale for quality points.
• Last 60 credit hour GPA is also considered during application review.

Prerequisite Coursework Requirements

Course Subject	Course Details	Course Credits
Anatomy & Physiology I or Human Anatomy	Lab Required	4 semester or 6 quarter credits
Anatomy & Physiology II or Human Physiology	Lab Required	4 semester or 6 quarter credits
Science	College-level science course with lab is required to fulfill this requirement. Any course subject listed in the attached UNE OT Subject List (PDF) is acceptable to fulfill this requirement. Survey courses will not satisfy this requirement.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
Statistics	Biology, Math, or Psychology-based statistics are all acceptable to fulfill this requirement.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
Introduction to Psychology	College-level course is required.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
Abnormal Psychology	College-level course is required.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
Human Development	Human Development course that covers the entire lifespan is required to fulfill this requirement. Course must cover the entire lifespan from birth to death. Applicants wishing to use Developmental Psychology to fulfill this prerequisite must contact the program for approval prior to application submission.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
Social Science	Sociology is acceptable to fulfill this requirement. Anthropology is acceptable to fulfill this requirement. Acceptable courses should be focused on the study of society, human interactions/relationships, the structure and function of social institutions or organized groups, and culture.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits
English	English Composition is acceptable to fulfill this requirement. This requirement can also be met by taking a course identified as a Writing-Intensive. Please note that if a writing-intensive course is being used to satisfy this requirement, the course description must clearly indicate that it is considered a writing-intensive course.	3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits

Other Important Prerequisite Coursework Considerations

• Courses in or familiarity with Medical Terminology, Introduction to Occupational Therapy, and APA 7th Edition formatting are not required but highly recommended.
• All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better (“C minus” grades not acceptable).
• All science prerequisite coursework must be completed no more than seven (7) years prior to UNE’s OTCAS application deadline.
• A maximum of 6 Advanced Placement (AP) or equivalent International Baccalaureate (IB) credits may be accepted as a substitute for Introduction to Psychology and English Composition prerequisite courses only.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
• Prerequisite coursework may be in-progress or planned at the time of application.
• Official transcripts for coursework and/or degrees completed in the summer/fall term should be submitted and verified by OTCAS during the Academic Update period.
• Official transcripts for coursework and/or degrees completed after the Academic Update period should be submitted directly to UNE’s Office of Graduate Admissions.
• All planned or in-progress prerequisite coursework must be listed on the OTCAS application at the time of application submission. Not doing so may lead to the applicant being deemed ineligible for admission review.
• Online courses offered through UNE’s Online Science Prerequisites as well as online courses from other regionally accredited U.S. colleges or universities may be acceptable (with program approval).

Standardized Tests

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for admission.

Letters of Evaluation

Two (2) letters of evaluation are required*, submitted via OTCAS.

• Letters should come from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s academic abilities and/or professional experiences.

*Letters from friends or family members are not permitted.

Observation Hours

• Volunteer, shadowing, and/or work experience in a health or human services-related setting is not required, but it is highly recommended.
• All hours should be documented within the OTCAS application.

Personal Statement

• Please refer to the OTCAS application for specific writing prompts and additional information.

Interviews

• Interviews are required as part of the application process.
• Qualified applicants will be invited to interview via email. All interviews are completed through the Kira Talent virtual assessment platform.
• Although applicants are not required to physically come to campus during the application process, campus visits are welcome and available by appointment. Please reach out to the Office of Graduate Admissions via email for additional information.

International Applicants

International applicants and those with foreign degrees and coursework are required to satisfy the following additional requirements:

• Official credential evaluation by World Education Service (WES), confirming degree and grade equivalency to that of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. The completed credential evaluation should be submitted directly to OTCAS. Please refer to the International Admissions section of the UNE website for more information on the type of credential evaluation required for admission review.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate written and spoken fluency through the successful completion of a UNE-approved English language proficiency test.
• Applicants should refer to the English Language Proficiency page on the UNE website for specific information, minimum score requirements, and test score submission instructions.

Other Requirements

Prior to starting the program, all entering students will be required to complete the following compliance requirements:

• All outstanding documents, including official transcripts and baccalaureate degree conferral via an official transcript, must be submitted to the UNE Office of Graduate Admission prior to the start of the program.
• Completion of a physical examination with proof of up-to-date immunization status. Please refer to UNE’s Student Health Center for detailed information.
• Satisfactory completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen prior to matriculation, as well as periodically throughout the program (as required by clinical affiliations).
• All students must have the ability to meet the Academic and Technical Standards of the Occupational Therapy profession.

All materials submitted as part of the application become the property of UNE and will not be returned or released to anyone, including the applicant. This policy includes letters of reference, primary and secondary applications, personal statements, transcripts, and other supporting materials.

Policy Exceptions

• Policies have been established to ensure fair and consistent admissions practice for all applicants to the university and its programs.
• All criteria presented in this summary are subject to change per professional accreditation requirements, changes in curriculum and/or other institutional standards, and clinical affiliation requirements.
• Exceptions to existing admission policies are rare and made only when it is deemed necessary and appropriate to maintain fair and consistent practice for all candidates, not individual candidates.

• Transfer credits are rarely awarded to students who transfer from another Occupational Therapy program
• Transfer credits will be reviewed and awarded on a case-by-case basis

Advanced Standing

• No advanced standing available

Experiential Learning

• No credit awarded for experiential learning