Pre-Occupational Therapy

Students prepare for entry to a graduate program in occupational therapy by obtaining a baccalaureate degree, completing the prerequisite course work for entry into specific programs, and by obtaining a broad variety of volunteer clinical experience under the direction of an occupational therapist. Students may complete undergraduate degrees in any area. Most programs require submission of scores for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE – general test only).

Specific information on each occupational therapy program can be obtained from the American Occupational Therapy Association at www.aota.org/Educate/Schools.aspx. Students are encouraged to review prerequisite courses early in their academic planning and to develop a plan of study within the first quarter of entry to Western.

Pre-Occupational Therapy is not a major at WWU. Examples of Western majors that cover some or all of the prerequisites include: Biology-Anthropology, Community Health and Kinesiology /Pre-Healthcare Professions.

Program Checkpoints:

Freshman/Sophomore Years:

• Meet with a Pre-Occupational Therapy advisor to complete a plan of study.
• Complete¹:
  • MATH 114 (pre-req for chem 121) (see GUR note²).
  • Chemistry: (see requirement & GUR note³)
    • o CHEM 121 if using BIOL 101 as pre-req for BIOL 348, 349
    • o CHEM 121, 122 if using BIOL 205 as a pre-req for BIOL 348, 349.
  • PSY 101 (see GUR note⁴), PSY 230 Developmental Psychology, PSY 250 Abnormal Psychology⁵.
  • Sociology, or Anthropology (see GUR note⁶)
  • BIOL 204, 205 (or BIOL 101) (See GUR note⁷) (Pre-req for BIOL 348)
  • Physics 101 (see requirement & GUR note⁸).
  • Statistics (MATH 240, KIN 307, or BIOL 340).
  • Other GURs.

Junior Year:

• Work on completing:
  • BIOL 348, BIOL 349 (see warning below⁹).
  • Other Occupational Therapy prerequisites¹⁰.
  • Clinical experience hours (be sure to include a variety of settings and target populations, for example mental health youth adult etc.).
  • Major requirements.
• Prepare for the Graduate Records Examination (GRE).

Senior Year:

• Take the GRE in the fall.
• Request letters of recommendation from professors, administrators and professionals.
• Complete remaining Occupational Therapy prerequisites.
• Complete major requirements.
• Two quarters before graduation, meet with major faculty advisor for major evaluation and apply for graduation.

1. You must examine the requirements of OT schools you wish to qualify to apply to, to determine which of these courses you should complete.
2. Math 107 contributes to fulfillment of the QSR GUR requirement.
3. A chemistry course is only required by some OT programs, but Chem 121 is required for BIOL 204 & 349, & CHEM 122 is required for BIOL 205. CHEM 121 & 122 can also contribute to fulfilling the Natural Sciences GUR requirement.
4. PSY 101 contributes to fulfillment of SSC GUR requirement.
5. Select behavioral science course beyond Psychology 101 by examining the requirements of OT schools you are interested in being qualified to apply to, to see if they have any specific requirements.
6. Course from SSC GUR category can be selected.
7. BIOL 101, 204, 205 contribute towards fulfilling the Natural Sciences GUR requirement.
8. A physics course is only required by some OT programs. A physics course can also contribute to fulfilling the Natural Sciences GUR requirement.
9. Only PEHR and Biology/Anthropology majors are allowed to resister for Biol 348 at WWU. Students in other majors requiring Biol 348 for professional school may be granted an override if they request one from the instructor at least three weeks prior to phase I of registration.
10. You must examine the requirements of OT schools you wish to qualify to apply to, and ensure you complete their requirements by discussing these requirements with your advisor so they can be included in your plan of study.