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The Occupational Therapy program considers for admission those applicants who possess the academic and professional promise necessary for development as competent, caring members of the health care community. To select these candidates a competitive admission framework has been established. Within this competitive admission framework, multiple criteria are used to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant pool that exceeds the number of seats available. Interested individuals are advised to complete their application as early as possible to ensure timely consideration. Application Deadline: January 31st Admission Requirements: Individuals applying for admission to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program must: No Admission Statement An applicant not meeting the minimum graduate admission requirements for the University or the admission criteria for the graduate degree will not be admitted. Admission to the graduate program is not guaranteed. Applicants not admitted may follow the appeal process through the department chair or program director, the dean, then the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies whose decision is final. Refer to the Graduate Catalog for more detailed information and options. A. UTPA Graduate School Admissions Applicants must apply to the Graduate School of UTPA online at www.utpa.edu/gradschool/ by the January 31st application deadline. In order to be admitted to the MS in Occupational Therapy program, the student must first meet all requirements for admission to the Graduate School of UTPA. Application for admission must be submitted online; the application is available at www.utpa.edu/gradschool/ . Please save your work until you are ready to submit. Once submitted, applicants can check the status of their application online or by contacting the Graduate Office. B. Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy Application The UTPA Occupational Therapy program uses the Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy Schools (OTCAS) for students applying to the Program. All applicants to the Occupational Therapy program are required to submit their application to OTCAS (http://www.otcas.org/ ) with all required materials by the January 31st application deadline. Please refer to the OTCAS website for instructions on submission of the OTCAS application materials. Materials to be submitted to OTCAS include: official transcripts, GRE scores, letters of reference, and personal statement. C. Official Transcripts Official transcripts of all college and university work must be submitted online through the OTCAS and directly to the UTPA Office of Graduate Admissions. D. Prerequisite Courses Applicant must show evidence of satisfactory completion of the following courses. Prerequisite courses completed more than five (5) years prior to the January 31st application deadline will not be considered.
• If there are questions about a prerequisite(s), fax or email the course description(s), catalog description(s)of course (s), or syllabus(i) to the OT Department (Fax: 956/665-2476 or email at occtherapy@utpa.edu/). Be sure to provide your contact information. • Waiver(s): A waiver and/or substitution of any required prerequisite course may be petitioned to the Chair of the Admissions Committee. You may do this by providing a written request for a waiver along with supporting documents, your contact information, a copy of the course catalog or syllabus and transcripts to the OT department (Fax: 956/ 665-2476 or email: occtherapy@utpa.edu/ ). • A grade of "D" or "F" will not be accepted for any prerequisite courses. • Students may re-take prerequisite courses. The grades for the courses will be averaged together if they are taken within the 5 year time frame. If more than 5 years has elapsed then grades outside the 5 year time frame will not be averaged. E. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) The MS in Occupational Therapy program requires all parts of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for all applicants. The GRE must be taken within 5 years of the application deadline. There is no minimum score, but the applicant’s score is factored into the overall evaluation of the application. The Office of Continuing education offers an online GRE Prep course to prospective grad students at http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/daa_home/ogs_home/ce_home/ce_test/test_gre)/. F. Letters of Reference Reference letters are to be submitted electronically through the online OTCAS application system (www.otcas.org/ ). Please refer to the OTCAS website for instructions on submission of the OTCAS application materials. Applicants are required to submit three letters of reference to OTCAS. If you have graduated in the last three years, this must include one academic reference. Letters from college or university instructors in your major from whom you have taken courses are preferred. Letters from such instructors which are part of a college or university placement file may be used if they address your potential for graduate study. For those who have been out of college for three years or more, you may submit a reference from persons who have known and worked with you in a professional capacity. At least one reference concerning your employment or volunteer experience must be included. Appropriate recommendations include a reference from an immediate supervisor or another person to whom you have been responsible or who was familiar with your work. Please note the statement concerning the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 that appears on the top of each form. Please read this statement carefully, and choose one of the alternatives offered. G. Volunteer and/or Work Experiences There is no set number of volunteer hours or work experiences that you need to complete in order to be considered for admission into the program. Nor are you required to complete hours in occupational therapy through work or observation. However, it is vital that you have been exposed to volunteer and/or work experiences. These are factored into the overall evaluation of the application. Your volunteer and/or work experiences are submitted through the OTCAS application. H. Personal Statement The applicant must submit a 1,000 word essay discussing his/her interest in occupational therapy. This essay must be typewritten, double spaced, and grammatically correct. Be sure to include your name on the cover page, and all subsequent pages. The statement must address all three parts of the questions as outlined as below: Part I A. Why are you seeking a graduate degree in occupational therapy at this time? Why have you chosen to apply to the UTPA Department of Occupational Therapy? Part II Part III I. Personal Interview Applicants may be required to participate in a personal interview with the MS in Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee. J. International Students Applicants for whom English is not their primary language must have a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL. K. FERPA Consent Form The admissions committee is composed of OT faculty and OTs from the community. Please sign the consent form allowing the OTs from the community to evaluate your application. If you do not wish to release your information please indicate this on the consent form. This will not affect the evaluation of your application. Form may be downloaded from the MS in Occupational Therapy web site at web site: http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/daa_home/hshs_home/ot_home .
To be considered for admission to the MS in Occupational Therapy program, applicants must submit the following: The MS in Occupational Therapy Graduate School application must be current. A 2011 application may not be submitted for 2012. You must reapply. You may email the department manager (occtherapy@utpa.edu ) if you wish references from a prior application (within 2 years) to be forwarded to a new application. • MS in Occupational Therapy Completed Application. Applicants are required to submit their application to OTCAS. The Occupational Therapy Department will send letters verifying receipt of OTCAS applications with all required materials. Applicants are responsible for tracking the receipt of their application materials and ensuring submission of all required documents. Only applicants who submit completed applications with all required application materials will be considered for potential entrance into the program. A complete application contains: It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all documents are received by the application deadline. Selection and Notification Process • The Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee meets as soon as possible after the deadline to review each application. If required, the Chair of the Admissions Committee notifies the applicant via phone or letter for an interview. Once selections have been made, the UTPA Graduate School will send notification to all applicants indicating whether or not they have been accepted. No information regarding the status of an application is given over the phone. Once a selection is made, the status of your application will be available online at www.utpa.edu/gradschool. • In keeping with the UTPA policy, the Department of Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or previous major of college attended. BE ADVISED • Applicants who acknowledge a felony conviction should be aware that the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) might bar persons with a felony record from taking the certification examination. The Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (TBOTE) may deny persons with a felony record a state license to practice. For information regarding their requirements for certification following graduation, please contact: • The College of Health Sciences and Human Services requires a criminal background check before admission to the program. • Some personal information may need to be disclosed during the educational experience. For example, information may be required by a clinical education site or licensing board. Prior notification will be given to the students Required Practicum and Fieldwork Experiences A minimum of one 10 week practicum (Level I) and the equivalent of 24 weeks of fieldwork (Level II) experience are required of all Master's students In Occupational Therapy. These field-based practical experiences provide students with the opportunity to work in an approved setting. All students admitted to the OT program should expect to take at least one fieldwork experience outside the Rio Grande Valley. The practicum (Level I) is generally taken after the 2nd semester in the program and the fieldwork (Level II) experiences after successful completion of all academic coursework and requirements. Students have 24 months after completion of academic coursework to complete Level II fieldwork requirements as declared by ACOTE. Students must complete and pass the equivalent of a minimum of 24 weeks full time Level II fieldwork to graduate but may take more. These practical experiences permit students to gain exposure working with persons with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals.
This program is accredited by:
Last Updated: March 2011
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