Prospective Students
How Do I Apply?
Process:
All applicants to the Master of Occupational Therapy Program must open an account and follow directions listed at OTCAS (https://portal.otcas.org). Application process is completely online. We do not provide pre-admissions advising. We do not take phone and/or walk-in inquiries. No hard copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, or observations hours should be sent to the UTEP admissions or the Occupational Therapy Program office. In order to receive a full review, an application fee must be paid to the UTEP MOT program by the application deadline.
The 2019-2020 application cycle through OTCAS will open in mid-July 2019 for anticipated admissions in May 2020. The application deadline is November 1, 2019. OTCAS will process the application only after all required items are completed, including payment of the OTCAS fee, and submission of all official transcript(s). OTCAS verification processing may take up to 6 weeks once all required materials are received. UTEP MOT faculty will review transcripts only after OTCAS verification and payment of the UTEP application fee. After thorough review of this page, please email unanswered questions to: ot@utep.edu. We do not provide pre-admission student advising. As part of the admissions process, ability to independently follow the application instructions is just as important as the quality of the application.
It is in the applicant’s best interest to apply early in case the admissions committee finds a deficiency, there is still time to remedy the issue. If the missing requirement is discovered after the deadline, the application will be disqualified. Applicants are responsible for submitting all requirements due no later than November 1st through the OTCAS system.
Important Notes:
1) If you have had a felony conviction, you may not be able to sit for the NBCOT certification exam or attain a state OT license.
2) It is a Texas law (HB1508) that students be informed of the following: if a student has been convicted of an offense or placed on probation, he or she may not be eligible for a Texas OT license issued by ECPTOTE.
Requirements:
All requirements for admission can also be found on OTCAS by going to the UTEP tab under the Participating Programs on the side panel. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required items are received no later than the application deadline, November 1, 2019.
- GRE scores must be taken within the past 5 years and should be submitted directly to OTCAS, using the DO Code 1218. While there is no minimum overall score, applicants are strongly encouraged to do their best on this exam (refer to FAQs for more information).
- OFFICIAL transcripts of ALL academic coursework (not just prerequisite courses) must be submitted to OTCAS. For those applicants taking one or two courses during the fall in which they apply, official transcripts must be received by OTCAS no later than January 31, 2020.
- No less than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale- overall and prerequisite GPA. The UTEP MOT program takes all coursework into account and utilizes calculation of GPA which combines all grades, including all attempts for any re-taken courses. The program also considers Anatomy & Physiology, behavioral sciences, and GPAs from the last 60 credit hours in the admissions process.
- Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. When all required pre-requisites are completed, a student may apply if the degree is in progress but not yet completed. The official transcript with the conferred degree must be submitted no later than May 31, 2020 through the OTCAS system.
- Personal statement submitted through the OTCAS system.
- Updated Resume
- Payment of the UTEP MOT Application fee of $45.
- Completion of additional questions requested in OTCAS.
- Letters of Recommendation: A minimum of three (up to five) letters of recommendation. Electronic references should come directly from the evaluators to OTCAS. At least one reference must be provided by an OT professional. Please carefully follow the instructions provided by OTCAS (in the FAQs) once you create an account with OTCAS. Do not ask evaluators to send letters of recommendation to UTEP MOT program.
- A minimum of 40 verifiable observation hours of therapy services with occupational therapy professionals. It is preferred that hours occur in more than one clinical setting. Please scan all sign-in sheets from all observation locations with an OTR or COTA, verified with an employee signature, into one PDF file and upload to one available slot in OTCAS.
- All foreign coursework must be evaluated by a Foreign Credentialing Service. We require TOEFL/IELTS Scores for any applicant for whom English is their second language (scores are considered on a case by case basis).
- Course prerequisites from an accredited institution of higher learning completed no later than fall 2019 are: Anatomy & Physiology I with lab, Anatomy & Physiology II with lab, Introductory or General Psychology, Human Growth and Development/Lifespan (or equivalent course/s), Abnormal Psychology, Statistics, at least one social or behavioral science elective, and Medical Terminology. a) Optional requirement: course substitution form. It is not necessary to request a course substitution for courses with the same titles and credit hours from an accredited institution of higher learning. To request a course substitution, complete the “Prerequisite Substitution Request form” below with supporting documents and scan and email them to: ot@utep.edu for approval. Once a decision has been returned to you, follow uploading instruction on the email. Course substitution requests will not be accepted or processed after October 15, 2019
- No more than 2 prerequisites can be in progress in the fall 2019 term.
- A course may not be used to fulfill more than one prerequisite requirement.
- Prerequisites should be completed within the last 7 years (with the exception of Introductory Psychology and the behavioral sciences elective, which do not have a time frame).
- Students may re-take pre-requisite courses. (Calculation of GPA based on all attempts for any re-taken course).
- Medical Terminology course may also be fulfilled with an online course that may not appear on a transcript. Applicant must upload the certificate of completion from an accredited institution of higher learning with other required items into OTCAS under UTEP requirements.
|
Prerequisite Courses |
Credits |
|
2 semesters of human anatomy and physiology with labs (can be 2 separate semester courses of A&P-I and A&P-II; or one semester course of human anatomy and one semester course of human physiology. In either scenario, the courses should have lab portions. The course credits can be two 3-credit courses plus 1-credit labs, or two 4-credit courses (lecture and lab combined) |
8 |
|
Introductory Psychology |
3 |
|
Human Growth and Development across the Lifespan, Developmental Psychology, or multiple courses that address human growth and development (e.g., Psychology addressing infancy, early childhood, school-age, adolescent, adulthood, ageing, etc.) |
3 |
|
Abnormal Psychology |
3 |
|
Statistics (preferably a behavioral sciences statistics course) |
3 |
|
Behavioral Science elective (suggested course in psychology, sociology, anthropology or health promotion) |
3 |
|
Medical Terminology (online course or certificate accepted) |
1 |
|
Total Credits |
24 |
The Prerequisite Completion Form is provided below for prospective students as a personal record tool or checklist to document progress toward prerequisite course completion. It is for personal use and should not be sent to UTEP nor uploaded to OTCAS.
Prerequisite Substitution Request
Prerequisite Course Transfer Table
Accreditation
The UTEP Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program is fully accredited by
the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) (See: http://www.acoteonline.org/ )
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
C/O American Occupational Therapy Association
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449
(301) 652-AOTA (2682)
