Prospective Students

How Do I Apply? 

For any admissions question email: ot@utep.edu

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 take phone and/or walk-in inquiries. No hard copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, or observations hours should be sent to UTEP Occupational Therapy Program office.

The 2018-19 application cycle through OTCAS will open July 18, 2018. The application deadline is November 1, 2018. OTCAS will process your application only after all required items are completed, including payment of the fee, and submission of all official transcript(s). OTCAS verification processing may take up to 4-6 weeks once all required materials are received. UTEP OT faculty will review transcripts only after OTCAS verification. After thorough review of this page, please email your 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 applicant may not have enough time to complete the requirement and disqualifies his/her application.

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 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. See UTEP 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, 2018.

1. GRE scores within the past 5 years should be submitted directly to OTCAS, using the DO Code 1218.
2. OFFICIAL transcripts of ALL academic coursework (not just prerequisite courses) submitted to OTCAS. The applicant is responsible for verifying that OTCAS has received and verified all transcripts showing all prerequisites completed no later than January 31, 2019.
3. 3.0 on a 4.0 scale- overall and prerequisite GPA. The program also considers Anatomy & Physiology, behavioral sciences, and GPAs from the last 60 credit hours in the admissions process.
4. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
5. Personal statement submitted through the OTCAS system.
6. Completion of additional questions requested in OTCAS. 
7. Evaluations: A minimum of three (up to five) references (letters of recommendation) are required. 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 your evaluators to send letters of recommendation to UTEP MOT program.
8. 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 verified with an employee signature from each location where you volunteered with an OTR or COTA into one PDF file and upload onto one available slot in OTCAS.
9. To request a course substitution, complete the “Prerequisite Substitution Request form” below with supporting documents (i.e., course syllabus and/or description), and scan and email them to: ot@utep.edu for approval. Once a decision has been returned to you, upload the decision documentation to OTCAS (OTCAS —> Program Materials —> UTEP —> Documents tab).  Course substitution requests will not be accepted or processed after October 15, 2018.
10. 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: 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.

• Completion of all prerequisite coursework by the end of the fall 2018 term.
• No more than 2 prerequisites can be in progress in the fall 2018 term.
• A course may not be used to fulfill more than one prerequisite requirement.
• Prerequisites should be completed within the last 5 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.

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
Psychology courses including: Introductory Psychology 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.) Abnormal Psychology	9
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 Completion Form

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)