Prospective Students

We are planning a transition to a doctoral degree pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

How Do I Apply?

I. Process:

All applicants to the UTEP Occupational Therapy Program must open an account and follow directions listed on OTCAS ( https://portal.otcas.org).

The application process is completely online and all of the information needed to apply is located here and on the application portal. UTEP Admissions and the OT program do not accept hard copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation, or observations hours. In order to receive a full review, the application fees must be paid by deadline.

The 2022-2023 application cycle through OTCAS will open in mid-July 2022 for anticipated admissions in August 2023. The application deadline is October 15, 2022 .

1. Complete application on OTCAS portal
2. Pay OTCAS application fee
3. Pay UTEP Non-refundable $45 application fee HERE
4. Admissions committee reviews completed applications
5. Notifications about decisions are sent to students

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 OT faculty will review transcripts only after OTCAS verification and payment of the UTEP application fee.

It is in the applicant’s best interest to apply early to allow time to remedy any deficiencies. If there is a missing requirement after the deadline, the application will not proceed to a full review. Applicants are responsible for submitting all requirements no later than  October 15, 2022 through the OTCAS system.

The OT program does not give credit for any coursework taken at any other OT program.

II. Requirements:

All requirements for admissions are here and 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 October 15, 2022 .

1. OFFICIAL Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
   Official GRE scores taken within the past 5 years sent directly to OTCAS using the  Code 1218 through the Educational Testing Service website (ETS) . There is no minimum overall score (refer to FAQs for more information).
2. OFFICIAL Academic Transcripts
   Official transcripts of ALL academic coursework must be submitted to OTCAS no later than the deadline.
3. Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements
   Minimum 3.0 overall and prerequisite GPA. The program considers all coursework and utilizes calculation of GPA which combines all grades, including all attempts for any re-taken courses.
4. Degree Requirements
   Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. The official transcript with the conferred degree must be submitted no later than  October 15, 2022 through the OTCAS system.
5. Personal Statement
   Using APA style, submit through OTCAS, a personal statement with the following writing prompt: Discuss your personal experience with occupational therapy, reasons for pursuing this profession, and how you plan to transform the profession in the future. (Maximum 1000 words).
6. Letters of Recommendation
   A minimum of three electronic letters of recommendation, and at least one reference provided by an OT professional. All recommendations submitted directly to OTCAS.
   Do not ask evaluators to send letters of recommendation to the program.
7. Observation Hours
   A minimum of 40 verifiable observation hours with occupational therapy professionals, preferably in more than one clinical setting. All sign-in documentation must be verified by an Occupational Therapy professional with a signature. An option to complete up to 10 observation hours of this requirement can be obtained by completing the following introductory course HERE
8. Notice of Ineligibility for Licensing A person with a felony conviction may not be eligible to sit for the NBCOT certification exam or attain a state OT license.
   For more information click HERE
   A person convicted of an offense or placed on probation may not be eligible for a Texas OT license issued by ECPTOTE Texas law HB1508.
   For more information click HERE
9. International Students
   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).
10. Resume
    
11. Additional Questions Requested in OTCAS

III. Required Prerequisites

All required courses prerequisites completed no later than fall 2022. A course may not be used to fulfill more than one prerequisite requirement.

Prerequisites completed within the last 7 years, except for Introductory Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences Elective, which have no time limit.

• 8 credit hours in Anatomy (2 semesters of human anatomy and physiology with labs or one semester course of human anatomy and one semester course of human physiology, with corresponding lab. The course credits can be two 3-credit courses plus 1-credit labs, or two 4-credit courses (lecture and lab combined))
• 3 credit hours in Introductory Psychology
• 3 credit hours in Human Growth and Development across the Lifespan
• 3 credit hours in Abnormal Psychology
• 3 credit hours in Statistics
  • Research methods course cannot be substituted for statistics
• 3 credit hours in Behavioral Science elective
• 1 credit hour in Medical Terminology
  • Online certificate applicable

After thorough review of this page, please email unanswered questions to: OTadmissions@utep.edu allow 3 business days for a response from the admissions committee.

IV. Additional Information

• Course substitution

It is not necessary to request a course substitution for a course with the same title and credit hours obtained 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:  OTadmissions@utep.edu   for review. If approval is granted, follow uploading instruction on the email. Course substitution requests will not be accepted or processed after October 15, 2022

 Prerequisite Substitution Request

• Transcript review

The Transcript Form provided below is a self-assessment tool/ checklist to document progress toward prerequisite course completion. The UTEP admissions committee will review transcripts after completed applications are verified through OTCAS (See I. Process). It is for personal use and should not be sent to UTEP nor uploaded to OTCAS.

 Prerequisite Completion Form