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Admission Requirements

The following are required for admission to the Occupational Therapy graduate degree program:

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  • Baccalaureate Degree. A completed baccalaureate degree from an institution that is accredited by a nationally recognized, regional accrediting association. Applicants who have a baccalaureate degree from St. Catherine (or will be completing a bachelor's degree from St. Catherine and are applying for the dual-degree option) and who meet the admission criteria are considered first in the selection process.
  • GPA. Undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or higher on a 4.0 scale. If the applicant's GPA is less than 3.0, an explanatory statement should be included with the application.
  • Prerequisite Course Work. Prerequisite supporting course work must be completed with grade of C or above, with a minimum GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. One supporting course may be repeated once. If two or more supporting courses have a grade lower than C, the student is ineligible for the MAOT program.

Additional requirements:

  • Applicants must complete a minimum of 25 hours of volunteer and/or work experience in an occupational therapy or other healthcare setting prior to applying. The MAOT program strongly recommends that applicants obtain more than one experience to help demonstrate evidence of careful career exploration, as well as the ability to work with individuals of various age groups, disabilities and diverse backgrounds.

Prerequisite course work

Entry-level and Dual Degree* applicants must have a minimum of three supporting courses completed (with credits and grades noted on transcripts) at the time of application. All supporting courses are prerequisites and must be completed prior to the beginning of fall courses:

  • Human Anatomy & Physiology I**
    (or Human Anatomy)
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology II**
    (or Human Physiology)
  • General Psychology
  • Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Medical Terminology
  • Statistics

*Dual-degree program students have additional credit and course requirements to fulfill the occupational science major. Please contact your pre-OT advisor or see the department website for additional course and credit requirements.

**At least one of these courses must include a lab.

Due to the high volume of interest in the MAOT program during the months surrounding the Feb. 1 application deadline, the Office of Graduate Admission does not review unofficial transcripts to determine the completion of prerequisite course work. After the MAOT application form and official transcripts are submitted, an evaluation of previous course work is completed and applicants are notified of any outstanding prerequisite courses.

We are also not able to accommodate individual appointments during this time. We highly recommend that you attend one of our information sessions to learn more about the MAOT program and admission process. We are also able to answer most questions over the phone and by email.