Advising Course Plan - Health Sciences Major - Occupational Therapy Interest
Students pursuing a career in Occupational Therapy (OT) will apply primarily through a centralized service: The Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). OTCAS allows applicants to use a single application and one set of materials to apply to the majority of OT programs. A smaller number of programs do not accept applications through OTCAS and have their own application process. For the programs you are interested in applying to, please check (early! – e.g., in your 1st or 2nd year) the specific course prerequisite requirements and application steps, which vary from program to program.
As noted on the OTCAS website (https://portal.otcas.org/), there are several requirements that are common across most OT programs. Most programs require the GRE.
First, in terms of course requirements, many OT programs using OTCAS require Anatomy & Physiology from “a biology, neuroscience, anatomy, or integrated physiology department.” Health Sciences (HLSC) at Stetson fits under the category of “integrated physiology department,” but if you are taking your Anatomy & Physiology courses at another institution, you will need to verify that these transfer courses are from a department that meets one of the above descriptions.
Second, the vast majority of OT programs require one or more course in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, and may require one or more courses in Math.
Third, again the vast majority of programs require Social and Behavioral Science courses and a Statistics course. For the Social and Behavioral Science requirement, many of our students will take one or more courses in Psychology (e.g., Abnormal Psychology) and one in Sociology.
You will, of course, also need to consider and meet all the HLSC major requirements shown on Degree Audit and in the Course Catalog (NOTE: The sample plan shown below allows you to meet HLSC major requirements). One HLSC elective course that some OT programs (e.g. University of Florida) require is Medical Terminology, which is generally offered online through the HLSC department during the summer. Again, check the individual programs you are interested in for their specific required prerequisite courses.
Finally, in addition to a common core of prerequisite coursework (*), many OT programs either require or strongly recommend shadowing/internship hours. Please discuss the opportunities available with your advisor.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Units | |
| BIOL 141P1,* | Introductory Biology: Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics | 1 |
| HLSC 119V | Health and Wellness | 1 |
| FSEM 1001 | First Year Seminar (unless transfer student) | 1 |
| General Education requirement1 | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 142P1,* | Introductory Biology: Animal and Plant Physiology | 1 |
| PSYC 101S1,* | Introduction to Psychology | 1 |
| MATH 141Q* | Calculus I with Analytic Geometry | 1 |
| General Education requirement (A, B, H, L course)1 | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MATH 141Q should be taken at some point during this year if it was not taken in First Year. | ||
| HLSC 2011,* | Anatomy Physiology I | 1 |
| CHEM 141P* | General Chemistry I | 1 |
| SOCI 101S* | Understanding Society: An Introduction to Sociology | 1 |
| General Education requirement (A, B, H, L course)1 | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Spring | ||
| HLSC 2021,* | Anatomy and Physiology II | 1 |
| CHEM 142P* | General Chemistry II | 1 |
| PSYC 231 | Developmental Psychology | 1 |
| General Education requirement (A, B, H, L course)1 | 1 | |
| Term Units | 4 | |
| Summer | ||
| Take the GRE exam in preparation for OT school applications - by the end of summer before Fourth Year. | ||
| Term Units | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Junior Seminar must be taken during this year. | ||
| Junior Seminar | 1 | |
| HLSC 4111,* | Exercise Physiology | 1 |
| PHYS 121P or 141P* | College Physics I University Physics I | 1 |
| COMM 201 | 1 | |
| HLSC 3751,* | Community Health Care Seminar (HLSC elective; recommended) | 0.5 |
| Term Units | 4.5 | |
| Spring | ||
| HLSC 4981 | Senior Research Proposal | 1 |
| PUBH 308Q | 1 | |
| PHYS 122P or 142P* | College Physics II University Physics II | 1 |
| COMM 201 | 1 | |
| PUBH 376 | Health Coach Practicum I | 0.5 |
| Term Units | 4.5 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HLSC 4991 | Senior Research Project | 1 |
| PHIL 316V | Bio-Medical Ethics (or equivalent; IHSC elective; or other Personal & Social Responsibility course (R, E, W, D, J course)) | 1 |
| PUBH 377 | Health Coach Practicum II | 0.5 |
| HLSC elective1 | 1 | |
| Term Units | 3.5 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective | 1 | |
| Elective | 1 | |
| Elective | 1 | |
| Elective | .5 | |
| Term Units | 3.5 | |
| Total Unit: 32 | ||
- 1
Required for HLSC major.
- *
Common core of prerequisite course work.