Academic Prerequisites

Our students engage in diverse, complex and specific experiences essential to occupational therapy

Prerequisites are courses that are required for entry into the MOT program. All prerequisites must be completed before beginning the MOT program; they can be planned or in progress while applying to the program. Prerequisites must be completed by August 1 of the year in which you begin the program; for example, for Fall 2027 admission, courses must be complete by August 1, 2027.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they are on track to fulfill prerequisites by using the guides of approved coursework below, or confirming with admissions staff by obtaining a prerequisite evaluation.

Prerequisite Policies

A US Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution or International degree equivalent to a US Bachelor's degree is required by August 1.
Must be taken at a regionally accredited university, college, or community college
Must be at least 3 semester credits, taken A-F, and completed with a grade of C or better, with the exception of Medical Terminology which may be 0-1 credits and taken pass/fail.
- Prerequisites may be fulfilled with courses taken on a pass/fail (S/N at UMN) grading scale (with a passing grade) for Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 courses due to the significant disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
May be satisfied with college credit earned in high school (PSEO, College in the Schools, IB, etc.) if credit appears on a college transcript.
May be satisfied by Advanced Placement (AP) exam with a score of 3 or higher, or if credit for an approved prerequisite appears on a college transcript
For prerequisites more than 10 years old, please contact admissions
Applicants are expected to take no more than two prerequisites in the summer immediately prior to entering the program
If you took international courses that do not appear on a US transcript, a WES course-by-course transcript evaluation must be submitted as part of your OTCAS application
Note: Applicants whose native language is not English or whose academic study was done exclusively at non-English speaking institutions must prove English proficiency when they apply by providing official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.
Transfers from other OT programs
If an applicant has completed OT coursework at another institution within the past 10 years, prerequisite coursework and respective syllabi will be reviewed by the faculty admissions committee to determine if the applicant has met specific course learning outcomes and the associated ACOTE standards. The OT program rarely awards credit for previous coursework from outside institutions and does not award credit for previous work experience.

Prerequisite notes

Four out of the seven 'core' prerequisite courses must be completed at the time of application submission, including two of the following three courses:

Human Anatomy
Human Physiology
Statistics

Human Anatomy

One course, lab recommended but not required

Human Physiology

One course, lab recommended but not required

OR Human Anatomy and Physiology

A full anatomy and physiology sequence (typically A & P I and II) covering all systems of the body; lab recommended but not required)

Statistics

One course, covering descriptive and inferential statistics. Courses that focus on Research Methods are not sufficient. AP Statistics is accepted.

Factors of Contemporary Society to Meet Human Needs

One course; content must apply, analyze, and evaluate the role of sociocultural, socioeconomic, diversity factors, and lifestyle choices in contemporary society to meet the needs of persons, groups, communities, and populations.

General Psychology

One course, covering fundamental principles of biological, sociological, cognitive, and personality impacts on normal and abnormal psychology.

Psychopathology/ Abnormal Psychology

One course, covering diagnosis, classification, and etiologies of behavioral disorders.

Human Development Across the Lifespan

Course(s) must cover the entire lifespan (infant through old age). A series of classes is sometimes necessary to fulfill this requirement.

*Medical Terminology

One course (0-1 credits), introducing and defining medical terminology related to body structure, disease, diagnosis, and treatment.
*Not a core course; may be taken S-N.

How to Interpret the Prerequisite Guides

For each prerequisite, a description of the general requirement is listed, followed by a list of specific courses that will fulfill the prerequisite. Some prerequisites may be fulfilled with a single course, while others require multiple courses.

If courses are listed like this, one course is required to fulfill the prerequisite:

EPSY 3264 OR STAT 3011 OR PSY 3801 OR SOC 3811

If courses are listed like this, both or multiple courses are required:

[NURS 3690 & NURS 3691]

Academic Prerequisites

Our students engage in diverse, complex and specific experiences essential to occupational therapy

Prerequisite notes

Human Anatomy

Human Physiology

Statistics

Factors of Contemporary Society to Meet Human Needs

General Psychology

Psychopathology/ Abnormal Psychology

Human Development Across the Lifespan

*Medical Terminology

Occupational Therapy

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Academic Prerequisites

Our students engage in diverse, complex and specific experiences essential to occupational therapy

Prerequisite notes

Human Anatomy

Human Physiology

Statistics

Factors of Contemporary Society to Meet Human Needs

General Psychology

Psychopathology/ Abnormal Psychology

Human Development Across the Lifespan

*Medical Terminology

Occupational Therapy

Office

Contact Us

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