The Graduate-Professional Program

This twenty-eight month program of combined academic and clinical education is intended for the student who has a baccalaureate degree in an area of study other than occupational therapy. It consists of 70 semester hours with 40 semester hours in professional undergraduate courses and 30 semester hours of graduate courses. The Graduate Professional Program is offered through the main campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan and through the WMU Grand Rapids, Michigan campus.

Accreditation Status

The Kalamazoo and the Grand Rapids entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652- AOTA. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapists administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or obtain state licensure.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for regular admission to this program, each applicant must present evidence of the following criteria:

1. An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better in the most recent 60 hours of undergraduate and graduate academic course work. 
3. Official transcripts for all relevant college work.
4. All prerequisite courses must be completed at the time of application to the occupational therapy graduate program. Students may be enrolled in OT 2020: Orientation to Occupational Therapy at the time of application.
5. Departmental approval.
   
   Because admission is considered competitive, the academic criteria listed above should be considered as minimum standards.

Please note the following:

1. In the admission process, a formula is employed that assigns points for GPA and for the other admission topics. Admission to the program is based on the compilation of all points.
2. Admission to the University does not guarantee admission to the professional occupational therapy curriculum. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended must be sent to the University Admissions Office in time to be processed prior to the department deadline.
3. Occupational therapy is a profession that is regulated on national and state levels, and everyone who wishes to practice as an occupational therapist is required to pass the NBCOT Certification Exam after graduating from an accredited program.
4. Individuals who have been convicted of a felony or who have been charged with a felony and convicted of a misdemeanor, while not prohibited from taking the NBCOT certification examination, may not be able to practice based on state laws.