Occupational Therapy Program FAQs

We matriculated our first class in January 2022.

The MSOT program will matriculate a new cohort every January, with exact start dates to be aligned with the University's calendar.

A minimum of 3.0 cumulative grade point average of the last 60 credits may be considered for a holistic approach. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for each prerequisite course. If under a minimum of 2.7, there may be special considerations based on experience. 

You can find a College GPA calculator online to help you estimate your GPA.  Keep in mind, these do not calculate total credits earned and do not account for credits earned on a Quarter system. Also, your Official GPA will come from Official Transcripts and through the OTCAS calculations.

 

40 hours of observing is required.The number of reported health care experience hours will be considered during the applicant screening process. Observations should include at least two different service delivery settings (e.g., school, early intervention program, skilled nursing facility, community health center). Observations provide applicants with an understanding of the breadth and depth of the profession.

The MSOT Program does not provide a template for tracking observation hours. We recommend that you track your hours by recording the location, supervisor, contact information, your position, and a short description and the number of hours you completed at each location. 

The MSOT program partners with the Occupational Therapist Central Application Service (OTCAS). The CMU MSOT Program's OTCAS application cycle opens in February and closes in June. If the class is unfilled when the cycle closes in June, it will reopen in July for new applications. Please note, the OTCAS application cycle is open longer than the CMU application cycle, so please familiarize yourself with our specific close dates, which can be located on the Occupational Therapy Program homepage.   

The CMU MSOT program uses a rolling admissions process, which means applications are reviewed for interview offers as they are completed. The full OTCAS application with all additional documents as well as the CMU Graduate Admission Fee must all be submitted before an application will be reviewed.

Yes, you are able to submit the OTCAS application with coursework still in progress. Up to three semester credits of prerequisite coursework can be outstanding at the time of application. A plan to complete outstanding coursework must be documented in the OTCAS application. All applicants must complete the required prerequisites. Any outstanding prerequisites must be completed with a grade of “B” or higher. Any grades below “B” can disqualify any applicant from matriculating into the program. Although applicants can apply with outstanding prerequisites, please keep in mind that all prerequisites must be successfully completed and transcripts for outstanding prerequisite coursework must be received by CMU no later than December 31 of the year prior to matriculation. 

Yes, we strongly encourage you to complete all admission requirements early! The CMU MSOT Program uses a rolling admissions process. The selection committee will begin review of applicants based on completion date of all admission requirements. An invitation to interview will be offered to the most competitive applicants. With this approach, the program may offer all available seats to qualified applicants prior to the June 10 admission cycle deadline. 

Applicants must consider program deadlines carefully and start the application process early. Once an applicant has completed and submitted the OTCAS application, OTCAS will verify all information, which can take up to four weeks. Only after it is verified by OTCAS will the CMU MSOT Program evaluate an application for consideration of interview and/or admission to the program. This process may take an additional two weeks beyond the verification date. The OTCAS application cycle closes June 10 for our program. 

More information on OTCAS and the verification process can be found at: OTCAS Applicant Help Center

Yes, a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university must be completed by the end of the Fall Semester prior to matriculation. Degrees earned outside of the U.S. must be evaluated and accepted by a U.S. equivalency reporting agency as an equivalent degree from a foreign institution. 

All prerequisite courses must be from a Regionally Accredited US College or University. 

We highly recommend that all prerequisites are completed within the last five years. However, there is no time restriction or cutoff date for prerequisite course requirements*. All prerequisites must be successfully completed and transcripts for outstanding prerequisite coursework must be received by CMU no later than December 31 of the year prior to matriculation. 

*Please request an unofficial review of any prerequisite courses you have completed outside the 5 year window by contacting the CMU MSOT program via email.

No. The CMU Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program does not consider the GRE in the admissions process.

The minimum credit hour requirement for each prerequisite are in semester credits. Coursework completed in quarter credits may be applied toward the prerequisite requirements but should be converted to semester credits to verify that the minimum requirements have been achieved.

Each quarter credit is equivalent to 0.667 semester credits.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have met the full semester credit requirement for each prerequisite.

International applicants with a degree earned outside the U.S. must meet the following criteria:

• Submit your foreign degree coursework to a U.S. based evaluation service for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to OTCAS from the evaluation service. Click here to learn more about foreign evaluation vendors used by OTCAS. 
• All required prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited U.S. higher education institution and be verifiable through official transcripts.
• Applicants must communicate well in English as all course work is conducted in English.
• TOEFL Exam Score: Minimum of 550 on the paper-based exam; minimum of 80 on the internet-based exam

        Additional information about CMU international admissions requirements can be found HERE.