UNC Chapel Hill: Occupational Therapy
Program: 24 months (5 semesters consisting of 63 credit hours), admits 23-24 students, and starts in August.
Application: Deadline is 1st Tuesday in December. An interview for those accepted to the second phase.
In-State Tuition (total): $37,774.32. This does not include additional costs/fees.
Admission Info:
- GPA: 3.6 and above is typical of accepted students
- GRE Scores: 60th percentile for Quantitative section, 77th percentile for Verbal section, and 4 or higher for writing sections is average scores for accepted students
- Observation Hours: Not a specific amount but must have observation experience with OT
- Three letters of recommendation.
Program Highlights:
Focus on all different types of OT, faculty have researched or taught in a variety of areas, focus on community service, no distinctions are made based on demographics - just strength of application
Prerequisites:
There are 8 total prerequisite courses. Four of these are fixed (core body of knowledge). Three are in categories that allow flexibility in the specific coursework that satisfies the prerequisite (flexible prerequisites). These 7 courses may be taken at accredited universities, colleges or community colleges. Online courses will be accepted from nationally accredited institutions if the course credit is equivalent to that of a typical on-site course. The final prerequisite is an occupation course, which does not have to be taken for credit, but must meet specific criteria.
Timing and Waivers: The 4 fixed prerequisites and the 3 flexible prerequisites MUST have been taken within the 5 years prior to application to the program. The only potential exceptions are for those who work in fields focused on a specific area AND who have taken the coursework in the past (for example, mental health professionals may not have to retake abnormal psychology). Applicants requesting a waiver of the 5-year rule should document their justification and send it via email to osinfo@med.unc.edu prior to the application deadline, using the form attached here. The Admissions Committee will review waiver requests four times a year, at the end of March, May, August, and October.
FIXED PREREQUISITES
- Human Anatomy & Physiology (2 semesters, and including a lab) (UNCW: BIO/L 240 & BIO/L 241 or EXS/L 216 & EXS 217)
- Statistics (UNCW: STT 210 or STT 215)
- Abnormal Psychology (UNCW: PSY 247)
FLEXIBLE PREREQUISITES
- Human Development and Behavior (UNCW: PSY 223)
- Social Institutions & Systems
- Modes of Reasoning
- Occupation (see UNC-CH website for more information)
UNCW course recommendations: Student must verify the correct coursework needed for each program.
