Admissions Requirements
MASTER OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (MOT): ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
Deadline for applications to OTCAS for the class starting January 2026 is June 1, 2025.
However, it is recommended that you submit your application two weeks prior to the deadline to give OTCAS time to verify your transcripts.
INFORMATION SESSIONS:
The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program conducts Information Sessions both in-person and via Zoom for individuals interested in applying for admission. These group sessions include an overview of the program and information on admissions procedures. In-person attendees will also be provided with a short tour.
They are conducted on the first Friday of the month at 12:00 p.m. from January through May, and again September through November. Register with this link: https://form.jotform.com/240043927115146
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
Admission to the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program is on a competitive basis; therefore, meeting the following minimal requirements does not guarantee admission into the program. Preference is given to Louisiana residents. Consideration is given to re-applicants, to applicants from low socioeconomic households, and who are first generation college students.
- Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. All fields of study are accepted; no preference is given to one major area of study over another.
- Applicants are expected to have a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.8 for their undergraduate degree, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for prerequisite courses for admission to the MOT program.
- Completion of prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of “C”. Completion of all prerequisite courses is not required prior to applying to the program. You may have no more than 3 outstanding prerequisites at the time that you apply, and you must report a plan regarding when you will complete the remaining courses.
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PREREQUISITE COURSES |
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Course |
Credit Hours |
Comments |
|
Human Anatomy* |
3 |
Neuroanatomy not accepted. |
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Human Anatomy Lab* |
1 |
|
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Human Physiology* |
3 |
Exercise physiology not accepted. |
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Chemistry |
3 |
General, Introduction, Elementary, or Organic are accepted. |
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Abnormal Psychology |
3 |
Psychopathology, Pathopsychology or Abnormal Psychology all accepted. |
|
Human Development Across the Lifespan |
3 |
Course must cover the entire lifespan, or applicant will need to take separate childhood, adolescence and older adult courses. Developmental Psychology of the Life Span accepted. |
|
Sociology or Anthropology |
3 |
Any Sociology or Anthropology course is accepted. Philosophy courses not accepted. |
|
Statistics |
3 |
Must cover descriptive and inferential statistics (correlation, significant difference). |
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*If Anatomy and Human Physiology courses are taken as Anatomy & Physiology I and Anatomy & Physiology II instead of as separate courses, then a total of seven credits are needed for the combined course content. |
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- Completion of at least 40 documented OT observation hours under the supervision of
a licensed occupational therapy practitioner. Up to 20 hours (but no more) may be
under the supervision of a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA). The observation
hours should include experiences in an adult client setting and a pediatric client setting. As few as one occupational therapist at one site and as
many as four therapists at four different facilities can be used to complete the 40
hours.
- A Documentation of Experience (DOE) form must be completed by each supervising occupational therapy practitioner to verify hours of contact.
- It is permissible to have multiple completed DOE forms, as long as any individual form reflects at least 10 or more hours.
- You are responsible for following the instructions on the top of each form and distributing the forms to the supervising occupational therapy practitioner.
- The occupational therapy practitioner completing the form will submit the completed form to the school via email, following the instructions on the bottom of the form. This form, along with its instructions, can be downloaded at https://alliedhealth.lsuhsc.edu/ot/docs/doeofexperience.pdf
- Applicants must secure three professional references to complete an evaluation on their behalf via OTCAS. The reference letters (sometimes called Letters of Evaluation, Letters of Reference, or Letters of Recommendation) are submitted by the evaluators themselves via Letters by Liaison, the OTCAS recommender portal. Refer to OTCAS for instruction on the evaluation process. Click here for more information.
- Completion of the Personal Statement on the OTCAS admission portal. It should be written at a graduate level and demonstrate that you have a good understanding of the occupational therapy profession and therapist roles and functions.
- After the OTCAS submission deadline, each application will be reviewed and scored using the items outlined above. The highest scoring applicants will be invited for an on-site interview. Interviews typically take place in early to mid-August.
- Participation in an on-site interview is required for admission. An on-site writing sample will also be completed on date of interview and is required. Each applicant’s interview and writing sample will be scored as part of the admissions decision. Admission decision notifications are typically made in late summer to early fall.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Recommended courses (but not required): Medical Terminology, Public Speaking, Technical Writing, and Philosophy.
- Students are expected to be proficient in basic computer literacy, i.e. word processing, spreadsheet management, Internet navigation, and e-mail procedures.