Health Professions: Pre-Occupational Therapy www.career.vt.edu/OHPA
Dr. Judith A. Wubah
Office of Health Professions
Smith Career Center (0128)
Advising
231-6241 jawubah@vt.edu
(OHPA)
Dr. Jay Williams (HNFE), 323 Wallace jhwms@vt.edu
Pre-PT/OT Coordinator
Be sure to meet with your departmental Academic Advisor regularly in addition to the individuals listed above.
MAJORS INFORMATION
Any major is acceptable as long as the student meets the prerequisites for the graduate program.
Common Majors: Human Development (HD), Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise (HNFE), Psychology (PSYC),
and Sociology (SOC).
SPECIFIC COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Common Course Requirements: The courses listed below are common courses to the Occupational Therapy
programs in Virginia. Students should check with individual programs for requirements as requirements vary
by graduate program. The courses below are common but not all schools require the same thing; also, schools
may have specific information for the particular requirement. For example, Shenandoah University specifically
states that online courses are not acceptable for the Human Anatomy & Physiology requirement. In addition,
requirements for labs and credit hours vary by program.
Course Number
*
*
*
BMSP 2135, 2145
2136, 2146
PSYC / SOC
STAT 2004
3604 or 3615*
PSYC 2034 or
HD 1004 & 2004
SOC 1014
Title
Credits
Prerequisites
General Biology
General Chemistry
General Physics
Human Anatomy & Physiology and labs
3
3
3
8
Many programs require credits in Sociology
3+
Statistics.
*Requirements vary by program.
*STAT 2004 may not cover the information
required by graduate school.
Developmental Psychology or
Human Development I & II.
*Program requirement: Lifespan Development
Intro to Social Anthropology
*Program requirement: Anthropology
3
MATH 1015
3
PSYC 2004
BIOL 1005, 1006 or
1105, 1106
PSYC 3014
No known VT equivalent.
Abnormal Psychology
3
PSYC 2004
Medical Terminology
1
*Programs may allow an online course to fill
this requirement
*Program requirement is listed, and matched with a VT course that may fulfill the requirement. Please check
the school requirement and also check the requirements of your major!
OTHER COURSES REQUIRED / RECOMMENDED BY SOME SCHOOLS:
Course will vary by dept.
Research Methods
HNFE 3804
Exercise Physiology
HNFE 3824
Kinesiology
BMSP 2135, 2136
BMSP 2135, 2136
PHYS 2205 or 2305
Ethics (i.e. PHIL 2304)
Health (i.e. EDHP 1514)
Health Professions: Pre-Occupational Therapy
August 2010
rev: JAW
GET INVOLVED!! VT Student Organizations, Courses, and Opportunities
Course: UH 2004: Careers in Medicine 1 credit, sophomore or higher (Fall only)
Office of Health Professions Advising http://www.career.vt.edu/OHPA
Pre-OT http://www.physicaltherapy.org.vt.edu/officers.html. Students interested in Occupational Therapy may
benefit from involvement in the Pre-Physical Therapy Club.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Health Professions Group Information Sessions: Twice per week in the Smith Career Center
Online registration required, there will be specific sessions for Freshmen/Sophomores and Juniors/Seniors.
Check the OHPA website frequently for dates and times.
APPLICATION & ADMISSION INFORMATION

Admission Test: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required.

GPA: 3.0 or higher to be competitive. The GPA is calculated several ways; overall, and combined science and
math GPA. Students should check on-line for the mean and range of GPA for their schools of choice. The lowest
GPA listed in Virginia OT programs is a 2.7 in the last 60 hours of coursework. Many schools require a C or better
in all prerequisite courses.

Experience: Requirements vary but experiences can be acquired in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers
or school systems. Please see the table listed below, and also check with individual schools for specific
requirements. The Office for Pre-Health Advising will work collaboratively with students to assist them gain this
necessary practical experience.

Application: Students will begin to apply to an occupational therapy school/program using OTCAS-OT
Centralized Application Service in the application cycle 2010-2011 for matriculation in Fall 2011. Filling out of
the occupational therapy school application through this service will be time consuming thus students are advised to
plan accordingly.

Campus Interviews: Conducted by the Health Professions Evaluation Committee in the spring of each academic
year (March - May)

OT School Interview: Yes, most schools do have an interview process.

Information Tidbits: No schools in Virginia have accredited doctoral OT programs. Currently four Virginia
schools offer Master’s programs: James Madison, Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Shenandoah, and Virginia
Commonwealth. Radford’s program began in Fall 2009 with accreditation review 2010/2011.
OTHER RESOURCES



www.ExploreHEALTHCareers.org, an exceptional resource for students
National Institutes of Health Career Finder, http://science-education.nih.gov/LifeWorks.nsf/feature/index.htm
http://www.aota.org/ American Occupational Therapy Association
The Office of Health Professions Advising at Virginia Tech assists students and alumni pursuing a health care career
in medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, chiropractic, occupational therapy, nursing, physician's assistant,
veterinary medicine, or other graduate health professions.
Any student or alumnus/alumna of Virginia Tech, regardless of major, can use the services of OHPA. Although the
majority of health professions students major in a science field, it is not required.
Students should meet with their departmental Academic Advisor on a regular basis to ensure requirements are being met
for graduation. The Office of Health Professions Advising is an important complement to academic advising.
Health Professions: Pre-Occupational Therapy
August 2010
rev: JAW
School
Minimum GPA
GRE
Clinical Hours
James
Madison
2.8 (3.0 recommended)
C or better in all
prerequisite work
Yes. Scores 40 hours of OT
not specified observation
minimum
Jefferson
College of
Health
Sciences
Shenandoah
3.0 or higher
recommended
Yes. Scores No requirement
not specified specified. Please
check with school.
3.0 or higher
24 hours
VCU
2.7 or higher for last 60
hours of work and
3.0 on prerequisites with
no grade below a C.
3.25 recommended.
C or better in all
prerequisite work
480
minimum on
quantitative
section
Yes.
Scores not
specified.
Yes.
Scores not
specified.
Recommended but
no specific
requirement.
Radford
Health Professions: Pre-Occupational Therapy
August 2010
60 hours in OT
Other
Evidence of at least one
instructional experience in the
arts or media.
Documentation of competency
in computer technology &
information seeking skills
Also required to list all
experience working with people
with disabilities, special needs,
and community service.
Students need to learn a new
activity in either an academic or
community setting. Examples
are classes in art, dance, etc.
rev: JAW