Accreditation and Licensure
ULM’s Master of Occupational Therapy Program has been granted candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at 4720 Montogomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. A final accreditation decision is scheduled to be made by ACOTE in April 2015 after an initial accreditation visit is conducted. The telephone number for ACOTE, care of AOTA, is 301-652-AOTA and the web address is www.acoteonline.org.
Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the Occupational Therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupation Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this examination, the individual will be a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR). Many states require licensure in order to practice; however, the majority of state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure, therefore, if you are concerned about an issue, the status of this must be determined prior to the application to the professional portion of the program through the state licensing board and NBCOT.
Admission to the Professional OTA to MOT Program
Applicants for admission to the OTA to MOT Program must complete the following minimum criteria by the end of the Spring semester that application is made: 1) be certified as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) with a minimum of one-year experience or 1000 hours as a practicing COTA. Applicants must maintain a minimum of 20 hours/month client contact throughout the program. 2) have a baccalaureate degree in a field or major other than occupational therapy, from a regionally accredited college or university. 3) have a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and no less than a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 30 hours. 4) Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better. 5) be admitted to the ULM Graduate School and have submitted satisfactory Graduate Record Examination/Graduate Management Admission Test scores. The minimum requirements for regular status are TWO of the following:
- Minimum GRE (verbal + quantitative) score of 750
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (based on a 4.0 scale) Note: MOT program admission requirements include minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the last 30 hours.
- Minimum formula score of 1875 (GPA * GRE) or 1000
Prerequisite courses include: Human Anatomy with lab, Physiology I and II with labs, Statistics, Human Growth and Development, Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Sociology or Introductory Anthropology, and pathology courses that address common conditions treated by occupational threapy in adult, pediatric, and mental health populations.
Application requirements will be to the Occupational Therapy Department, located in Caldwell Hall 111, no later than May 1 by 12:00 noon. If May 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date will be 12:00 noon on the last school day prior to May 1. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Students must have official copies of their transcripts submitted to the ULM Admissions Office by the application deadline date of May. Official transcripts of the current application semester must also be received by ULM Admissions Office by May 25 of the application year.
Applications will be reviewed by the Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee. Questions regarding out-of-state candidates may be directed to the O.T. office.
Students accepted into OTA to MOT are required to fulfill the immunization requirements of ULM Student Health Services.
Progression and Continuation in the Program
Once accepted into the OTA to MOT Program, the student has two academic years to successfully complete the didactic coursework of the program followed by six months of level II fieldwork. A student who fails to do so will be required to appear before the University of Louisiana at Monroe Occupational Therapy Academic Performance Committee for a hearing to determine continuation in the program.
To progress in the OTA to MOT Program, a student must complete all required didactic occupational therapy courses with a grade of “C” or better and a cumulative 3.000 on a 4.000 scale. The student must complete all courses in the sequence leading to a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. All OTA to MOT professional program courses must be taken at ULM. Students who fail to successfully meet all requirements (due to not meeting competency or based on grade) will be dismissed from the program. Students may request to appear before the Occupational Therapy Academic Performance Committee to determine continuation in the program. Before going on Level II Fieldwork affiliations, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.000 (uncorrected). The OT Academic Performance Committee has the right and responsibility to impose sanctions on a student who is not in compliance with ethical, professional behavior, or patient welfare guidelines of the program after following due process guidelines of the program. Sanctions can include dismissal from a course with a grade of “F” and may result in permanent dismissal from the program. The Occupational Therapy Academic Performance Committee will determine the re-application status of any student who does not successfully complete the program. In lieu of comprehensive final examinations, the Masters of Occupational Therapy Degree requires a passing score on the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation. Students will receive a grade of either “CR” or “F” on Level II Fieldwork experiences.
A student who does not receive a grade of “CR” on any Level II Fieldwork placement shall be dismissed from the program. A dismissal may be appealed before the Occupational Therapy Academic Performance Committee to determine if repeated or additional coursework could justify readmission. All cases before the Occupational Therapy Academic Performance Committee will be reviewed on an individual basis. Students must complete all Level II Fieldwork requirements within 18 months following the completion of occupational therapy content courses.
The MOT curriculum will be delivered through a combination of distance technology and on-campus sessions making this degree ideal for the working professional. All coursework will have an online component through the use of ULM’s Moodle Internet-based Courseware and on-campus sessions for training and practical experience leading to skill development. On-campus weekend sessions (approximately 16 hours per month) will consist of hands-on learning labs that will incorporate active learning methods.
Graduate Courses
Note: To receive graduate credit for a 4000-level course designated ‘For Undergraduate and Graduates,’ a student must be in graduate admission status at the time credit is earned in the course. Credit earned in undergraduate admission status cannot be changed to graduate credit.
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