Prerequisite Courses - O.T.D. - Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy Prerequisite Courses and Descriptions - O.T.D.

Colorado State University has been granted candidacy as an O.T.D. program. Based on this, our entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program will replace the current entry-level M.S. and M.O.T. programs. Our last M.S. and M.O.T. students were admitted for Fall 2021 entry. For more information regarding the accreditation process, please visit our O.T.D. website page.

Completion of an undergraduate degree in any discipline and the following prerequisites are required.

Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory and Pass/ Fail Coursework – Courses marked Satisfactory or Pass will be allowed for all coursework taken during 2020 and 2021 (spring, summer, and fall semesters), including prerequisites. Applicants will identify prerequisite courses marked Satisfactory or Pass on the CSU OT Departmental Application. These will be reviewed to ensure that courses otherwise meet CSU prerequisite standards. Applicants are reminded that admission to the program remains competitive and considers GPA. Applicants are encouraged to weigh the benefits and risks of taking Satisfactory or Pass marks instead of letter grades. The impact will be different for each individual applicant.

Prerequisites can be completed in the following ways:

At universities or community colleges
Through enrollment in on campus or online courses

Colorado State University (on campus or online) and Colorado Community Colleges

A prerequisite course equivalency guide is available below.

Other institutions

The content guide below will help you determine if your courses meet our requirements. Also, CSU online courses are listed if you wish to meet a requirement through CSU Online.

The GRE is not required.

Course(s) must appear on your transcript as taken in the year 2012 or later.

Acceptable courses address the structure AND function of the human brain. The syllabus must include this information in the (1) course description, (2) course objectives, and/ or (3) course weekly schedule.

This can be accomplished if any one of the following are included the syllabus:

Brain development
Organization of the brain
Motor control or motor learning including sensory-motor loops and integration
Motor control including circuits involving major motor centers leading to the final common pathway (output)
Sensory processing, including the connections of separate sensory modalities to their respective areas of the brain
Cognitive processing including association areas and signal processing
Neurological conditions and the areas of the brain affected in each condition

Course(s) must be a minimum of 3 semester credits. The following course titles meet this requirement, have been approved by our department, and do not need to be reviewed by the department: Brain and Behavior, Neuroanatomy, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Neurophysiology, Neuropsychology, Neurobiology, Physiological Psychology, Biological Basis of Behavior and Biological Psychology.

Please note: Courses on the history of neuroscience, or history of cognitive theory, or cognitive theory itself do not fulfill the brain and behavior requirement.

CSU Online courses: PSY 252 or PSY 458

Course(s) must appear on your transcript as taken in the year 2012 or later.

Human anatomy and physiology may be taken as separate courses or as a combined anatomy and physiology course (minimum of 6 semester credits). If anatomy and physiology are offered as a two or three part sequence, all courses in the sequence must be completed. The physiology content must include all human body systems and the anatomy content must include the anatomical structure of the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems (including spinal cord) and weekly labs on human anatomy. (Labs need not use cadavers. If not cadaver dissection or prosections, labs must use either animal dissection, anatomical software or DVDs, 3-D models.)

Online labs are accepted if they include the above requirements.
A physiology lab is not required.

CSU Online courses: Combination of BMS 300 and BMS 310

Courses in human development or developmental psychology that cover physical, cognitive, and psychosocial human development across the entire lifespan (minimum of 3 semester credits).

One course or a series of courses to cover the entire lifespan is required. (Series should be childhood and adolescence, adulthood, aging, and dying.)
A child psychology course or child development course that does not include adolescence and adulthood does not meet this requirement.
Motor development courses usually do not meet this requirement.

CSU Online course: HDFS 101

Any basic college-level statistics course (minimum of 3 semester credits). AP credits are acceptable.

Courses are usually completed in the statistics, math, business, or psychology department.
Also, the following course titles meet this requirement: Research Methods, Research Design and Test & Measurements.

CSU Online course: STAT 301

Broad and introductory course on abnormal psychology to help students become familiar and more comfortable with the phenomena traditionally known as mental illness (minimum of 3 semester credits).

Abnormal Psychology that covers only children or children/adolescence will meet this requirement.
Psychopathology courses will meet this requirement.

CSU Online course: PSY 320

Requirement can be met by completing a (1) course or (2) challenge exam.

General medical terminology course for the health and human service professions. (Minimum of 1 semester credit.)

A certificate of completion from an online course is accepted.
In place of completing a course, students may independently prepare to take a comprehensive multiple-choice medical terminology challenge exam upon entry into the program. Students are allowed two exam attempts within the first two weeks of the fall semester. A minimum score of 80% is required to pass the exam and meet the medical terminology requirement. Students taking this independent study route are encouraged to study the text by Brooks and Brooks (4th edition-current). Exploring Medical Language. Mosby.

CSU Online course: OT 215

For prerequisites completed at institutions that are on the quarter system, these courses must meet the semester equivalency. Quarter credits are converted to semester credits by multiplying the quarter credits by .67 (i.e., 4 quarter credits x .67 = 2.6 semester credits).