BCC Pre-Occupational Therapy Recommendations
Information for Pre-Occupational Therapy Students

The University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, and the University of Puget Sound are the only schools in the state of Washington that offer programs in occupational therapy. All of the programs are Masters level degrees which require that applicants have earned a bachelor's degree. There is no specific bachelor's degree major that is recommended or preferred. Admission to all programs is very competitive with approximately 25 students admitted to each program.

College coursework generally required by occupational therapy schools

Students should always double check requirements at the individual schools to which they intend to apply.

1 quarter of general chemistry with lab: BCC CHEM& 121 (Previously CHEM 101)
1 quarter of general physics with lab: BCC Physics 114
2 quarters of anatomy and physiology: BCC BIOL& 242,242 (Previously BIOL 260,261)
1 quarter of sociology or anthropology: BCC SOC& 101 or ANTH& 206 (Previously SOC 110, ANTH 202)
3 quarters of psychology: BCC PSYC& 100, 220 and 200 (Previously PSYCH 100,200,204)
1 quarter of statistics: BCC BA 240 or MATH 130

English/Humanities/Social Sciences:
Beyond the required science courses, a broad humanities and liberal arts background is encouraged. Two quarters of foreign language is an admission requirement for most undergraduate programs and an additional quarter may be required for graduation. Some schools require a public speaking class in addition to English composition at the 200 level or above. Students should also have basic computer literacy with the ability to use word processing programs, email and Internet searching tools.

Math:
The amount of math required depends on the baccalaureate major and the physics courses that are chosen. MATH& 142, Pre-calculus II is a prerequisite for PHYS 114. MATH& 141 is a prerequisite for MATH& 142. Lower math placement will increase the time to complete the AAS.


Note:
There is no specific pre-occupational therapy baccalaureate major at the University of Washington. EWU and UPS have 3 + 2 programs in which students can complete a bachelor's degree while in the first year of the master's program. You do not have to complete all of the requirements at the community college. Depending upon your bachelor's degree major, some of the requirements may be completed at the baccalaureate school that you attend. It is important to maintain a strong GPA, so students should select a baccalaureate major that will enable them to achieve that goal. In addition, you should choose a baccalaureate major that will provide an alternative career choice in the event that you are not admitted to an occupational therapy program.

Graduate Applications
OT programs are graduate programs that require application to the universities' graduate schools as well as separate program applications. Graduate programs require applicants to submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with the application. The GRE measures verbal, quantitative and analytical reasoning skills that have been developed over a long period of time. Applicants should check with the institutions to which they are applying to confirm deadlines for the receipt of scores. The GRE must have been completed within five years of the time of application. More information on the GRE is available at the GRE website, www.gre.org. International students will be required to submit TOEFL scores.

Sample schedule for Bellevue Community College with AAS

Fall Winter Spring Summer
Year 1 CHEM&121(6)
PSYC& 100 (5)
MATH&141(5) 		SOC& 101 (5)
ENGL&101 (5)
MATH&142(5) 		PSYC& 200 (5)
ENGL 201(5)
BIOL&160 (5) 		Ongoing OT experience
Year 2 PHYS 114(6)
MATH 130 (5)
CMST&101 (5) 		BIOL& 241 (6)
Humanities (5)
PSYC& 220 (5) 		BIOL& 242 (6)
Humanities (5)
Soc Science (5) 		Ongoing OT experience

The above sample schedule provides 94 credits and does not include any lower math or English classes which may needed to bring your skills up to college level. Therefore, classes may need to be taken during summer quarters in order to complete the degree requirements. Courses that are taught in sequence should be finished at the school at which they are begun. After transfer, students would complete requirements for the baccalaureate major and additional courses for the programs to which they are applying. EWU requires Intro to OT that can only be taken at EWU but is available through distance learning.

GPA
Although the general minimum GPA for admission to the programs is 3.0, the average GPA for entering students at the UW is in the 3.5 range. College grades are an important predictor of successful performance and students should strive to maintain a strong GPA with limited withdrawals, incompletes, repeated courses and non-graded options.

Experience
All programs require applicants to have some type of occupational therapy related work or volunteer experience. Students should check with the individual schools to determine appropriate types of experience as well as expected number of hours and documentation. UW and EWU require a minimum of 40 hours of experience.

Resources for Additional Information
American Occupational Therapy Association: http://www.aota.org
University of Washington: http://www.washington.edu
Eastern Washington University: http://www.ewu.edu
University of Puget Sound: http://www.ups.edu

Contact the BCC Science Division L200, 425-564-2321 for an advising appointment.

BCC reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran. Please visit http://bellevuecollege.edu/equal.asp

Bellevue Community College
Bellevue Community College Advising Center
Bellevue Community College Science Division

This page most recently modified on 4/27/08.