Admission requirements
NOTE: Any MOT information below was relevant through the 2023-24 academic year. We are no longer accepting applicants for the MOT program. This program is planning to transition to a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree upon approval in August 2024 with a start date of January 2025. Upon approval, admissions will be mid- to late August-November 15, 2024. Related message to prospective applicants from Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Bachelor's degree
- Applicants must obtain a bachelor's degree.
- This degree must be from an accredited college or university.
- The undergraduate degree may be in any field of study.
- If coursework was completed at a non-US institution, students must obtain a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts by World Education Services: www.wes.org. The results of the evaluation must be sent to Wayne State University. Please see the transcript evaluation guide for more information about foreign transcript evaluation.
- Wayne State University accepts up to 64 credits toward the fulfillment of the BS degree, which is required to apply to the MOT program.
Pre-requisite credit for admission only
- Consult the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) Office of Student Affairs transcript evaluation guide, and complete your transcript evaluation request.
- Applicants are highly encouraged to have their completed prerequisite courses evaluated by an EACPHS Office of Student Affairs advisor in order to have assurance of appropriate prerequisite coursework completion. Please use the Request for Evaluation of Prerequisite Admission Requirements form. Submit the completed electronic form, and attach all unofficial transcripts. The evaluation of transcripts should be done early in your application process, to have enough time to take additional courses if needed.
- Questions about whether your prerequisite coursework meets the WSU OT requirements? Review the EACPHS Equivalency Guides. Email any questions regarding prerequisite coursework to the EACPHS Office of Student Affairs at cphsinfo@wayne.edu.
Last 60 credit hour undergraduate coursework GPA
The minimum GPA acceptable for admission consideration is 3.0, the last 60 undergraduate credit hours will be used to calculate this GPA.
Prerequisite coursework GPA
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 undergraduate credit hours is required for admission into the OTD program. A minimum science prerequisite GPA of 3.0 is highly recommended.
- All grades in prerequisite requirements must be a minimum of "C" or better (2.0 on a 4.0 grade scale). Due to the unique situation created by COVID-19, many institutions are allowing students to choose a Pass/No Pass option in lieu of a letter grade in certain semesters. The program encourages applicants to receive letter grades in their prerequisite courses. P/N will be accepted if the grading institution's policy is a C or better to receive a Pass. If the school accepts C- or below as a Pass, students will be required to submit a letter from the instructor documenting what the grade earned would have been (in the case of WSU courses, since we can view that grade in the system, such a letter will not be required). This policy applies to the following semesters: Winter 2020, Spring/Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, and Spring/Summer 2021.
- All science prerequisite coursework (BIO 2870 with lab, KIN 3580, OT 5650) must be completed within seven years of the time of application submission. The non-science prerequisite courses are not subject to the seven-year completion requirement. They may be completed greater than seven years prior to the time of application submission and do not require a waiver.
*If any of the science courses were completed greater than seven years prior to the time of application submission, a Seven-Year Prerequisite Science Course Waiver Request from the WSU OT program must be requested prior to December 1 the year of application. Applicants for prerequisite science course waivers must have continuous experience in the content area in order to be eligible for the waiver (such as teaching Biology dealing with anatomic joints covering the anatomy prerequisite). An applicant who does not have continuous experience in a health field or course content area will not be considered for a waiver. The waiver request must include: a) the name, course number, institution, name of the course(s), semester/year course was taken; b) a detailed explanation of how the continuous experience demonstrates mastery of the prerequisite course content. A detailed account of the principles and objectives and the prerequisite course content must be included, along with specific experiences. Attach to the email your transcripts showing the grade for the course. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for waiver reviews. Do not send transcripts by mail for waiver requests. Send the request and all supporting information to cphsinfo@wayne.edu.
Please note that a grade of "C" (2.0) or higher must have been earned in each science course to be considered for the Seven-Year Prerequisite Science Course Waiver Request. Courses with grades earned C minus or less are not acceptable.
Seven-Year Waivers are valid for one application cycle. Re-applicants must apply for a current waiver, as waivers do not roll over from one application cycle to the next.
Prerequisite coursework
Science prerequisites
The following prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of December the year before program start year, applicants may have one science prerequisite in progress for completion:
- BIO 2870 - Anatomy and Physiology with lab
- OT 5650 - Pathophysiology**
- KIN 3580 - Biomechanics
**OT 5650 is offered in the Fall semester and the acceptable equivalent, RT 5650, is offered to a limited number of students in Winter semester. The OT 5650 override request form is in the menu on the left and RT 5650 override request form can be requested through cphsinfo@wayne.edu.
Non-science prerequisites
The following prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of December the year before program start year, applicants may have one non-science prerequisite in progress for completion:
- PSY 1010 or 1020 - Introductory Psychology
- PSY 2400 - Developmental Psychology
- PSY 3310 - Abnormal Psychology
- STA 1020 - Basic Statistics
- COM 1010 - Oral Communication
- Contemporary American Government/Political Science; cannot be History
- One course of your choice from one of the following areas: sociology, public health, anthropology, or other WSU Social Inquiry equivalent
Questions about prerequisite course equivalencies?
Consult the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) Office of Student Affairs transcript evaluation guide, and complete your transcript evaluation request.
Applicants are highly encouraged to have their completed prerequisite courses evaluated by an EACPHS Office of Student Affairs advisor in order to have assurance of appropriate prerequisite coursework completion. Please use the Request for Evaluation of Prerequisite Admission Requirements form. Submit the completed electronic form, and attach all unofficial transcripts. The evaluation of transcripts should be done early in your application process, in order to have enough time to take additional courses if needed.
Questions about whether your prerequisite coursework meets the WSU OT requirements? Review the EACPHS Equivalency Guides. Email any questions regarding prerequisite coursework to the EACPHS Office of Student Affairs at cphsinfo@wayne.edu.
Registered Occupational Therapist Observation Hours
A minimum of 20 hours within the last two years prior to program application.
- Acceptable to submit hours over two years old but the minimum of 20 must be within the last two years to be acceptable for admission.
- Hours must be with OTR. COTA or PT hours are not accepted.
- Online form must be completed by OTR. Click here for form.
- Forms will be attached in OTCAS under Test Scores in the WSU Program Specific area.
Questions regarding the 20 required contact hours can be sent to cphsinfo@wayne.edu.