Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Occupational Therapy (M.S.) 

Application Deadline

Applicants who wish to enter the Occupational Therapy M.S. in fall 2025 must apply between July 21 and October 1, 2024 by submitting an application to the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). Official transcripts must be verified in OTCAS by November 1, 2024. 

Admission Criteria

  • No GRE scores are required. 
  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university earned no later than August 1, 2025. 
  • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.25 (on a 4-point scale) is required for admission. Official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges and universities attended are required. GPA calculations are based on the last 60 units of the degree. Post-baccalaureate coursework is eligible when taken at the 300 or 400 level or graduate level. See graduate admission policies for more information and exceptions.  
  • Eight prerequisite courses must be completed prior to entering the program. Five of the eight must be completed at the time of application. One of the five must be Human Anatomy and Physiology I or Human Anatomy and Physiology II. Any prerequisites incomplete at the time of application (up to 3) must be completed before starting the program:
    • Psychopathology OR Abnormal Psychology 
    • Lifespan Human Growth and Development
    • Basic Statistics
    • Introduction to Sociology OR Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
    • Medical Terminology
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology I (within 5 years)
    • Human Anatomy and Physiology II (within 5 years)
    • Mechanics Foundation
  • Top candidates will be invited to participate in our interview process and apply to Towson University Graduate Admissions. Interviews are conducted virtually in a group format and typically occur in early December.

Application Requirements

Submit an application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) along with the following: 

  • Official Transcripts: Submit official transcripts to OTCAS
  • Prerequisite Worksheet: Entry-Level OT Graduate Program Prerequisite Worksheet (DOCX) Submit the prerequisite worksheet with your OTCAS application.
  • References: Three references are required. One must be a professional reference (any person with whom you have interacted where professional expectations existed). The remaining two may be professional or academic. No personal references are accepted. You must enter each reference’s information into the “evaluation” system within the OTCAS application. Each reference must rate you in at least six of the competencies. It is your responsibility to ensure your references understand this expectation.
  • Personal Statement: We invite you to share how your lived experiences (e.g. personal, professional, cultural) have influenced your interest in pursuing a career in occupational therapy. Only essays uploaded in the "TU Document" section of the OTCAS application will be included in our review.
    Personal Statement Guidelines:
    • Draw on what you have learned through observations, experiences, and other preparatory activities.
    • Limit your personal statement to 500 words or less.
    • Present an original piece of writing that demonstrates high-quality academic writing skills; while you may request feedback on the quality of your personal statement, no other person should directly edit or write any portion of it.
  • Resume: Relevant work history and leadership experience will be considered in the selection process. Applicants may be asked for permission to contact current or prior employers.

Early Admission Review

Applicants who meet these additional criteria may be considered for early review:

  • Submit an application through OTCAS by August 1, 2024; receive OTCAS verification by September 1, 2024
  • Observation Hours: Submit evidence of 10+ hours of direct observation with an occupational therapy practitioner
  • Prerequisite Completion: All 8 prerequisites are complete with verified grades
  • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.6 (on a 4-point scale) based on the last 60 units of the degree

If you meet these criteria, you will automatically be considered for early review. Applicants not selected during the early review process will be included in the general review process later in the year.

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

U.S. Immigration requires F1 and J1 students to be enrolled full-time with the majority of their classes taken in-person and on campus. For a list of TU programs that comply as well as information on required credential evaluations and English-language proficiency, please see admission requirements for international students.

Admission Decisions

Our admissions committee uses the combined results of the interview and OTCAS application materials to make final admission decisions. Meeting all criteria does not guarantee admission to our programs: approximately 30 individuals are admitted to our OT MS each year.

All offers of admission require the return of an intent statement by a specified deadline. If you are offered a position and fail to return the intent statement by the deadline, your offer of admission will be revoked.

Waitlist

If we are unable to initially offer you a position in the program(s) to which you have applied, we may offer you a position on the waitlist for said program(s). All waitlist offers require the return of an intent statement by a specified deadline. If you are offered a waitlist position and fail to return the intent statement by the deadline, your offer will be revoked.

We maintain our waitlist until approximately 1 week prior to the program starting, and we make every effort to enter the first term with a full cohort.

Deferral of Acceptance

Deferral of admission offers are considered on a case by case basis.

More Information

If you have questions, please contact: 

Briana Rostkowski, M.S.
Admissions & Clinical Placement Coordinator
410-704-2653