Are you considering a career as an occupational therapist? What does an OT do? An occupational therapist helps individuals of all ages engage in activities they enjoy and need to do for themselves. OTs assist people in recovering skills after an injury or illness and support children with disabilities in leading as normal a life as possible.

If you're interested in meeting the admission requirements for an occupational therapy program, you can certainly do so at UNA!

Successful applicants typically hold a bachelor's degree, often in biology or exercise science, though a major in any discipline is acceptable. Along with the required coursework, admission to an occupational therapy program demands strong academic performance and satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Since each occupational therapy school may have different supporting coursework requirements, students interested in this field should consult the Pre-Health Professions Advisor for help in planning their coursework and understanding other application requirements.

Learn about job prospects as an occupational therapist.

List of accredited OT schools in the US: click here. We have four OT schools in the state of Alabama:

• Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL
• Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
• University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
• University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL

Pre-Requisite Coursework

The actual pre-requisite courses vary from school to school, so consult the individual schools' websites.  A typical list of classes (you must earn a B or better) includes:

• Principles of Biology (4 hours)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (8 hours)
• Statistics (3 hours)
• General Psychology (3 hours) plus Abnormal Psychology (3 hours) and Developmental Psychology (3 hours)
• Introductory Sociology (3 hours) or Anthropology
• Kinesiology (required by some schools, but certainly recommended)
• Medical Terminology (strongly recommended)

Websites