Pre-Occupational Therapy

Professional Combined-Curriculum Program

Occupational Therapy

Preparation for entrance into the field of Occupational Therapy (OT) requires earning a Master of Science degree (M.S.O.T.) or a doctor's degree (O.D.T.) in Occupational Therapy, completing a six-month internship, and passing a national board examination. Admission into these graduate programs requires a college degree with any major so long as certain specified courses are taken. It also requires work or volunteer experience in O.T., which can be arranged through the Service-Learning Center at Calvin.

Because the specific courses required for admission to occupational therapy are designated by the school offering the degree, the student should obtain a list of these required courses from each school to which they intend to apply. This step can be completed after arriving at Calvin and learning which schools offer O.T. programs. Before registering for classes, a schedule for each student is arranged in consultation with the pre-occupational therapy advisor, R. Nyhof, of the Biology Department.

Calvin College offers a 3-2 combined curriculum program with the Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. A student participating in this program would spend three years at Calvin College taking the specific courses listed below, apply for acceptance into the program at Washington University, and if accepted, transfer to Washington University for the two clinical years. Upon successful completion of the first year, the student would receive a Bachelor of Science in Letters and Occupational Therapy from Calvin College and a M.S.O.T. from Washington University upon successful completion of the second year program. Alternatively, a student accepted into the O.T.D. program would spend three years at Washington University. A student applying from Calvin will receive preferential status in his/her application for either program.

The three-year program at Calvin includes the following requirements:

• Developing a Christian Mind Gateway Course
• Art 215
• Biology 141, 205, and 206
• Chemistry 115
• Communication Arts and Sciences 101
• History 151 or 152
• Philosophy 153
• Religion 121 or 131
• Religion 211-214 or 221-224
• Interdisciplinary 149 and Interdisciplinary W50/150
• Economics 151 or Political Science 101
• English 101 (with Interdisciplinary 110) and one course in literature
• Foreign language, through the second year college competency
• Mathematics 143 or Psychology 255
• Music 103, 106, 236, or 238
• Physical Education: 3 activity courses
• Physics 223
• Psychology 151, 201, and 212
• Sociology 151 and 153

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From Calvin College Catalog, 2005-2006, "Special Academic Programs" (pdf.)