OTA Admissions & Procedures

Students will be admitted to the OTA program as freshman in a direct-admit process. Students will follow the approved four-year plan while maintaining GPA and prerequisite GPA minimums to remain in the program. Applicants to the OTA Program must be current Methodist University students. (See Transfer Students).

The application period runs from the Spring of the student’s freshman year to November 30 of their sophomore year.

Notice to Prospective Students

Pre-OTA Course Sequence

Successful completion of the following Pre-OTA courses with a grade of “C” or higher:

  • Medical Terminology (3 credits) – HCA 2300 (3)
  • Lifespan Development (3 credits) – PSY 2040 (3)
  • Abnormal Psychology (3 credits) – PSY 3410 (3)
  • Anatomy & Physiology I and II (8 credits) – BIO 2110/3060 (4) and BIO 2120/3080 (4)

Academic Progression

Students who fail to achieve a minimum grade of C in any pre-requisite OTA course may repeat that course one time only. Students who subsequently receive a second grade of below C in any pre-requisite OTA course are not eligible to progress to the OTA program.

Successful completion of the science courses A&P I, A&P II, with a “C” or higher within the past five years with only two attempts. If the A&P courses have been attempted more than twice, only the chronological first two attempts will be considered in the ranking process of which the applicant must have made a “C” or better.

Students may be allowed to begin upper-level major courses in the OTA Program with General Education core credits still outstanding. No more than two General Education core classes outstanding is allowed. All remaining General Education core requirements must be completed by the end of the summer semester prior to entering the senior year (Year 4) of OTA courses.

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale and a prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale throughout their course of study to progress in the program.

Prerequisite Checkpoints

Students who declare OTA as their course of study must complete prerequisite courses and activities prior to being cleared to register for the core professional classes of the OTA program. The suggested plan of study and all prerequisite activities are structured into 3 checkpoints that students complete at specific times during their course of study.

OTA Admissions Packet

Prerequisite Checkpoint 1

Who: Traditional Freshmen

When:

  • Freshman entering MU declare their major as OTA (direct entry into the major).
  • Meet with Rocio Serna (designated One Stop advisor for OTA program) to start the suggested plan of study for general education and prerequisites courses.
  • Attend freshman orientation “Meet your major” session with Program Director and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator to discuss prerequisite checkpoints for the OTA Core Courses (Professional Phase).
  • Meet the following requirements across full course of study:
    • Must maintain a 2.75 GPA overall
    • Must complete all general education with a passing grade
    • Must complete all prerequisite courses with a “C” or higher.
    • Complete professional exposure activities prior to checkpoint 3.

Prerequisite Checkpoint 2

Who: traditional freshman, internal transfer students, external transfer students

When:

  • Declare major as OTA (if applicable).
  • Attend checkpoint 2 OTA meeting to introduce and track prerequisite activities for the OTA Program Core Courses (professional phase).
  • Internal Transfer Students must meet with Rocio Serna.
  • External Transfer Students must meet with Keri Walters.
  • Internal and external transfer student will attend a “meet your major” session.
  • All majors attend an informational session to discuss the clearance process to register for the OTA Core Program Courses.
    • Will need to apply in OTACAS the fall prior to start of program (ex: fall 2024 for fall 2025 start date)

Prerequisite Checkpoint 3

Who: All OTA students

Deadline: November 30 (of the student’s sophomore year)

Clearance Notification: May 1 (of the student’s sophomore year)

  • Submit all prerequisite requirements to OTACAS portal for formal review by OTA program. At this checkpoint, all students should have applied via OTACAS, all requirements need to be completed.
    • Transcript reflecting GPA and prerequisite coursework
    • Personal Statement
    • Summary of Professional Exposure Activities
    • Interview
  • Students find out if they have been cleared into the OTA professional courses.
  • Complete and submit the following items to the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator:

Professional Exposure Experience

The Professional Exposure Experience can encompass a variety of options and will be discussed in checkpoint 1 and checkpoint 2.

Personal Statement

The student will provide a brief 300–500-word statement on “Why have you chosen the path of OTA?”

Interview

Qualified candidates must have a successful interview with the OTA program.

Review process

The OTA program will review all applications and documentation that have been submitted during the application process to ensure candidates have meet all the qualifications for final admittance into the OTA Program’s Core Courses.

Note: MU BSOTA students will be required to complete or test out of CSC 1000 (Introduction to Computers) to fulfill that general education competency requirement. Within the curriculum is one distance education course; see Laptop Requirements for technology requirements for the University.