Admissions Requirements
-
A baccalaureate degree in any discipline from a college or university institutionally accredited and recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) such as: the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Higher Learning Commission, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. If you have any questions about whether a transfer course will be accepted, you should check with the Office of Admissions prior to enrolling in the course.
- You must submit two letters of recommendation. SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
has moved toward exclusive use of electronic recommendation submissions. Letters should
be written by a current/former College Science Professor or an employer/supervisor,
or another college professor. Please visit the application instructions to learn more about the letter of recommendations requirement.
- Interviewed candidates will take a proctored form of the Health Sciences Reasoning
Test (HSRT) at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University as a part of their admissions
criteria to the Occupational Therapy MS Program. Further Information on the assessment
can be found through the following web link:
https:// www.insightassessment.com/products/products-summary/criticial-thinking-skills-tests/health-sciences-reasoning-test-hsrt
- Interviewed candidates will take a proctored form of the Health Sciences Reasoning
Test (HSRT) at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University as a part of their admissions
criteria to the Occupational Therapy MS Program. Further Information on the assessment
can be found through the following web link:
-
A minimum letter grade of “C” or better in the following prerequisite courses:
Subject Credits Anatomy & Physiology 1 with lab and
Anatomy & Physiology 2 with lab8 General Biology 1 with lab 4 General Chemistry 1 with lab or
Physiological Psychology or
Behavioral Neuroscience3–4 Statistics 3 Sociology or
Anthropology3 General Psychology 3 Abnormal Psychology 3 Developmental/Life Span Psychology *
OR
Child Psychology and
Adult DevelopmentOR
Child Psychology and
Psychology of Aging3–6 * More than one course may be required to fulfill this requirement. Course must cover from birth to aging.
- Admissions preference will be given to applicants who have volunteer experience in a clinical setting related to Occupational Therapy. No specific number of hours is mandatory, but knowledge of the profession is required.
- Admissions preference will be given to applicants who have engaged in interactive classroom and extra curricular activities during their undergraduate college experience. Applicants who have not been able to gain volunteering/shadowing experiences or have a limited number of volunteering/shadowing hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic & safety regulations can supplement their experiences by taking the optional online volunteering experience modules by the Occupational Therapy Program at SUNY Downstate through the URL below:
Note: The Occupational Therapy program strongly prefers science courses completed in a classroom setting with wet lab