Pre-occupational therapy, minor in

The pre-occupational therapy minor provides foundational courses for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants for Occupational Therapy Doctorate (O.T.D.) programs after completing their bachelor’s degree at VCU. The pre-occupational therapy minor can be completed as a part of any undergraduate degree. Completing this minor does not guarantee admission into any occupational therapy program. This minor is structured to academically prepare students to apply for occupational therapy programs broadly. Clinical and non-clinical experiences are a requirement of application to most occupational therapy programs. In addition to this minor, students will still need to participate in clinical and non-clinical experiences to develop a competitive application for occupational therapy. Visit the VCU Career Services - Pre-Professional Health Career Advising website for more information and to schedule an appointment with a pre-professional health and STEM career counselor.

Occupational therapy programs across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. The list below shows courses that may be required by various schools including the VCU O.T.D. program. It is always recommended that you visit each program’s webpage and/or attend an information session to obtain requirements for specific programs. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic adviser to integrate these courses into their academic plan. In addition, students are encouraged to discuss career plans with their pre-professional health academic minor adviser and career counselor for additional guidance.

For the pre-occupational therapy minor, a minimum of nine credits in upper-level (300-level or higher) courses must be taken at VCU. It is strongly recommended that all upper-level courses at a 300-level or higher listed in this minor be completed at VCU. It is encouraged to demonstrate future academic success in occupational therapy programs through a rigorous course schedule. Occupational therapy programs may prefer students complete these courses at a four-year institution in order to demonstrate future academic success in occupational therapy program course work. 

Declaring the pre-occupational therapy minor

To declare the pre-occupational therapy minor:

• Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours to be eligible to declare the minor 
• Students must obtain a minimum cumulative VCU GPA of 3.0
• Students must complete BIOL 101 and BIOZ 101 or BIOL 151 and BIOZ 151 with minimum grades of C

Maintaining the pre-occupational therapy minor (progression policy)

• Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 VCU cumulative GPA.

  • If a student's VCU cumulative GPA drops below 3.0, they will be placed on probation in the minor and allowed one semester to raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 — provided it is mathematically possible to do so. If it is not mathematically possible to do so, or if the student fails to raise their minimum cumulative GPA to 3.0 during their probationary semester, they will be removed from the pre-occupational therapy minor and can re-declare the minor once eligible. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their minor adviser to discuss their academic plans/progress.

• Students cannot exceed more than three attempts of any course within the minor including withdrawals and historical repeat attempts. If a student exceeds three attempts for any course within the minor, they will not be eligible to maintain and graduate with the minor.

Required courses

Course	Title	Hours
ANTH 103	Introduction to Anthropology	3
or SOCY 101	Introduction to Sociology
BIOL 101 & BIOZ 101	Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory	4
or BIOL 151 & BIOZ 151	Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I
or BIOL 152 & BIOZ 152	Introduction to Biological Sciences II and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory II
BIOL 205	Basic Human Anatomy (includes lab)	4
PHIS 206 & PHIZ 206	Human Physiology and Human Physiology Laboratory	4
PSYC 101 Play course video for Introduction to Psychology	Introduction to Psychology	4
PSYC 304	Life Span Developmental Psychology	3
PSYC 407	Psychology of the Abnormal	3
STAT 210	Basic Practice of Statistics	3
STAT 314	Applications of Statistics 1	4
Social sciences electives (from PSYC, ANTH and/or SOCY)		3-6
Total Hours		35-38

Additional recommended courses and information

Occupational therapy programs across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. Students should discuss career plans with a pre-professional health career counselor for additional guidance. If the 300-level science course requirements have been completed, students are encouraged to continue taking upper-level science courses to demonstrate academic rigor and success. The list below shows courses required by various occupational therapy program beyond the courses listed above for the pre-occupational therapy minor. Completing courses from the list below will not contribute to the pre-occupational therapy minor requirements.