Q&A: Deep Dive into the Occupational Therapy Program with Admissions

In this podcast, we talk with Tara Schumacher, an Assistant Director of Admissions at Salus University. She talks to us about the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program and tips and tricks for applying.

Q: What is the curriculum within the MSOT program?

Schumacher: Salus University’s Occupational Therapy (OT) program is a two-year program. You start your program in the fall and complete two years of education, including two summer sessions. Your initial semesters are very course heavy. As you move through each semester, you gradually are introduced to clinical environments that address pediatric, adults, geriatrics, mental health and orthotics & modalities.

Q: What is the admissions timeline?

Schumacher: We use OTCAS, which is our centralized application, and our next cycle with probably open around the end of July. We recommend you apply as early as possible to be considered for admission and scholarships. However, we have rolling admissions and you can apply all through the academic year.

Q: What campus facilities can OT students utilize?

Schumacher: We are a graduate health science university so we have no undergraduates. While we are small in terms of campus size, we’re mighty in our services. All your classes are housed in one building, and we also have a full-service gym with personal trainers and indoor track at your disposable. We also have very active student organizations, such as student council, our ambassador program, our peer mentoring and tutoring program and OT-related local and national student organizations. We also can assist you in academic accommodations. We have a career center, which does interviews and resume prep, and we also have a Center for Personal & Professional Development that can assist you with what happens after your education or personal matters that come up while you are completing your degree.

Q: What are some admissions requirements and/or tips?

Schumacher: In regards to admissions requirements, we do require a submitted application to OTCAS, which is our centralized application system, a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, three letters of recommendation from a either faculty member or work supervisor. I would start cultivating them now, whatever level of undergraduate that you’re in. A certain amount of shadowing hours completed with a licensed OT and we do require several prerequisites that need to be completed before starting our program. However, we encourage you to apply while you’re working through this process. You don’t have to be fully complete while you’re applying, but you do have to be complete before you enroll.

We also recommend you to visit our Visit and Explore page on our website under the Admissions tab and sign up for one of our Pre-Application Counseling Sessions. You would just select OT, make an appointment with one of our admissions counselors, and they can advise you on your specific situation and let you know where you’re at in the process right now. They’re also free to you so schedule a session and see where you are at [in the process of applying].

 Q: What is the evaluation process?

 Schumacher: After meeting our minimum requirements, we evaluate your application holistically. It’s a combination of your grades, your prerequisites, your shadowing experience and how you arrived at becoming an OT (which you would write in your personal statement). You’ll have two interviews with the OT program: one is a closed file interview with one of our faculty members and the second interview is open file interview with one of our admissions officers. Then a committee of faculty and myself meet to determine who best fits our program, and you’ll usually receive your decision in a week or so. The process of applying, interviews and admissions can last a few weeks depending if everything aligns with what you send in and where our faculty and committee are at.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about the program?

Schumacher: We’ve covered the basics in this podcast, but for more information I recommend you contact us at admissions@salus.edu and talk to one of our counselors or myself regarding our programs or go to our website and sign up for one of our information webinars.