The Combined Bachelor of Science in Life Science/Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (B.S./M.S.) is a 5 and a half year program (3 + 21/2: 3 years of pre-professional courses and a 21/2 year professional phase). The master’s degree program provides entry-level professional education in occupational therapy.

To be eligible for admission into the combined B.S./M.S. program, applicants must possess a high school degree or equivalency. Preference is given to applicants with a three- to four-year sequence in high school math and science Regents courses. In addition, students are required to provide the following:

1. Documentation of 100 hours of volunteer or paid employment under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist;
2. An essay (350-500 words) detailing the desire to pursue occupational therapy as a career;
3. A second professional letter of reference (the first letter is the letter from the licensed occupational therapist documenting the volunteer hours);
4. Official transcripts from high school and all post-secondary schools attended;
5. A personal interview (for qualifying candidates);
6. An on-site essay on an assigned topic;
7. Competence in written and spoken English and computer skills (preparation of documents, spreadsheets, graphs, databases, research and presentations);

To be competitive, applicants should have an overall GPA of at least 2.5, with no science or math grade below C, and a combined SAT score of 850.

The Department of Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee will review completed applications and render the final admission decision for review by the NYIT Office of Admissions.

Professional Phase

In order to enter the professional phase of the program, applicants must have completed the following undergraduate courses. Note that all science courses must be for science majors:

• 8 credits in chemistry with lab
• 8 credits in physics with lab
• 8 credits in biology with a lab
• 4 credits in human physiology with lab
• 3 credits in general or introduction to psychology
• 3 credits in developmental or child psychology
• 3 credits in abnormal psychology
• College algebra and trigonometry OR introduction to calculus
• One course in statistics
• One course in anthropology OR sociology
• One course in ethics

This combined program is designed for undergraduates, freshmen or transfer students, who wish to be admitted to the Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy following three years of undergraduate work. Students may apply for admission into the master’s program (professional phase) after completion of all prerequisite courses, if they have maintained an overall GPA of 2.5, received no science or math grade below a C, and received the recommendation of the Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee after a personal interview.

The B.S. in Life Science will be conferred after successful completion of the first professional year of the Occupational Therapy master’s degree program.