Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. 
• Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0. 
• Academic record that includes a balance of coursework in the humanities, social sciences, math, and life sciences, as well as competence in written and spoken English. Basic computer skills (preparation of documents, spreadsheets, graphs, databases, research and presentations) are required. 
• Satisfactorily complete the following prerequisite courses at an accredited college with a grade of B- or higher in all math or science courses, and a minimum grade of a C+ in all other prerequisite courses. All science courses must be for science majors. Course descriptions are required for each of the prerequisites.
  • One course in General Biology with Lab (four credits) 
  • One course in General Chemistry with Lab (four credits) 
  • One course in Human Physiology with Lab or Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (four credits) 
  • One course in Human Anatomy with Lab or Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (four credits) 
  • One course in General/Introductory Psychology (three credits) 
  • One course in Developmental or Child Psychology (three credits) 
  • One course in Abnormal Psychology (three credits) 
  • One course in Statistics (three credits) 
  • One course in either Anthropology or Sociology (three credits)
  • One recommended course in Scientific Writing (three credits)
• If you have a bachelor’s degree and have not completed all prerequisite courses for admission, you may be provisionally accepted to the M.S. program. Full acceptance to the program is contingent on successful completion of all prerequisite courses and satisfaction of all other academic and professional standards.
• Meet the Technical Standards for the occupational therapy program. 

Note: The New York Tech OT program does not award or grant Advanced Standing under any circumstances. All courses in the curriculum must be completed within the program.

• Proof of 100 hours of volunteer work under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist is typically required.
  • Important: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, please note the following New York Tech Occupational Therapy Program has revised admissions requirements for Summer 2024: For incoming graduate students, students will be required to submit a OTCAS application in the 2023–2024 application cycle with a minimum of 50 volunteer/observation hours, in lieu of the requirement of 100 hours of volunteer experience under the direct supervision of a licensed occupational therapist.
• An essay/personal statement detailing the desire to pursue occupational therapy as a career. 
• Three professional letters of recommendation on letterhead. One recommendation must be from a licensed occupational therapist. Recommendations must be dated within the past six months. Signed recommendation letters should be submitted through OTCAS. 
• Course descriptions for all prerequisite courses only that are required by New York Institute of Technology. They can be copy/pasted onto a Word document and uploaded to the OTCAS with your name and CAS ID #.
• A personal interview (for those applicants who qualify). 
• Copies of undergraduate transcripts for all post-secondary schools attended. Only two prerequisites can be pending (e.g., in progress) at the time of application. Acceptance (if granted) will be conditional to receiving the required grade in the admission criteria. All final official transcripts must be received prior to the start of your first semester. 
• Copy of college diploma or proof of degree.

Note: Applicants to the School of Health Professions should be aware that certain legal issues and/or convictions may preclude a student from being accepted by clerkships, internships, and/or fieldwork, and impact the student’s ability to complete the required program courses and qualify for graduation, certification, and/or licensure.

• Priority Deadline: January 6, 2025
• Regular Deadline: April 1, 2025

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications must be submitted by April 1 to be considered. Applications submitted by the April 1 deadline will undergo the verification process through OTCAS. Verified applications indicate your application has been submitted with all required documents (such as transcripts or letters of recommendation), and that all documents have been reviewed and approved by OTCAS. Please note that verification can take a few weeks. We recommend submitting your application at least three weeks before the final deadline.

Submit your application through the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). A completed application must be received and verified by OTCAS in order to be reviewed by the admissions team. The priority application due date is January 6. Specific instructions related to the application process can be found on the OTCAS website.

New York Institute of Technology’s master’s program in occupational therapy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, or at acoteonline.org or by phone at 301.652.2682.

Graduates of the occupational therapy program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Successful completion of the exam will result in certification as an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR).

All states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. For further information, contact the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, 12 South Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877; phone: 301.990.7979. For additional information about state licensing and other restrictions, contact your local State Board of Occupational Therapy.

This program is approved by the New York State Education Department.

New York Tech is accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education, most recently in 2019.

Occupational Therapy Department
New York Institute of Technology
Riland Center, Room 333
Northern Boulevard, PO Box 8000
Old Westbury, NY 11568
otprogram@nyit.edu