Prerequisites, Substitutions & Waivers
Prerequisite Requirements
- All prerequisites must be completed within 5 years of the November 1st application deadline. All prerequisite coursework must be completed at the college or university level. Coursework must be semester hours or equivalent from an accredited institution with an earned grade of C or better (C- and below is not acceptable). A grade of "D" or "F" will not be accepted for any prerequisite courses. Students may re-take prerequisite courses. The grades for the courses will be averaged together if they are taken within the 5-year time frame. If more than 5 years has elapsed, then grades outside the 5-year time frame will not be averaged. Advanced Placement (AP) credit is acceptable for prerequisite coursework.
- Students may request a prerequisite course wavier and/or substitution via a written petition to the Chair of the Admission Committee via the program email: occtherapy@utrgv.edu . The student must have a signed waiver/substitution form by the OT Admission Chair, OT Department Chair, or OT representative as proof of approval. Course substitutions and waivers are considered on an individual basis and must be approved before the application deadline. Examples of waivers might include waiving the statistics 5-year limit for someone currently working as an educational diagnostician or waiving the medical terminology course requirement for someone who is working in a health field; in these cases, Waivers must be approved before the application deadline.
- Credit for transferred courses is determined by the University, but the OT Program determines if a transferred course will count for a prerequisite requirement. If there is not a Texas common course number attached to the course, the Admissions Chair or Department Chair will determine whether the course meets the content requirements for the Foundational Standard and can be accepted based on the course description and syllabus provided by the student. Credit for prerequisite transferred courses must be approved before the application deadline.
- In order to substitute a course, the prospective student must submit a syllabus of the course that will be substituted. An example would include a registered nurse who substitutes a psychiatric nursing course for the abnormal psychology course. Course substitutions and waivers are considered on an individual basis and must be approved before the application deadline.
- Prospective students may get credit for work/life experiences for prerequisite coursework if requested and applicable. Documentation of the work experience would be required and must be approved before the application deadline.
Not every applicant who meets the minimum admission requirements can be admitted, the Department of Occupational Therapy reserves discretion in admission for the most highly qualified applicants. This program is not designed for individuals already licensed to practice as an occupational therapist.
Advanced placement: Advanced placement within the OTD program is not offered or accepted.
Transfer of credit: Transfer of credit is not accepted for any portion of the 3.5 years of the OTD curriculum. Course credit from other occupational therapy programs is not transferable to the UTRGV OTD program. This is due to the unique nature in which individual occupational therapy programs design their curriculum. It is the UTRGV OT curricula that we believe adequately prepares our students for the NBCOT examination and clinical practice; therefore, outside credits will not transfer into the programs.
Transferring Student: Students interested in transferring into the OTD UTRGV Program from another entry-level OTD program may do so at the discretion of the Program director and admission committee depending on the student’s qualifications, the reason for the transfer, and available seats. The student must meet all admission criteria and prerequisite requirements. The student must provide course syllabi for all courses to be considered for transfer to assure that the course meets the Program's content requirements. The Program Director, in consultation with faculty, will determine if the course meets content and graduate level requirements.
Experiential learning and work experience credit: Neither experiential learning nor work experience is accepted for credit to meet the requirements for the OTD degree. Moreover, work experience shall not be accepted for credit toward the experiential learning courses (i.e., Level I or II Fieldwork; Doctoral Capstone) within the curriculum.
Substitutions & Waivers
The UTRGV OTD program is not designed for individuals already licensed to practice as an occupational therapist. The program is not designed to accelerate students within the OTD program with relevant OT work experience. However, the knowledge, skills, and experiences obtained while working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) may contribute greatly to their learning. The program is not designed to grant or accept credit for any OTD coursework except for prerequisite courses.
Prerequisite Coursework Credit
Students may request a prerequisite course wavier and/or substitution via a written petition to the Chair of the Admission Committee via the program email: occtherapy@utrgv.edu. The student must have a signed waiver/substitution form by the OT Admission Chair, OT Department Chair, or OT representative as proof of approval. Course substitutions and waivers are considered on an individual basis and must be approved before the application deadline. Prospective students may get credit for work/life experiences for prerequisite coursework if requested and applicable.
Process for wavier or substitution:
A waiver or substitution can be requested at any time however it will be good for the current admission cycle only. Each request is considered on its on merit.
Waiver(s): Prospective applicant must submit a written request stating what type of waiver (i.e. course waiver or waiver of 5-year time limit) he/she is seeking. This must include all supporting documents, contact information, a copy of the course catalog or syllabus, and/or transcripts. Examples of waivers might include waiving the statistics 5-year limit for someone currently working as an educational diagnostician. Documentation of the work experience would be required.
Substitution(s): Prospective applicant must submit a written request stating what course(s) he/she would like to substitute for which prerequisite course. This must include a syllabus of the course that will be substituted. An example would include a registered nurse who substitutes a psychiatric nursing course for the abnormal psychology course.
A grade of "D" or "F" will not be accepted for any prerequisite courses. Students may re-take prerequisite courses. The grades for the courses will be averaged together if they are taken within the 5-year time frame. If more than 5 years has elapsed, then grades outside the 5-year time frame will not be averaged.
Work experience(s): Prospective applicant must submit a written request stating what prerequisite course(s) he/she would like work credit/experience. This must include documentation of the work experience such as job description, reference letter, and certification of continuing training. For example, waiving the medical terminology course requirement for someone who is working in a health field, documentation of the work experience would be required.
OT Prerequisite Course Descriptions
Wavier/Substitution Instructions