| Frequently Asked Questions |
| O.T. Entry-Level Master's Program |
When does the program start and what is the class schedule?
The entry-level program at VCU is a full time program. It is a seven semester program, lasting 2 and a half years. Students are accepted into a cohort. All students take the same curriculum throughout the program. Classes start at the beginning of June each year. Classes are scheduled from 8 or 9 am until 4pm Monday through Friday. For some semesters, students may be off on Friday afternoons. During the second summer there are no courses and students frequently choose to work in a related capacity. Graduation is in December.
Are any of your entry-level courses taught online?
No, the entry-level program at VCU is a full time, on-campus program. Our post-professional Masters and
Occupational Therapy Doctorate programs for registered occupational therapists are online courses.
When do I apply?
The application period runs from June 15 to September 15 for Early Decision and November 1 to January 15 for regular admission. We notify those who have been accepted for Early Decision by October 15 and for regular admission by March 15.
Can I apply before I have completed all of the prerequisite courses?
All prerequisites must be completed before classes start in June. If you are in the process of completing
prerequisite courses and you are accepted, you will be offered a provisional acceptance contingent upon successful
completion of these courses. Once your transcripts are received you will be issued a final acceptance.
Do I have to complete all of the required volunteer hours before applying?
Yes all 60 volunteer hours in two settings (adult and pediatric) need to be completed at the time of application.
This includes applications for the Early Decision option.
How do you evaluate an application?
The Entry Level Graduate Admissions Committee considers overall GPA on all college coursework. That overall GPA is weighed at 15% of the final application score. We also consider prerequisite GPA on the 30-33 credits that are specifically required for our program. Prerequisite GPA is weighed at 20%. The GRE scores are each weighed differently. Verbal and Writing scores are weighed at 10% each and the quantitative score at 5%. The letters of recommendation contribute 20% to the final score. The essay contributes the remaining 20%.
How do I make my application competitive?
Applications are competitive with excellent marks in prerequisite courses, good test scores, and well composed
essays. Good volunteer experiences often contribute to excellent essays. Last year we had over one hundred
applications for 40 places in the class. It is a competitive program so the better prepared you are in your
undergraduate coursework and the better your volunteer OT experience and/or experience with individuals with
special needs, the more competitive your application will be.
| What grade point average is acceptable? |
| The Admissions Committee looks at the GPAs of applicants in two ways - an overall
GPA and a prerequisite GPA (PGPA). At a minimum you must have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.70 and a
Prerequisite GPA of 3.00 or better. Prerequisite GPA is very important to the Committee because these courses
are considered a better indicator of the knowledge that you will need for your OT courses. Our program is a
graduate program that requires a minimum GPA of 3.00 to graduate so we accept students who we feel will be
capable of earning "A"s and "B"s in challenging courses at the graduate level. So naturally we prefer to accept
students who have proven that they are capable of making "A"s and "B"s in the courses that they have taken
before they come to our program. For the class admitted in June 2009: |
| |
Average GPA 3.43 (Range of 2.8 to 3.99) |
| |
Average PGPA 3.55 (Range of 3.1 to 4.0) |
| What Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are acceptable? |
| We prefer to see GRE scores above the 25th percentile. Each GRE test score is
considered separately. The Verbal GRE score and Writing Score are weighted more heavily in our admission
process than the Quantitative score because of their application to OT practice. Average GRE scores for
students admitted in 2009 were: |
| |
GRE Verbal 443 (Range 300-660) |
| |
GRE Quantitative 498 (Range 270-740) |
| |
GRE Written Analytical 4.2 (Range 3.0-5.5) |
The second time I took the GRE my Verbal score was better. Which one counts?
The standardized test must be current within 5 years. If you have taken it several times within the 5-year limit,
the highest overall test scores from one testing will be used. We will not combine the best individual
subtest scores from different administrations of the test.
My courses were taken at a community college. Is this OK?
Community college courses are acceptable. If you are applying with 90 credits, at least 15 of those credits need to
be upper level courses (300 and 400 level) taken at a four-year college or university. For Virginia Community
Colleges please refer to the VCU transfer guide for the appropriate courses to take for prerequisites.
www.transferguide.vcu.edu
Why is the human development prerequisite 3-6 credit hours?
Our human development prerequisite requirement is for lifespan human development. If you take child development
course, you will need to take a course with an adult perspective. In this case it will take two courses to achieve
the lifespan perspective. The total required prerequisite credits in social science whether you have one or two
development courses is 15 credits.
I took a 4 credit course in Human Anatomy and Physiology with Lab. This was all my college offered.
You must have at least 6 credits in human anatomy and physiology with lab. If a college only offers a 4-credit
course, at least 2 credits must be added. These can be physiology, kinesiology, neuroscience, or other courses
related to this requirement.
My courses are graded as Pass/Fail. Is this acceptable?
All prerequisite courses must have a letter grade of "C" or better. Pass / Fail grades are not acceptable for
prerequisites because they cannot be calculated in a grade point average (GPA).
I was given credit for English Composition from Advanced Placement testing in high school. Do I have to take another composition course?
We accept AP courses transferred into a university and calculate the course grade as an "A".
Do you accept CLEP (College Level Examination Program) credits?
CLEP testing is acceptable except for lab courses. The CLEP examination in English Composition for Essay is
accepted by VCU for 3 credits of UNIV 111 - University Focused Inquiry I. There is no CLEP exam equivalent for
English 200. For clarification see: www.vcu.edu/uc/clc/VCUUC-ClepEq.htm
I took a course that I think meets your prerequisite, but it has an odd title, and I'm afraid you will not accept it. What should I do?
Mail (or FAX (804) 828-0782) the catalog course description to Lawrencine Smith, the Program Manager of the OT
department. Please include your contact information so that you can be notified of the evaluation results. If you
have the course syllabus, this would be even more helpful.
I have taken all of the required prerequisites and I still have electives hours to take what do recommend that I take?
You are free to take any course that interests you. Additional social sciences can be valuable, but literature
courses often teach you even more about the human experience through the stories of people's lives.
Is financial aid available?
Many of our students have been successful securing funding through the financial aid office and other outside
sources. Nicole Abdul is Financial Aid Counselor for the Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Health
Professions. She can be reached at:
Sanger Hall, Room 1-055
1101 E. Marshall St.
P.O. Box 980244
Richmond, Va. 23298
Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Phone: (804) 828-2702
Fax: (804) 828-2703
www.vcu.edu/enroll/finaid/contact/index.html
Are students able to work while enrolled in the OT program?
The entry level Masters program is a full time graduate program. Some students have managed to do some part-time work while a full time student. Their ability to do this depends a great deal on the type of job they have. As a rule, we do not recommend that students work while going to school.
I still have a lot of questions that need answering.
Monthly applicant information sessions are scheduled from 1:00-2:15pm the third Friday of each month. The schedule is posted on our web page.
Please review our Web page at www.sahp.vcu.edu/occu thoroughly and if you still have
unanswered questions Program Manager, Lawrencine Smith, is available by phone at (804) 828-2219 or e-mail at
lsmith@vcu.edu
|
