Occupational Therapy - Academic Plan - Pre-MOT to MOT

As of Fall 2018, we are no longer accepting applications for the pre-occupational therapy program. See proposed entry level OTD information.

In process of earning the MOT degree, students will obtain a required concentration in Human Occupation Studies (HOCS) in preparation for graduate coursework in occupational therapy. Prior to admission into the MOT degree program, prerequisite courses must be completed or in process; prerequisite courses include Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Rhetoric, Statistics I and II, Physics, Developmental Psychology, Bioethics, Kinesiology, Neuroscience and all HOCS courses. Transfer students who have a bachelor's degree in a related field generally have 6 semesters of academic coursework plus a post-academic fieldwork internship to complete to meet Xavier University's requirements for the MOT degree. Xavier accepts transfer credit work from other regionally accredited institutions of higher education for prerequisite coursework.

OT as a Second Career

The opportunity to obtain a graduate degree in combination with a previously earned bachelor's degree in a related area is designed for those seeking a career change. It is not uncommon for individuals to pursue one course of study, later to determine another course of study or career option that may be more fulfilling. A high degree of job satisfaction is commonly reported in the field of occupational therapy.

Full or Part-time Study?

While students may pursue studies part time when completing the prerequisite courses and 300 level HOCS courses, it is recommended full time study begin with the 400 level HOCS courses and mandatory that it begin with the 500 level MOCT courses. Consequently, students must commit to full-time matriculation the latter 3 semesters of the program because of the sequential and concurrent nature of the coursework and planned fieldwork internship. If for some reason a student is unable to take a course in its planned sequence in the cycle, the student may only be able to take the course with another year's class of students as space permits, given the restricted enrollment of the program. After completion of all academic course work in the degree program, students must complete a minimum of 940 hours of approved and supervised fieldwork internship. Most fieldwork internships are traditionally scheduled for a normal 40 hour work week.