Occupational Therapy Requirements
In order to retain membership in the Honors College Guaranteed Admission Program for Occupational Therapy, all Guaranteed Admission students MUST:
- Graduate with University Honors.
- Submit their Honors graduation application by the stated deadline (January 1 for May graduation, July 15 for August graduation and August 15 for December graduation).
- Maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA at VCU with no grade below a “C”. Transfer, AP/IB and repeat course grades are not used in the GPA calculation.
- Complete all prerequisites for admission to the occupational therapy professional program.
- Complete Psychology 410: Cognitive Psychology; HPEX 250: Medical Terminology; and HPEX 374: Musculoskeletal Structure and Movement.
- If you wish to take required coursework from either an institution other than VCU or in summer session at VCU, then you must obtain advance permission from the Director of Guaranteed Admission Programs. This includes the summer session between high school and college.
- Complete 30 hours per year of clinical work in occupational therapy (volunteer or paid employment). Although healthcare research is highly valued, the only healthcare-related experience that is approved for this requirement must involve patient contact. Students may not earn healthcare-related hours under the supervision of professionals in their family.
- Complete a minimum of 15 hours each semester in community service, non-healthcare related.
- Engage in professional behavior at all times. Any institutional or legal sanction will result in dismissal from the Guaranteed Admission Program.
- Monitor your vcu.edu email daily during your entire undergraduate program, including summer sessions and breaks. If you will be (or anticipate being) without email access for more than seven (7) consecutive days, you must notify the Director of Guaranteed Admission Programs of alternate ways of communication and provide the date when you will again have email access.
- Complete an occupational therapy application through Occupational Therapy Central Application Services (OTCAS) including, in part, three references, a personal statement and required second essay (value-added essay) and payment of a nonrefundable application fee to OTCAS by September 1 of the year prior to the year you plan to begin the occupational therapy program. Students must notify Graduate Admissions Chair Dr. Audrey Kane upon completion of the application to alert your intent to be processed via the Guaranteed Admission Program.
- Meet with the Director of Guaranteed Admission Programs every semester for academic advising. Students who fail to receive advising from the Director of Guaranteed Admission Programs prior to the beginning of Honors registration will be placed on hold for registration until they secure such advising.
- Attend all meetings of Guaranteed Admission students as directed by the Director of Guaranteed Admission Programs, and meet with the Director upon request.
Student records will be reviewed every semester to determine compliance with the requirements. If a student fails to complete the requirements of the Guaranteed Admission Program for Occupational Therapy, this will result in dismissal from the Honors College Guaranteed Admission Program for Occupational Therapy.