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2024-2025

Pre-Occupational Therapy (minor)

VCU

Community college:
AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

AA&S in Science or AS in Health Sciences or AS in Science.

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The pre-occupational therapy minor provides foundational courses for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants for Occupational Therapy Doctorate (O.T.D.) programs after completing their bachelor’s degree at VCU. The pre-occupational therapy minor can be completed as a part of any undergraduate degree. Completing this minor does not guarantee admission into any occupational therapy program. This minor is structured to academically prepare students to apply for occupational therapy programs broadly. Clinical and non-clinical experiences are a requirement of application to most occupational therapy programs. In addition to this minor, students will still need to participate in clinical and non-clinical experiences to develop a competitive application for occupational therapy. Visit the VCU Career Services - Pre-Professional Health Career Advising website for more information and to schedule an appointment with a pre-professional health and STEM career counselor.

Career opportunities

Occupational therapy programs across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. The list below shows courses that may be required by various schools including the VCU O.T.D. program. It is always recommended that you visit each program’s webpage and/or attend an information session to obtain requirements for specific programs. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic adviser to integrate these courses into their academic plan. In addition, students are encouraged to discuss career plans with their pre-professional health academic minor adviser and career counselor for additional guidance.

Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Healthcare Researcher
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Professor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

No guaranteed admission.

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
    n/a
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 200
  • STAT 314
Science required
  • 3-4 additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 3.0+
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Pre-Occupational Therapy (minor)

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Occupational Therapy (minor)

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website.
  • Consider applying for the summer Allied Health Career Exploration (AHCE) program.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website.
  • Consider applying for the summer Allied Health Career Exploration (AHCE) program.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Occupational Therapy (minor)

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Elective
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 General education (Pre-OT recommendation)
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Elective (Pre-OT requirement)
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Elective (Pre-OT requirement)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 General education (Pre-OT requirement)
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Elective (Pre-OT requirement)
SOC 200 or SOC 211 Principles of Sociology or Cultural Anthropology SOCY 101 or ANTH 103 3 General education (Pre-OT requirement)
PHI 220 Ethics PHIL 201 3 General education (Pre-OT recommendation)
CST 100 or CST 110 Public Speaking SPCH 121 3 General education (Pre-OT recommendation)
Fine Arts/Literature Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275. VCU equivalent 3 General education
History Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122. HIST 3 General education
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 17 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
In addition to completing the required courses, applicants must also demonstrate evidence of a minimum of 30 observation hours under the supervision of a licensed O.T. practitioner, an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant, prior to the time of application.
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
The courses listed below are required for the minor in pre-occupational therapy. Students must complete at least 9 credits of upper-level course requirements at VCU to be eligible for the minor. Students must also select a VCU major and complete the major requirements. The minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree at VCU is 120 credits.
PSYC 407 Psychology of the Abnormal 3 Elective (Pre-OT minor)
STAT 314 Applications of Statistics 4 Elective (Pre-OT minor)
Upper-level social sciences electives (from PSYC, ANTH and/or SOCY) 6 Elective (Pre-OT minor)
Courses required for VCU major and electives. Recommended courses for pre-OT include: HPEX 250, OCCT 250, PHYS 201-202. 47 Major
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Minimum number of credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree 120