NOTE: Provisional or non-degree students seeking admission as a degree candidate to the Penn State Mont Alto Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate Degree program must complete at least 9 credits of Penn State course work with a minimum 2.0 average.
Overview and Requirements
Students who are currently attending Penn State and are now seeking degree status in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program must have completed a minimum of 9 credit hours and earned a cumulative Penn State grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as the minimum requirement for admission consideration. In general, admission to the Occupational Therapy Assistant program often times requires a substantially higher cumulative grade-point average. The number of qualified applicants typically exceeds the number of available program spaces; therefore, satisfaction of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
The program is competitive and new applicants to the program are reviewed annually in January. Therefore, students should submit an application to the Undergraduate Admissions Office (for provisional to degree and nondegree to degree students) by November 30th of the year PRIOR to when they wish to enter the Occupational Therapy Assistant program (i.e. November 30 2017 for entrance to Occupational Therapy courses in fall 2018). Applications received after November 30 will be reviewed on a space available basis.
In addition to a cumulative grade point average, it is recommended that all provisional to degree and nondegree to degree applicants should have demonstrated successful completion of at least one (1) laboratory based biological and one (1) social science related course prior to the January review.
Biological and Life Sciences (choose at least one)
- BIOL161 / BIOL162 Anatomy & Physiology I
- BIOL163 / BIOL164 Anatomy & Physiology II
Social and Behavioral Sciences (choose at least one)
- PSYCH 100 General Psychology (3 cr)
- HDFS129 Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies (3 cr) or PSYCH212
You should work with your current academic advisor to choose appropriate courses, however, it is recommended that you review the “recommended academic plan for Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Mont Alto” to help choose courses that will count toward the Occupational Therapy Assistant program.
How to Apply
Penn State requires all students who are going from provisional to degree status to complete a special form (click here) and return it to the admissions office at Mont Alto for processing.
Students who are going from nondegree to degree status should submit their application online. Once you have completed the online application, you should submit official high school transcripts (unless previously sent to the Undergraduate Admissions Office) or proof of equivalency to the undergraduate admissions office. Standardized test scores are not required of applicants from this category.