A woman is smiling while performing a therapeutic treatment on a person lying face down in an indoor setting.

Occupational Therapy

This Early Assurance degree program is offered in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Occupational Therapy program.

About the Program

UMR’s Early Assurance Program in occupational therapy offers incoming first-year students a pathway to early admission through a collaboration with the University of Minnesota’s occupational therapy program.

Students apply for admission to UMR’s Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) program and complete additional questions for the Early Assurance Program in occupational therapy.

Students earn their BSHS degree at UMR, working with their Student Success Coach to ensure they complete all prerequisites for the OT program. In their fourth year, students complete a simplified Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service application to be formally admitted to the OT program.

Admitted students are on track to complete the Master of Occupational Therapy in five semesters. During the second semester, OT students may apply for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate, which can be completed in a total of seven semesters.

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Benefits of the Early Assurance Occupational Therapy Program

  • Conditional admission to the University of Minnesota OT program, pending the completion of all program requirements.
  • Access to occupational therapy program advisors to assist with course and extracurricular planning.
  • A faculty mentor.
  • A current occupational therapy student mentor.
  • Meetings on topics such as occupational therapy career exploration (practice areas), study skills, being a first generation college student, etc.
  • Application fee waivers provided for professional program applications. 
  • Invitations to occupational therapy community events.

How this unique partnerships works?

  • Students complete their undergraduate BSHS degree at UMR, working with their Success Coach to ensure completion of all requirements for the OT program, which include:
    • Successful completion of the BSHS degree requirements.
    • Complete all occupational therapy program prerequisite courses (that were required at the time of admission to the professional program) at UMR or UMTC with a minimum grade of B-; with permission, up to a maximum of two courses can be taken at another institution (not including credits transferred in as an NHS).
    • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
    • Maintain a full-time course load each semester.
    • Meet once per semester with a pre-occupational therapy advisor.
    • Submit a simplified OTCAS application by September 1 in the year prior to entering the OT program.
  • After graduating from UMR, students complete their OT degree in nine semesters with the University of Minnesota Occupational Therapy program.

How to apply?

Incoming undergraduate students must apply by December 1 as a first-year student for admission to the University of Minnesota Rochester’s undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences program and complete a small number of additional application questions for the Early Assurance Program in Occupational Therapy (OT).

Current UMR students may also apply to the Early Assurance Program in Occupational Therapy (OT). Students are recommended to apply to this program before they hit 60 credits. The application opens August 1 and the deadline is December 15.

Application Questions

Applicants will need to submit answers to the following questions:

  1. Personal characteristics and experiences: Describe how your personal characteristics, cultural background, values and experiences will enrich the educational experiences of other occupational therapy students and help meet the needs of a complex society. Explain the skills you have learned or developed that will support your effectiveness as an occupational therapist.
  2. Hands-on doing: The UMN occupational therapy program emphasizes serving others. Describe a specific situation in which you served others. How did you serve, and how will the skills or behaviors you used contribute to your success as an OT student?
  3. Values: The College emphasizes community, shared responsibility and accountability in creating a healthy and caring organization dedicated to serving others through education, research, practice and service. Provide an example of how your values align with those of the College.
  4. Language fluency: Rate your level of fluency in a second language (including ASL). If you speak multiple languages, refer to the language you speak most fluently. – Native comprehension ability – Proficient – Intermediate – Beginner – No second language
  5. Communication: Describe a time when you experienced a communication barrier with someone from a different culture or who used a different language. Explain how you addressed the barrier and what the outcome was.
  6. Leadership: Leadership is an essential quality for occupational therapists. Kouzes and Posner identify five fundamental leadership practices: –
    • Challenge the process — Seeking opportunities to confront and challenge the status quo; experimenting, taking risks and learning from those experiences.
    • Inspire a shared vision — Imagining ideal scenarios; developing a shared sense of purpose; attracting people to common goals.
    • Enable others to act — Promoting cooperation and mutual trust; strengthening others by sharing power and information.
    • Model the way — Following through on commitments; achieving small wins; building commitment to action in others.
    • Encourage the heart — Recognizing others’ contributions; celebrating their successes.
      • *Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Provide an example from your recent experiences that demonstrates how you applied one of these leadership practices.