Biological Sciences

Pre-Occupational Therapy at Purdue Calumet – The First Step to Becoming an Occupational Therapist

Modified from: The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Link to Plan of Study (PDF)

What does an Occupational Therapist do?

Occupational therapists help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.

Occupational therapy services typically include:

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree Required? Occupational therapist education programs require applicants to earn a bachelor’s degree prior to admission into the professional Master of Occupational  Therapy Program
• Following the Bachelor’s Degree – occupational therapists need a master’s degree in occupational therapy.  Additionally, all states require occupational therapists to be licensed.

Pre-Occupational Therapy Option at Purdue University Calumet

Purdue University Calumet’s biology program offers courses which meet the requirements for application to a Master of Occupational Therapy program.   A wide variety of  upper level biology courses are available for students to choose from.  Several of the courses have a lab component that allow students to learn laboratory skills and gain hands-on experience using standard testing methods as well as cutting edge techniques.  Students interested in OT may also major in other areas, but most complete the required pre-OT course work.

How much does an occupational therapist  earn?

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that the “median annual wage of physicians and surgeons  was $72,320 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

Admissions

• For more information on applying to this program visit the Purdue Calumet Admissions webpage.

Graduation Requirement for Pre-Physical Therapy Option – Min 124 Credits

Download the Pre-Occupational Therapy Option (SOT) Plan of Study (PDF)

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