Applicants must have earned an undergraduate degree by the start of the graduate Masters of Occupational Therapy Program in June.  Completed high school AP courses do not count toward prerequisites.The required courses listed below must be completed before the program start date at a regionally accredited college/university level effective the 2019-2020 admissions cycle (Masters of Occupational Therapy Program class of 2022). Prerequisite courses in anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics/physics must be completed within 7 years of the occupational therapy program start date. 

  • Applicants must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all prerequisite courses, with the exception of Anatomy and Physiology.
  • For Anatomy and Physiology
    • Applicants must achieve at least a grade of “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in each course
    • Labs should use human models (no online labs).
      Students who enroll in anatomy, or combined anatomy & physiology classes through Summer Semester 2020, are exempt from the face to face lab requirement.
  • For an applicant taking Statistics, two courses are preferred so that statistics and research methods are covered.

The transfer guide for all Virginia Community College System Equivalents [VCCS] courses that will transfer into JMU can be found at https://www.jmu.edu/registrar/transfer/index.shtml

Recommended course:  Research Methods (3 credits) that includes qualitative and quantitative designs [James Madison University equivalent HTH 408]

Prerequisite Courses

Prerequisite Courses

JMU Course Equivalents

Required Credits

Human Physiology w/Lab* and
Human Anatomy w/Lab* or
Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II, with Labs
(Labs should use human models and not be virtual labs)

Including human models:
BIO 270 + L - Human Physiology + Lab [4]
BIO 290 + L - Human Anatomy + Lab [4]

8

Social Sciences and Humanities
(may include sociology, anthropology, and/or philosophy)

Any two of the following:
ANTH 195 - Cultural Anthropology
PHIL 150 - Ethical Reasoning
SOCI 140 - Individual in Society
SOCI 110 - Social Issues in a Global Context

6

Biomechanics or Physics
(inclusion of a lab is preferred)

Any of the following:
HTH 441 - Rehabilitative Biomechanics [3] or
KIN 306 + L - Human Biomechanics + Lab [4] or
KIN 407 - Rehab Biomechanics [3] or
PHYS 140 + L - College Physics + Lab [4]

3

(4 is preferred)

Statistics

Either of the following:
HTH 320 - Statistical Methods for Health Science Research
MATH 220 - Elementary Statistics

3

Lifespan Development
(must cover the lifespan of a human from birth to death. Students may have to take more than one course to complete this prerequisite)

PSYC 160 - Life Span Human Development [3]

3-6

Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 250 - Introduction to Abnormal Psychology

3

Medical Terminology college
(credit course)

HTH 210 - Medical Terminology

1-3

 

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