Preference for Occupational Therapy Assistants
Hanover OTD recognizes that OTAs are uniquely qualified to earn their Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. We have special offerings for OTAs, including four prerequisite courses waived, observation hours waived, and additional credit given to each OTA during the admissions process. As an OTA, you are equipped with the hands-on skills that will put you at an advantage while treating patients during our program and in your occupational therapy career.
Prerequisite Courses Waived for OTAs
- Human or Lifespan Development (3 semester hours/ 4 quarter hours)
- Kinesiology or Biomechanics (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours
- Psychology (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours)
- Abnormal Psychology (3 semester hours/4 quarter hours)
Read more about the admission requirements and prerequisites for the Hanover OTD program here.
Information for OTAs
- Cumulative transcript GPA is not considered. We look only at the cumulative GPA for prerequisite courses.
- Anatomy/physiology (A/P) courses completed over five years ago will only require a refresher course completed and passed. A refresher course grade will be accepted from an accredited or non-accredited institution.
- Special requests are reviewed by the OTD Director of Admissions/Hanover OTD Admissions Committee and may include course substitutions, credit for pass/fail coursework, etc.
- Grades from accredited institutions apply towards your cumulative prerequisite GPA.
- A cumulative prerequisite GPA may be improved as you complete prerequisite courses.
- The highest grade in a repeated prerequisite course will be applied.
- Coursework in which the grade is applied to the GPA must be from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent.
- For all Applicants for whom English is not their first language, or who may request testing, demonstration of English language proficiency may be recommended and assessed through completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) within the last 5 years. The minimum preferred TOEFL scores are internet based > or = 80, computer based > or = 213, paper-based test > or = 550. The minimum preferred IELTS is 6.5. (Note: The NBCOT Exam is administered in English.)
- Contact Hanover’s OTD Admissions Adviser to discuss how to generate a strong application. Your advisor can provide ideas of institutions offering virtual prerequisite coursework and anatomy/physiology refresher courses.