Students who are admitted to the 4+2 OT program at Russell Sage College complete the bachelor’s degree in four years in Biology, Expressive Arts in Mental Health, English, Health Sciences, Psychology, or Sociology, are guaranteed continuation into the professional M.S. in OT program at Russell Sage College providing all prerequisite courses and academic criteria (see below for a list of these requirements) are met.
Undergraduate transfer students who have completed courses at other institutions may progress into the MS in Occupational Therapy program, with acceptance based on space availability, students’ qualifications, and previous college coursework. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 45 undergraduate credits at RSC prior to entering the graduate program, during which time undergraduate major coursework, general education requirements, and OT program course prerequisites must be completed. In some cases with transfer students they may complete more than 120 total credits to complete the bachelor’s degree in order to meet all undergraduate and graduate prerequisite requirements and this will be determined by advisement.
The first formal review for eligibility to progress into the graduate program will occur at the end of the fall semester of the fourth year at RSC. Students not meeting the requirements at that time will be re-reviewed at the end of the spring semester. If they meet the requirements at that time, they will be admitted on a space-available basis.
Occupational Therapy on Sage.edu: sage.edu/academics/programs/occupational-therapy-ms/
UG Prerequisite Courses Required for Admission
Complete all of the following (27-28 credits):
• BIO 201 Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab, 4cr
• BIO 202 Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab, 4cr
• PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology, 3cr
• PSY 202 or PSY 208 Developmental Science, 3-4cr
• PSY 308 Abnormal Psychology, 3cr
• SCI 110 Medical Terminology, 3cr
• Sociology or Anthropology course, 3cr
• Statistics: MAT 220 or PSY 207, 4cr
Academic Standards for OT Admission
Students who enroll at RSC in the 4+2 bachelor's degree leading to the MS in Occupational Therapy program are guaranteed acceptance to the graduate level of the OT Program providing they maintain the academic requirements listed below. The first review for eligibility to continue into the OT professional program will take place after the fall semester of the fourth year.
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Achieve a minimum 3.000 cumulative GPA for coursework completed during undergraduate study.
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Earn a minimum grade of “C” or higher (2.000) in each of the OT Program prerequisite courses.
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Achieve a minimum 3.000 cumulative Science GPA in Anatomy & Physiology I (4cr) and Anatomy & Physiology II (4cr)
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Document at least 20 hours of clinical observation under the supervision of an occupational therapist before beginning the professional program. Students are encouraged to complete clinical observation hours as early as possible.
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Completion of a bachelor’s degree prior to beginning the OTH graduate coursework.
Procedures for Progression
By December 1 of the fourth year (or equivalent) of undergraduate academic study at RSC, students who are progressing into the MS in OT program will:
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complete the OT Program progression forms: Academic Standards Statement, Clinical Observation Hours Documentation, and OT Program Prerequisite Record. See Sage.edu for more information: https://www.sage.edu/academics/programs-degrees/health-sciences/occupational-therapy-accelerated-m-s/
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submit current resume
Admission Requirements
First Year (Freshman) Applicants
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Students can be admitted directly from high school into the Russell Sage College accelerated 3+2 program as described above. The successful applicant will demonstrate the following academic profile:
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High school overall grade point average (GPA) of 85 percent
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High school science GPA of 85 percent
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Minimum combined SAT score of 1050
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Class rank in top 20%
Undergraduate Transfer Applicants
The successful transfer applicant will demonstrate the following academic profile:
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Overall minimum 3.000 GPA for all college coursework
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Earn a minimum grade of “C” or higher (2.000) in each of the OT Program undergraduate prerequisite courses
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Achieve a minimum Science GPA of 3.000 in Anatomy & Physiology I and Anatomy & Physiology II
Note: Grades for courses taken outside of Sage do not count toward a student’s cumulative GPA at Sage. However, the OT department will look at all grades in the OT Program prerequisite courses (including those from transfer courses) when considering a student for entry into the graduate program. All OT program prerequisite courses (institutional and transfer courses) must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher and the earned science GPA (based on Anatomy & Physiology I & Anatomy & Physiology II taken at Sage or elsewhere) must equal 3.000 or higher. If transfer courses do not meet this standard, OT program prerequisites may need to be retaken at Sage to meet GPA requirements.
Undergraduate transfer students who are occupational therapy assistants (OTA) will be considered for admission as Interdisciplinary Science Majors to the accelerated 3+2 degree program, with acceptance based on space availability, students’ qualifications, and previous college coursework.
Program Accreditation
The Russell Sage College Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301-652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The most recent reaccreditation was granted in December 2016. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online.