OTA Admission Requirements

Admissions

Occupational Therapy is a healthcare profession that works with people of all ages, diagnoses, and living situations to help achieve increased independence in their valued occupations. We consider the tasks of daily living, such as making breakfast, taking a shower, caring for children, playing, and even sitting in school, as important occupations that help individuals succeed in life. When someone is unable to do one or several of their valued occupations, an occupational therapy assistant may have the opportunity to work with the individual on an established plan of care to achieve the goals that the individual has helped set. It is a growing, challenging, and exciting career path for anyone who enjoys using their creative skills to help individuals become, regain, or work toward independence.

An occupational therapy assistant is supervised by an occupational therapist.

Steps to Admission to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Applications will not be considered until all parts are submitted in full. Read the directions closely to ensure you’ve completed all steps of the application process.

Application deadline for the OTA Program is April 15. 

Applications submitted after April 15 will be placed on a waiting list and reviewed on a first come first serve basis.

• Complete the general, online Minnesota West application process. Indicating your interest in the OTA program will help connect you with resources and information to assist you with the next steps.
• Complete the admissions requirements for general student admission at Minnesota West. 
  • If you have a post-secondary degree, request your transcript be sent to admissions@mnwest.edu from the college/university you received your degree from.
  • International degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director. Email OTA@mnwest.edu.
  • The GPA from your high school transcript or college/university transcript will be the GPA used for the OTA Applicant Assessment process.
• Fill out the online OTA Application, which is available via the blue ‘Apply Here’ button beginning in December.
  • All applications are scored via the OTA Applicant Assessment Form, which includes required and optional portions (located at the bottom of the page). It is up to the applicant to decide if they will complete the optional portions, which will provide additional points when their application is scored.
• REQUIRED PORTIONS OF THE OTA APPLICATION:
  • Student identifier information, including name, address, email, etc.
  • Current high school or college GPA
  • Applicant’s current status of the 6 general education requirements, including if the applicant has already taken the course or if the applicant still needs to take it
    • BIOL 2201: Human Anatomy
    • ENGL 1101: English Composition
    • PSYC 1150: Lifespan Developmental Psychology
    • BIOL 2245 or HC 1180: Medical Terminology
    • BIOL 2202: Human Physiology
    • PSYC 2221: Psychology of Mental Illness
    • Please note that the more general education courses completed with a C or higher and reported on the application, the more points applicants will receive when their application is scored.
  • OPTIONAL PORTIONS OF THE OTA APPLICATION:
    • It is encouraged that prior to applying, applicants complete observation hours with an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, consider employment within a healthcare related field, and demonstrate community involvement through volunteering.
    • None of the optional portions, some of the optional portions, or all of the optional portions can be completed when the application is received. The optional portions provide a way for applicants to become more informed about the OT field as well as demonstrate commitment to values that align with the OTA program.
    • Completion of any of the optional activities will provide additional points for the applicant when their application is reviewed. 

General Education Requirements for the OTA Program

The OTA Program has four general education requirements that must be completed prior to starting the OTA courses in the fall. These include: BIOL 2201, ENGL 1101, PSYC 1150, and HC 1180 or BIOL 2245.

Students are encouraged to begin taking these courses before being admitted into the OTA program.

An additional two general education requirements can be completed prior to or during the first semester of OTA coursework. These include: BIOL 2202 and PSYC 2221.

You must achieve a ‘C’ or higher in each of these courses. Please connect with a college advisor if you need assistance registering for classes.

*BIOL 2201 and BIOL 2202 must be completed in the 5 years prior to your date of application. If more than 5 years have passed, contact OTA@mnwest.edu.

Applicant Assessment Scoring

The items below are OPTIONAL for prospective students. By completing the OPTIONAL items below, students will achieve additional points toward their cumulative score that will then increase their potential for gaining acceptance into the Minnesota West OTA Program. Please email OTA@mnwest.edu with any questions.

The program is allowed to accept 20 students each fall. In the event that multiple students score the same number and there is not enough room in the program for all of them, those students’ names will be placed in a lottery and the names drawn will be offered acceptance into the program. The students not chosen will be placed at the top of the wait list.

The OTA Applicant Assessment Score Sheet is only used by OTA faculty. This form is shared for informational purposes only.

This associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652- AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. In addition, all states require licensure 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.