A bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution. A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale is preferred.  If your GPA is below 3.0, there is an additional personal statement question to address your academic history​.  You can apply while you are still enrolled in undergraduate degree program or while you are completing prerequisite coursework.​

• All prerequisite courses must be completed for college credit with a grade of “C” or better and within 10 years before the start of the MS program.
• Prerequisite courses must be completed at regionally-accredited colleges or universities.
• Applicants must have five prerequisite courses completed at the time of application. Of those five courses, at least one must be in anatomy/A&P I or physiology/A&P II. The three outstanding prerequisites must be in progress or planned. If you submit with less than 5 prerequisites complete, you must submit the Academic Update in OTCAS once your fall grades are posted.
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology I (or Human Anatomy) with lab
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology II (or Human Physiology) with lab
  • Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology
  • General/Introduction to Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology/Psychopathology
  • Lifespan Developmental Psychology/Human Development (covering birth to death; can be one course or a combination)
  • Statistics
  • Medical Terminology​
• If you have questions about whether a course you have taken or plan to take will meet a prerequisite, please email CSHgrad@depaul.edu with the school and course number/name for review.​

Please submit, in one document, the responses to the following personal statement prompts. Keep the response to each prompt around two pages, double-spaced. Please do not submit a document with more than ten pages. The final document needs to be uploaded in the Documents section of your OTCAS application.

• What aspects of DePaul's Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy resonate with you and make it a good fit for you? (Please limit to approximately 500 -750 words).
• Describe your understanding of the occupation​al therapy profession and the steps you have taken to learn about OT. (Please limit to approximately 500 -750 words).
• It is essential that occupational therapists are prepared to provide culturally sensitive and relevant care. Describe experiences you have had or pursued to learn about what diversity, equity, inclusion mean to you. How would your understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion inform your work as an OT? (Please limit to approximately 500 -750 words).
• If your academic record does NOT accurately reflect your capabilities, please describe why it does not. Present any inform​ation that may assist the admissions committee in interpreting and evaluating your academic history or credentials.​

Three (3) letters of recommendation (e.g. professor, supervisor, or employer), on professional letterhead (recommended), who can comment on the academic, clinical and professional experiences of the applicant should be submitted via OTCAS.

Official transcripts of all undergraduate coursework will be submitted directly to OTCAS.

A minimum of 25 observation hours completed with an OTR/L is required upon application. Observation hours may be fulfilled by taking Introduction to Occupational Therapy or by viewing online modules and submitting a reflection paper.

DePaul's Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy does not accept transfer credits or experiential learning credits toward fulfillment of graduate-level coursework required to complete the degree.

All instruction in the MSOT program is conducted in English. To be considered, a candidate must submit:

• Course -by-course credential evaluation report (including transcripts).
  • Applicants can send an official WES evaluation directly to OTCAS.
  • DePaul also accepts evaluations from: One Earth, Educational Perspectives or ECE which would need to be sent directly to DePaul (not OTCAS).
  • Please check with cshgrad@depaul.edu if you're interested in utilizing any other evaluation service to make sure it is acceptable.
• Official English proficiency exam scores- TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test are accepted for applicants whose education was completed in a language other than English or their native language is not English. The minimum required scores to review an application are below. Applicants that do not meet these minimum scores will not be eligible for review.
  • TOEFL = 96
  • IELTS = 7.0
  • Duolingo = 215