Master of Occupational Therapy, Glendale Campus

Individuals applying for admission to the College of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy Program must submit documentation for the following minimum requirements before the academic year commences for the incoming class.

1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale. Grades of C or better for prerequisite coursework (grades of C- are not acceptable)
3. Completion of the minimum number of prerequisite courses in the prescribed subject areas at regionally accredited colleges or universities
4. Satisfaction of the standards set forth by the Admissions Committee (including documentation of academic and professional promise in the prospective student).
5. Two letters of recommendation

Full list of requirements

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Students are advised to complete their application files as early as possible to ensure timely consideration. 

Applicants are required to submit their applications to OTCAS by May 1st.

Apply Now at OTCAS

18-Month Didactic Coursework

• Clinical Skills Education Through Core Classes and Electives
  • Our comprehensive curriculum exceeds accreditation requirements and provides unique opportunities for professional development, leadership, and advocacy. Threads for our coursework include courses in Aging, Neuro Rehabilitation, Pediatrics, Psychosocial and Mental Health, Evidence Based Practice Research, Critical Thinking, Leadership, and Theory & Intervention courses. 
  • Course offerings include opportunities for unique and innovate areas of the profession, including:
    • Upper Extremity Rehabilitation (including dissection lab)
    • Orthotics and Physical Agent Modalities
    • Assistive Technology
    • Population Health and Emerging Practice
    • Interprofessional Healthcare
    • Acute Care Rehabilitation and Neurorehabilitation
    • Medical Spanish
    • Sensory Integration
    • Trauma Informed Care
    • Occupational Justice
  • Fieldwork experience conducted during didactic course consists of guided learning experiences in various health care and/or community settings that provides students with direct opportunities to observe and interact with clients engaged in functional living activities that are appropriate for their respective cognitive, psychosocial, and physical stage of development.  
  • Advanced fieldwork experiences involve work with clients who exhibit a variety of medical conditions, which include physical and/or psychosocial disabilities and emphasize the development of disciplined, higher-level critical thinking skills to plan and provide high quality client care.  Students are supervised by registered occupational therapists with a minimum of one year of experience.

Unique Clinical Education Resources

• Integrated Healthcare and Interdisciplinary Opportunities
  • Our unique One Health Initiative promotes interdisciplinary education and patient care; students interact with professionals across healthcare disciplines including family medicine, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, public health, psychology, physical therapy, speech language pathology, and others. 
  • State-of-the-Art OT Lab Facilities
  • Our occupational therapy program has an onsite OT lab where students learn hands-on treatment and intervention skills. The OT Lab includes:
    • Classroom and lab space
    • Physical agents and modalities and 12 treatment plinths
    • Pediatric treatment equipment, including therapy swings and mats
    • Simulated apartment with a kitchen, bed, bathroom
    • Virtual Tour: Glendale AZ OT Lab
  • Clinical Skills and Simulation Center
    • Midwestern University OT students participate in high-fidelity, high-technology simulation during the didactic portion of their education.  High-fidelity, high-technology simulation can affect clinical practice performance*, and our Clinical Skills and Simulation Center has 19 hospital simulation rooms that are equipped with tools and supplies found in outpatient clinical settings. This experience allows our students the opportunity to:
      • Apply knowledge gained in the classroom to real-life situations.
      • Develop skills in history-taking, patient evaluations and patient education, and communication through practical experience. 
      • Work with patient actors to practice establishing a caring, trusting, and positive patient-provider relationship.

University, College, and Community-Based Service Opportunities

• Students in our program participate in a variety of service activities. Some of the organized clubs and activities include SOTA (the Student Occupational Therapy Association), COTAD  (the Coalition of Occupational Therapy for Advocacy and Diversity), H.O.M.E.  (Health Outreach through Medicine and Education), SGA Student Government Association, the Collaborative Care Club (Interprofessional Medical Care student organization), and service to many other community related programs.

Tuition for 2023-2024:

• 24 Months Program (2025 cohort): $48,415

Cost of attendance

• Female: 87%
• Male: 13%
• Average overall GPA 3.38

NBCOT Pass Rates

• Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, January 2021-December 2021
  • Pass Rate: 34
  • Program Test Takers: 34
  • National Pass Count: 7,113
  • National Test Taker Count: 8,810
• Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, January 2022-December 2022
  • Pass Rate: 43
  • Program Test Takers: 43
  • National Pass Count: 7,059
  • National Test Takers: 9,145

Graduation Rates

• 2021
  • Students Entering: 40
  • Students Graduating: 38
  • Graduation Rate: 95%
• 2022
  • Students Entering: 39
  • Students Graduating: 38
  • Graduation Rate: 97%
• 2023
  • Students Entering: 39
  • Students Graduating: 35
  • Graduation Rate: 90%

Reichl K, Baird JM, Chisholm D, Terhorst L. Measuring and Describing Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of the Impact of High-Fidelity, High-Technology Simulation Experiences on Performance. Am J Occup Ther. 2019 Nov/Dec;73(6):7306205090p1-7306205098p8. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2019.034694. PMID: 31891348.

The Midwestern University 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 https://acoteonline.org/.

Midwestern University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission/A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA), 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604-1413.