The MGA MSOT Program is an accelerated 2-year bridge program designed exclusively for certified/licensed Occupational Therapy Assistants. The program is delivered in a combination of asynchronous and synchronous online instruction along with additional weekend on-campus sessions approximately once per month.

The MSOT Program is designed as a full-time, lock-step graduate program. The program includes 10-17 credit hours each semester (many courses also have labs), therefore, will require a significant amount of dedicated time each week. While much of the course content is delivered in an asynchronous online format, there will also be some synchronous online sessions, as well as on-campus requirements.

In order to be successful, students will need to be very organized and self-directed, with some flexibility in work/personal schedules. Work schedules must be adjusted to meet class times for synchronous session and on-campus weekends, and course requirements cannot be adjusted based on individual work demands.

Applicants must have at least one year of work experience as an OTA, or a minimum of 1500 hours, in order to apply. The 1500 hours of employment must occur by the application deadline.

Currently, applicants may complete prerequisite courses through the Spring semester prior to Fall admissions. However, completion of more prerequisites, as well as a high GPA in the prerequisite courses may make your application more competitive. Please also note that MATH 1401 (Elementary Statistics) must be taken before HLSA 3000 (Research Methods for Health Sciences), therefore, you should plan ahead in order to ensure both can be completed by the deadline.

The following may make an application more competitive:

• Completion of all prerequisite courses by the application deadline
• A high GPA on the four required prerequisite courses
• A cumulative (overall) GPA above 3.0
• Thoroughly and thoughtfully answering all supplemental short essay questions in the OTCAS system
• Scores on the 3 letters of reference—be sure that all individuals requested to complete a letter of reference know you well enough to make a good judgment of your work

All course substitutions must be approved by the MSOT Program Director and/or the Chair of the Rehabilitation Science Department. If you completed a course at another institution that you believe is equivalent to a prerequisite course, send an email with the course name, number, description, and name of institution where completed to prior to applying to the program.

Please note that PSYC 3265 (Abnormal Psychology) is a 3000 level course, therefore must be at the 300/3000 level if completed at another institution. If Abnormal Psychology was previously completed at MGA as a 200/2000 level course, it must be retaken in order for credit to be awarded towards the MSOT degree.

Online courses are similar in many ways to face-to-face classes. Courses may incorporate a variety of learning activities to be consistent with different learning styles. Online education requires significant self-direction as well as good time management and organizational skills. Online courses may include any/all of the following:

• Asynchronous/recorded or synchronous lectures
• Videos
• Reading assignments
• Written assignments or essays
• Discussion forums
• Projects
• Presentations (through video or in person)
• Online research
• Quizzes/Exams

New students will need to attend a 1-2 day on campus orientation prior to the beginning of the Fall semester. During Fall and Spring, on campus sessions will be required 3-4 times per semester. Generally, on-campus weekends will be a full day on Saturdays and approximately 4-6 hours on Sundays. Occasionally it may be necessary to extend the hours on Sundays, or students may want to meet for work on group projects, etc. while on campus after scheduled classes. To facilitate planning, students will receive a schedule each Fall with the mandatory weekend dates for the next year.

During the on-campus weekends students may be engaged in labs/experiential activities, working on or delivering presentations or projects, as well as participating in service or student organized activities.

The MSOT program is committed to providing quality fieldwork experiences in a variety of geographic areas and practice settings as specified by accreditation standards. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator will attempt to secure fieldwork sites in locations as close to the student’s home (or other preferred location) as possible. However, factors such as number of students from one community, availability of sites, and time of year may affect options.

Level II Fieldwork will be completed during traditional daytime hours, so students should plan ahead for work and financial resources during the final two semesters (Summer and Fall). Level II Fieldwork consists of 12 weeks full-time in two different settings for a total of 24 weeks.

Tuition for the MSOT Program is currently calculated using a combination of partially online and fully online graduate tuition rates. For more information, see Graduate Tuition Rates on the MGA website.*

*Tuition rates are subject to change at any time without notice.

There is also a table on the MSOT Program page of the website with approximate costs for the program.

More information regarding financing your education may be found at the following links:

• Financing Options
• Scholarships

The MSOT Program is currently in the process of accreditation (new programs cannot be fully accredited until after the first cohort of students has been admitted) and has been granted Candidacy status 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 (previously 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814). ACOTE’s phone number C/O AOTA is (301)-652-AOTA and the website is www.acoteonline.org.

For more information about the accreditation process, see Steps to Initial Accreditation on the ACOTE website.

OTCAS is an organization (not affiliated with Middle Georgia State University) used for simplifying the process of applying to occupational therapy programs. Individuals begin by selecting the programs they wish to apply to, then submit one application that includes all necessary materials. Once received by OTCAS, the application and materials go through a verification process before being transmitted to all of the selected programs. Each program may require additional specific information, so it is important to read the admission and application requirements very carefully.

During the OTCAS process, an application progresses through the following status levels:

• Received
• Complete
• Verified

Your application will not be considered by the MGA MSOT Program unless it reached “Verified” status by the date indicated in the application instructions. See What is Verification on the OTCAS website for more information.*

*It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor their application status within OTCAS and no exceptions will be made for applications that do not reach “Verified” status by the deadline. For this reason, it is recommended that applications be submitted in OTCAS at least several weeks prior to the posted deadline.

The OTCAS GPAs factor in all coursework taken, regardless of the college or university and any academic forgiveness policies. See Calculating Your OTCAS GPAs for more information.