MS in Occupational Therapy
Graduates are eligible to sit for the national registry examinations—becoming licensed in California or any other state—and practice nationally and internationally.
Employment opportunities for Occupational Therapy graduates are excellent: The U.S. News & Report lists Occupational Therapy as one of the 50 Best Careers of 2011. Employment is projected to increase by 26 percent by 2018.
Program Highlights
- Convenient location in San Rafael, California, 12 miles north from San Francisco
- Student centered learning, small classes, experienced faculty
- Focus on occupational therapy from childhood to older age with a strong focus on community
- Consideration of cultural, social and political context of occupational therapy
- Over 1,000 hours of supervised clinical training and learning laboratories
- Excellent employment opportunities upon graduation
- Financial aid options
Admission Deadlines
September 3, 2013
Application period opens for Fall 2014 cohort
February 1, 2014
Application deadline (includes ALL materials)
February – March 2014
Application file review period
End of March 2014
Applicant Interviews (Extended to qualified candidates. Interviews are on campus, no exceptions)
April 15, 2014
Admission Decisions Notification (Including acceptance, priority waitlist and denials)
May 1, 2014
Deposit Due
Candidates who have not accepted admission and paid the deposit by the May 1 deadline will forfeit their place in the class and have their application cancelled. Please note, the deposit is non-refundable.
May – mid August 2014
Priority waitlist admission (Students will be admitted from the priority waitlist on an ongoing basis as space becomes available)
Admission Requirements
MS in Occupational Therapy Admissions Requirements (PDF)
Steps for Applying to the Occupational Therapy Program
1. Complete the online graduate application (Applications available online after September 3)
2. Submit a COMPLETE application packet.
A completed admissions packet must include the following materials in the order listed below.*
A. Application Packet Checklist (Must be completely filled in)
A complete application consists of all admission documents (Application packet checklist, application, statement of purpose, resume, official transcripts from all institutions attended including any in progress coursework for Spring 2014 semester, Official GRE score report, Dominican volunteer hour forms, minimum of 2 letters of recommendation on letterhead. Some application packets may also contain when necessary: art portfolio or community art class form)
B. Prerequisite Requirements Guide
Please consult the Prerequisite course requirements guide before filing in the prerequisite course review section of the application packet checklist. It is your responsibility to make sure you have taken courses that satisfy our prerequisite requirements. You will also need to account in this section any coursework that will be ‘in progress’ at the time of application deadline. You will need to submit an official transcript listing all of your ‘in progress’ coursework or your application packet will not be reviewed.
If you have chosen to satisfy the 3D art prerequisite by completing the Art Portfolio or by taking a community art course, you would also need to include the Art Portfolio Review form or the 3D Art Community Course form.
PLEASE NOTE: Priority consideration will be given to candidates who have completed all prerequisites as of February 1. If admission is granted, it will be contingent upon successful completion of all “in progress” prerequisites and/or degree conferral. Any in progress work must be completed in the Spring semester before the start of the program. Any in progress coursework must be submitted on an official transcript as part of the completed packet on or before February 1.
C. Statement of Purpose
The personal statement is 500 words or less. Please do not exceed this limit.
D. Resume
Your resume MUST contain a section titled: ‘Other Relevant Work Experience’. Please account for all experience, whether paid or volunteer that is related to the OT profession in this section.
E. Minimum of 2 letters of recommendation (professional and/or academic)
Letters of recommendation MUST be on letterhead. Do not submit a letter of recommendation from a relative or the same supervisor that completed your volunteer volunteer hour form. Please do not have individuals contact Admission or the OT department directly on your behalf to provide ‘character’ references. They will not be considered. If your letters do not meet these requirements, they will not be counted. No more than four letters will be accepted.
F. Dominican volunteer form(s)
Dominican requires a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer work with 20 hours in an OT setting and 20 hours in a human services setting. You must submit Dominican’s volunteer forms to track your hours. These must be filled in and signed by your supervisor. We do not take time sheets, or another facility form as proof of volunteer work. Please ensure that the individual filling out the form for you completely fills in the entire form. Submit a separate form for each location you volunteer at.
G. Official transcripts from all institutions attended
You must submit an official transcript from ALL institutions you have attended in your application packet. This includes any community college and study abroad coursework unless it was University sponsored. This means that your transcripts will be sealed in an original envelope from the original issuing institution. DO NOT open that original envelope or your transcripts will not be considered official. Order yourself a second copy if you would like to see your transcripts.
You are required to also make sure that if you have any ‘in progress’ prerequisite coursework from the Spring 2014 semester, your official transcript must list those courses you are enrolled in or your file will not be considered complete and therefore will not be reviewed.
H. Official GRE score report
Our GRE school code is: 4284
OT department code: 0618
Please do not submit additional documents, they will not be considered.
*We will not consider any packets if they are not complete at the time of submission.
Priority Application Deadlines*
May 15 - Fall Semester
Nov 15 - Spring Semester
Program specific deadlines for Fall-only admission:
Feb 1 - Occupational Therapy (Closed for Fall 2013)
Mar 15 - Biological Sciences
Apr 1 - Counseling Psychology
May 15 - Clinical Laboratory Sciences
*Dominican follows a rolling admission policy. Applications will be accepted after the priority deadline on a space-available basis. Contact us for information on space-availability.
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