Master’s in Occupational Therapy
The University of Florida is known to be the best OT program in Florida and one of the best in the country. UF accepts students from their Pre-OT Health Science Bachelor’s program and they accept students not enrolled in their Pre-OT track program based on a Conditional Graduate program. The students who have completed their Pre-OT Bachelors coursework from the University of Florida are eligible to apply to the Master’s in Occupational Therapy Program directly. Students who have received bachelors from other universities are eligible to apply to the Conditional Graduate program if they have completed all prerequisites. Students accepted to the conditional graduate program are required to complete the 6 Pre-OT courses in 2 semesters (Fall and Spring) prior to starting their MOT coursework the following summer.
US News Ranking: #17 OT program in nation
Location: Gainesville, FL
Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) accredited
Credentials Awarded: Master’s in Occupational Therapy (MOT)
OTCAS: Yes
Interviews: No
Application Deadlines for Pre OT Health Science Students at UF: Mid-January, for exact date visit OTCAS website here
Program Start Dates for Pre-OT Health Science Students at UF: Summer C (Early-May), for exact date see graduate academic calendar for that year.
Application Deadlines for Conditional Applicants: Mid-February, for exact date visit OTCAS website here
Program Start Dates for Conditional Applicants: Fall (Mid-August), for exact date see undergraduate academic calendar for that year
Program Length: 5 semesters (including summer) if you are in UF’s Pre-OT track and an extra 2 semesters (preceding fall and spring) if you are applying from another college or without the Pre-OT track major at UF
Class size: 45-47
Required prerequisites:
These courses are required to be admitted into both the conditional and direct MOT program:
To apply directly into the MOT program you must have also completed the Pre-OT Track courses offered by the University of Florida:
For more prerequisite information click here
Minimum Prerequisite GPA: 3.0 (No grade lower than C)
Minimum Cumulative GPA:3.0 for last two years (junior and senior) of coursework
Average GPA of accepted applicants: 3.6
Minimum GRE: 300 combined minimum (141 math and 150 verbal)
Average GRE of accepted applicants: about 306 but they look at all applicants above 300
Observational Hours: Minimum of 30 hours combined and must be from 2 diverse OT settings – hours are documented through OTCAS.
References: 3 minimum recommendation letters – one must be from an OT and he other two from professionals such as a professor.
Cost: The University of Florida is one of four public universities in the state of Florida that offer an MOT degree, making it one of the cheapest in the state.
62 credits for graduate classes at 530 a credit hour (including tuition & fees) for in-state students is about 33,000
If you are a conditional student, you pay undergraduate costs for the first two semesters of classes.
21 credits for undergraduate classes at 213 a credit hour (including tuition & fees) for in-state students is about 4,500$
Therefore, if you are applying for the conditional MOT program you will be paying about 37,500 in total for tuition and Fees and 33,000 for tuition and fees if you are applying directly to the MOT program with the Pre-OT coursework completed as an in-state student.
*Please note that these rates are subject to change and do not include living expenses such as housing, food, transportation, etc. For more information on costs and living expenses you can visit the following pages:
Click here for average annual costs including living expenses
Click here for credit hour costs
Click here for more information on UF's program