About the MOT Program
No. Physical attendance is required.
No, our program is full-time only.
We have not made a determination about offering a doctoral program at this time.
No, we do not. All students must have earned a bachelor’s degree before starting in the MOT program.
Transferring courses from one MOT curriculum to another is difficult because the curriculum design, course sequence and content vary, even when the course titles appear similar. James Madison University does not accept courses taken within another occupational therapy program.
Admissions FAQ
We accept graduates of any four-year degree, provided the applicant has completed all required prerequisites. No particular major will provide an admissions decision advantage. Many applicants come from basic and applied health sciences, exercise science and social sciences. Applicants with a strong science and/or health background may find that they have an easier grasp of the anatomy and neuroscience courses in the program.
It varies, but on average we admit about 20% of applicants per cohort.
In recent years it has varied between 3.5 and 3.7.
- Only for applicants who wish to apply for early admission.
- For applicants who wish to apply for regular admission, all prerequisite courses must be completed by the time an applicant begins the program in the summer (early June), rather than when the application is due.
- Remember, applicants may have no more than three remaining prerequisites in the spring semester to be considered for admission and it is preferred that two out of the three science prerequisites (anatomy, physiology, physics or biomechanics) are completed by the end of fall term.
No.
No, we do not. Instead, we ask applicants to submit a video essay responding to specific questions.
Yes. You must apply to the Graduate School to be admitted to the university and to the graduate school. To complete this part of the application, please go to The Graduate School. After completing the Graduate School application, be sure to download it and save it as a PDF file. Additionally, you must apply through the OTCAS system. You will upload your Graduate School application in your OTCAS application.
Yes. All candidates must apply through OTCAS (in addition to the JMU Graduate School).
No, we do not require the GRE.
OTCAS counts ALL prior course grades when calculating GPAs.
FAQ from Admitted Students
Incoming students will begin the program early in June.
No, but the $500 deposit will be forfeited if the applicant decides not to attend.
Scholarships and assistants are sometimes offered to a limited number of currently enrolled students but cannot be guaranteed or expected. The Graduate School has limited assistantships available in other areas of the University. The MOT program does not offer graduate assistantships to OT students. Most students apply for financial aid through the JMU Financial Aid Office.
No, JMU does not provide on-campus housing options for graduate students. However, there are plenty of off-campus housing options that are very close to campus. This includes apartments, townhomes and single-family homes for rent.
MSC 4315
235 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
