The combined Bachelor of Science in life science/Master of Science in occupational therapy is a five-and a half-year program (three years of pre-professional courses and a two-and a half-year professional phase). The master’s degree program provides entry-level professional education in occupational therapy. For details on the professional phase of the program, please consult the NYIT Graduate Catalog. The occupational therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824 1220; 301.652.AOTA; www.aota.org. The program is approved by the New York State Education Department. Graduates of the master’s degree program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an occupational therapist registered (OTR). Most states also require licensure in order to practice; however, eligibility for state licenses is usually based on the results of the NBCOT examination as well as on other requirements.

In order to enter the professional phase of the program, applicants must have completed the following undergraduate courses:
8 credits in chemistry with lab
8 credits in physics with lab
8 credits in biology with a lab
4 credits in human physiology with lab
3 credits in general or introduction to psychology
3 credits in one of the following: developmental psychology, child psychology, adolescent psychology, adult psychology or psychology of aging
3 credits in abnormal psychology
College algebra and trigonometry or introduction to calculus
One course in statistics
One course in anthropology or sociology
One course in ethics

This combined program is designed for undergraduates, freshmen or transfer students who wish to be admitted to the Master of Science program in occupational therapy following three years of undergraduate work. Students may apply for admission into the master’s program (professional phase) after completion of all prerequisite courses, if they have maintained an overall GPA of 2.5, received no science or math grade below a C and received the recommendation of the Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee after a personal interview. The B.S. in life science will be conferred after successful completion of the first professional year of the occupational therapy master’s degree program. See the NYIT Graduate Catalog for details of the Master of Science in occupational therapy program.

Students in this option who are not accepted into the professional phase of the occupational therapy program must complete the requirements for another life science option in order to receive a baccalaureate degree. Students are advised that two semesters of organic chemistry with lab are required for admission to medical schools and to most other professional and graduate programs in the health professions, behavorial and life science fields. In addition, employment in the life sciences usually requires knowledge of organic chemistry and biochemistry at a level greater than that offered by the single semester of bio-organic chemistry (CHEM 215). Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students who do not complete the B.S./M.S. in occupational therapy take CHEM 210/250 and BIO 340.