Ready to make a difference helping people from all walks of life participate in everyday activities at work, school, and beyond? Prepare for an engaging career as an occupational therapist through this pre-professional pathway.
Occupational therapists give their clients unique tools to succeed in everyday activities at home and in social situations. In this client-centered profession, therapists pull from multiple disciplines—including education, medicine, and research—to create personalized recovery plans for their patients.
At Widener, the pre-occupational therapy pathway prepares you for graduate study in occupational therapy. You'll focus on what interests you most with a major in the College of Arts & Sciences, while also developing important skills for your professional career by taking classes in anatomy and physiology, physics, psychology, social science, and statistics.
Through special admissions programs, you'll gain a head start on graduate work through Widener's new Doctor of Occupational Therapy program.
ACOTE Accreditation Status
The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
Loading... requirements for the pre-occupational therapy pathway.
Incoming freshmen students admitted into a 3+3 or 4+3 Pre-OT pathway program have a preferred seat in Widener’s Occupational Therapy graduate program. Details of the preferred seat opportunity are provided to admitted Pre-OT students.
Accelerated 3+3 Program
Incoming Freshmen: Courses taken senior year at Widener count towards both fourth undergraduate year and their first year of the graduate degree.
Undergraduates who are admitted to the graduate occupational therapy program after their junior year are considered to be 3+3 students. The courses they take in their senior year count toward both their fourth undergraduate year and their first year of the graduate degree. Applications for the graduate program are completed in the fall of junior year. A baccalaureate degree is conferred upon successful completion of the first year of graduate study. After successfully finishing the graduate program, students earn their doctor of occupational therapy degree.
This option is only available to students majoring in anthropology, visual and performing arts, psychology, or sociology. Students wishing to be considered for the 3+3 program must identify their interest by the end of their first undergraduate year.
4+3 Program
The 4+3 option allows students to complete all required courses for their academic major and all pre-requisite courses for the graduate program in four years. It provides a less intense class schedule for students as they finish undergraduate study in the traditional four-year span. Applications for the graduate program are completed in the fall of senior year. Students who complete their undergraduate study at Widener University will be given preference on admission to the graduate program.
Students in both the 3+3 and 4+3 programs must also provide documentation of at least 20 hours of observation in an occupational therapy facility under a licensed occupational therapist.
Unlike many other universities, Widener provides an advantage in that it allows students to pursue their interest in occupational therapy while at the same time exploring their interests and passions in any of several different majors, including:
Given that occupational therapists must deal with their patients as whole persons and also must understand the institution of healthcare, these majors all prepare students for careers in occupational therapy by emphasizing different knowledge and skills that are needed for practicing occupational therapists.
Regardless of major, all students will take the required science courses needed for success in doctoral study. The coursework in combination with the assistance of a pre-occupational therapy advisor prepares students for graduate study and an ultimate career in occupational therapy.
As your pathway leads to your graduate education in occupational therapy, you'll engage in dynamic experiential learning methodologies, student-faculty scholarship activities, intentioned personal interactions, facilitated leadership opportunities, and service activities in the culturally diverse local community throughout the curriculum.
Graduate students in Widener's doctor of occupational therapy program can complete the professional, full-time day program in three years. The program only requires 111 credits for degree completion for students starting in the summer semester, giving you a head start on your professional career.
At Widener, you won’t just learn from industry experts—you’ll build relationships with them as they support and prepare you for career success. You'll connect interprofessionally across the physical therapy, human sexuality, social work, clinical psychology, and education departments through shared academic and experiential opportunities supporting a holistic approach to client care.
When you begin your graduate work at Widener, you'll engage in unique clinical experiences. These will include working with diverse and underserved local communities through the student-run community therapy clinic, as well as opportunities to serve and participate in other community-based clinics established by Widener programs in the School of Human Service Professions.
Widener is located just minutes from Philadelphia on a picturesque campus that features quality classroom and clinical facilities, pairing an exceptional learning environment with access to limitless health care networks and opportunities in the city.
Widener's doctoral program will prepare you for work as an innovative occupational therapist. You'll experience interprofessional learning through a foundation of dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, and community involvement.
Kapelski Learning Center, Room 209