Occupational Therapy Major Dual Degree B.A./M.S.O.T.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Health and Medical Sciences offer a dual degree 3+2 program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (B.A./M.S.O.T degrees, major code: SBOT). This five-year program offers the opportunity to study in a traditional liberal arts environment as well as pursue a professional degree in one of the health professions.

The Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences is awarded at the completion of four years of work and the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is awarded at the completion of the fifth year of study.

The Occupational Therapy Program at Seton Hall University views the role of the occupational therapist as a practitioner, contributor and manager. As practitioners, occupational therapists establish, restore, maintain or enhance health and wellness through engagement in activities and occupations, and participation in lifestyles that are satisfying to clients. As contributors, occupational therapists advocate for their profession and clients, use current research to inform practice, and participate in the development of occupational therapy scholarship. As managers, occupational therapists plan, establish, supervise and evaluate occupational therapy services, promote occupational therapy services, collaborate with other professionals.

Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at:

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200
North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929

ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Admission Criteria

Admission to the B.A./M.S.O.T. dual degree program is open to applicants who have successfully completed a high school college preparatory curriculum, including courses in social sciences, biology, mathematics, English and a foreign language. Submission of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) scores are optional. International students must submit Test of English Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.

The combined B.A./M.S.O.T program is unique because it accepts students when initially admitted as freshmen up until the end of their sophomore year. Students who maintain the required academic standards (outlined below) during their three years as undergraduates are guaranteed admission into the graduate professional phase of the program without needing to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Due to a limit on the number of OT students in each entering freshman class, admission into the program is extremely selective.

Prerequisite Undergraduate Coursework

The following undergraduate courses are designed to provide a solid foundation for the study of occupational therapy. All prerequisite courses must be completed by June 1st of the junior year with a grade of “C” or higher. Students may only repeat prerequisite courses one time, and a grade in a repeated prerequisite course lower than “C” results in automatic dismissal from the dual degree program, thereby losing their guaranteed seat and becoming a SBS major.

Note that College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits cannot substitute for any prerequisite course requirements for admission.

Dual enrollment courses taken prior to matriculation at Seton Hall University may be accepted, however those transfer grades will not be factored into the cumulative or prerequisite GPA.

Academic Standards for Graduate Program Progression

Students must complete a total of 88 credits by the end of their junior year to be able to transition to the graduate phase of the program. 

GPA requirements in the first three years of the program: 

• Freshmen: End of spring semester cumulative GPA of 2.8.
• Sophomore:
  • End of Fall: cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.0.
  • End of spring semester cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.0.
• Junior:
  • End of Fall: cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.2.
  • End of spring semester cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.2.

• Prerequisite courses must earn a [C] or better. If the grade of [C] is not achieved, students may retake courses, per University guidelines, so long as the required GPA standards are being met unless a “provisionary” semester was granted by the Dean, School of Health and Medical Sciences. 

• If cumulative GPA and/or pre-requisite GPA and/or pre-requisite course grade requirements are not met, the undergraduate probationary procedure will be applied for that semester. Students are only allowed one semester on “provisionary” status, granted by the Dean, School of Health and Medical Sciences.
• All admissions criteria must be met fully by the end of the spring semester of junior year. Students cannot begin the graduate OT portion of their education on “provisionary” status granted by the Dean, School of Health and Medical Sciences.
• Note that students are permitted a total of only one (1) “provisionary” semester, granted by the Dean, School of Health and Medical Sciences, throughout the entire undergraduate phase of their program, and all grade and other requirements must be successfully completed and achieved by the spring semester of their junior year.  A provisionary semester may be granted through the fall semester of junior year; NO warning status will be granted as a result of the final (spring) junior year semester grades.

Failure to maintain the required cumulative and prerequisite GPAs, or failure to earn at least a “C” grade in a prerequisite course during the second attempt, will result in immediate dismissal from the dual degree program, thereby losing the guaranteed seat in the graduate professional phase of the program. No exceptions will be made to any dual degree admission requirements. Upon dismissal, the student’s major code will be automatically switched from SBOT to UART. Students will then need to reach out to their advisors in order to select a new major. Students dismissed from the dual degree program may become SBS majors and are welcome to apply to the graduate professional program as part of the general applicant pool. Requirements for application to the OT program can be found in the Graduate Catalogue.

**Dual degree rising seniors in good standing will be allowed to take up to 6 credits of summer courses in their junior year. These courses may only include Core 3 and may not include the occupational therapy pre-requisite courses required for entrance into the graduate occupational therapy program. Students who take advantage of this opportunity will have the status of ‘conditional accept.’ The conditions being that they complete the summer courses prior to the start of the occupational therapy program, they maintain their prerequisite and cumulative 3.2 GPA and achieve the minimum course grade requirements. Students must have a minimum prerequisite and cumulative GPA of a 3.2 at the end of Spring semester Junior year, to be eligible to exercise this summer session option.

Healthcare Experiences Requirement

Students are required to complete a minimum of 50 hours observing or volunteering under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist in a hospital or other healthcare setting. This requirement may be met through paid or volunteer experiences. The healthcare experience is intended to strengthen interpersonal skills and to develop an understanding of the needs and capabilities of clients and the role of the occupational therapists. Students are required to arrange their own healthcare experience. Doing so helps to demonstrate the level of commitment and motivation necessary to become an OT. The healthcare experience requirement can be satisfied at any time prior to admission into the graduate professional phase of the program. Documentation indicating the completion of a minimum of 50 hours of healthcare experience must be provided to Dr. Leslie Bunnage, Director of Social & Behavioral Sciences, by May 1st prior to entering the graduate professional phase of the program. Also, a rating scale will be completed by a supervising occupational therapist that a student observed.

Transfer Policy

Current Seton Hall students may apply to transfer into the undergraduate portion of the B.A./M.S.O.T. dual degree program either as freshmen or sophomores only with 67 credits or less. All such applications must demonstrate outstanding academic ability and will be considered based on meeting the required entrance GPA and on a case-by-case basis. Transfer admission into the program is extremely selective due to a limited number of seats available in the graduate professional phase of the program.
The OT dual degree program will accept external transfers up to 67 credits maximum (up to the end of Sophomore year). Prerequisites can be taken at SHU or externally. To be eligible, students must have a minimum prerequisite and cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Progression into the Graduate Professional Phase

Students enrolled in an undergraduate dual degree program must declare their intent to continue matriculation into the graduate professional phase no later than May 1st of their junior year. Students who successfully complete all of the above requirements, including the appropriate grade and GPA requirements noted above, and all other course requirements within the College of Arts and Sciences and their major, will transition into the graduate professional phase of the occupational therapy program after their junior year. Students will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree following the successful completion of the first year of graduate studies.

The OT program is a full-time lock-step program; i.e., students must follow the prescribed sequence of courses. Dual degree students in their fourth/senior year (first year of graduate professional study when taking OTFY courses) are subject to SHMS grading policies. Successful completion of each course taken in SHMS in the fourth/senior year with a passing grade of C or higher is mandatory, along with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Any grade below this standard is an automatic failure (F grade) and will result in academic probation with suspension. Students on academic probation with suspension will be given the following two options:

1. Wait for the course to be offered again (typically the following year) and repeat the course to earn a B or higher, while still maintaining the required cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Choosing this option will result in the student being placed on program suspension, and no other SHMS courses may be taken until the student has successfully repeated the failed course to earn a B or higher, otherwise the student may be dismissed from the program. The F grade will remain on the student’s undergraduate transcript. Please consult with Financial Aid to determine if student loans will go into repayment during this period.
2. Close out the undergraduate degree (typically the following semester) before entering the graduate professional program. Choosing this option will result in the F grade remaining on the student’s undergraduate transcript. The student will be required to repeat the failed course at the graduate level (GMOT) the next time it is offered, paying the graduate tuition rate, and must earn a B or higher and still maintain the required cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, otherwise the student may be dismissed from the program. No other SHMS courses may be taken until the student has successfully repeated the failed course. Please consult with Financial Aid to determine if student loans will go into repayment during this period.

Students will only have one opportunity to repeat a failed course, and failure to earn a B or higher could result in the recommendation of dismissal from the program.

Curriculum and Course Sequencing

In the first three years of their undergraduate program, students in the dual degree program must complete all the requirements for the University core, college core, and their undergraduate major. Additionally, students must complete all prerequisite course requirements by June 1st of their junior year as outlined below: 

*

Consult the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum for information regarding these courses.

**

Should be started during Summer Semester Sophomore Year but can be completed any time before the end of junior year. This is a requirement for admission to the graduate professional phase of the program, and students are responsible for arranging their own observation experience.