The Occupational Therapy Program at Sacred Heart University requires students to have a background in a variety of physical and social sciences.  As such, the following courses are prerequisites for entering our program.

• Biology I with lab  (4 credits)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab    (8 credits *)
• Psychology (3 credits)
• Abnormal psychology (3 credits)
• Life Span Development or Developmental Psychology (Must include the study of the entire life-span, from birth to old age) (3 – 9 credits)
• Sociology (3 credits)
• Statistics (Must include descriptive statistics, probability, confidence intervals, correlation and hypothesis testing)      (3 credits *)
• Interpersonal Communication, Group Dynamics, Family Systems (3 credits)
• Diversity or Multicultural Studies or advanced language with documented fluency in that language or one semester of AmeriCorps or Peace Corps experience  (3 credits **)
• Ethics, Medical Ethics or Bioethics (3 credits **)

Only prerequisite course grades of C or better meet prerequisite requirements.

For Sacred Heart University courses that meet the required prerequisites, please click here.

*Prerequisite courses in Statistics and Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II must have been completed within the past 10 years.

**Prerequisite courses in Diversity/Multicultural studies and Ethics may be taken concurrently with the Occupational Therapy Program but must be successfully completed before the student begins their second Level II fieldwork experience.

Alternative courses and CLEP tests for prerequisite courses in psychology, sociology, and life span development may meet prerequisite criteria.  Applicants must submit CLEP test results and catalog course descriptions or other relevant documentation to the Occupational Therapy program director who will determine if the alternative course/CLEP meets prerequisite requirements.

Recommended elective for all applicants:  Physics with Lab (4 credits)