Regulations and Academic Requirements
Pre-Occupational Therapy web site
The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2024-2025 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
Students in the Pre-OT program will earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree on either a 3-Year or 4-Year track prior to beginning the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program. Students will apply for admission into the OTD program in their last year of completing the B.S. degree. These students will follow much of the same curriculum as the students in the Clinical and Medical Sciences major or the Public Health major, with a few modifications.
In addition to several foundational courses in biomedical sciences and liberal arts, all Pre-OT students will enroll in courses that provide an introduction to the professions within the health care system, as well as the opportunity to explore current issues and controversies facing health care professionals in multiples fields. Pre-OT students will have an opportunity to shadow in an occupational therapy environment, as well as opportunities for career exploration, learning innovation and practice management skills, and understanding the health care system.
The following is a list of courses that Pre-OT students would take at Drake while completing their bachelor's degree to prepare for admission into the OTD program.
| Course | Credits |
| BIO 012 - General Biology I lecture | 3 |
| BIO 012L - General Biology I lab | 1 |
| BIO 013 - General Biology II lecture | 3 |
| BIO 013L - General Biology II lab | 1 |
| CHEM 001 - General Chemistry I lecture | 3 |
| CHEM 002 - General Chemistry II lecture | 3 |
| CHEM 003 - General Chemistry I lab | 1 |
| CHEM 004 - General Chemistry II lab | 1 |
| ECON 002 - Microeconomics | 3 |
| FYS 0-- - First Year Seminar | 3 |
| HSCI 020 - Issues in Health Sciences I | 1.5 |
| HSCI 025 - Issues in Health Sciences II | 3 |
| HSCI 055 - Issues in Health Sciences III | 3 |
| HSCI 095 - Medical Terminology | 1 |
| HSCI 105 - Issues in Health Sciences IV | 3 |
| HSCI 125 - Medical Physiology & Lab | 4 |
| HSCI 141 - Human Anatomy with lab | 3 |
| HSCI 155 - Issues in Health Sciences V | 3 |
| HSCI 172 - Evaluating Research Literature | 3 |
| HSCI 196 - Senior Experience I | 4 |
| HSCI 197 - Senior Experience II | 4 |
| MATH 050 - Calculus I | 4 |
| PHY 011 - Gen Physics I | 4 |
| PSY 001 - Intro to Psychology | 4 |
| PSY 042 - Child/Adolescent Psych | 3 |
| PSY 044 - Adult Development and Aging | 3 |
| PSY 076 - Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| SCSR 073 - Public Speaking | 3 |
| STAT 060 - Statistics for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| General Electives | 18 |
| Professional Electives | 23 |
| Total | 122.5 |
Professional Electives for the Pre-Occupational Therapy track (minimum of 15 credits):
| Biomedical Science | Health Sciences Electives | Business Electives | Psychology Electives |
| BIO 095-199 | EDUC 172 | ACCT 040-199 | LEAD 050-199 |
| BIO 124 | HSCI 100-199 | BLAW 060-199 | PSY 002-191 (Excluding:042, 044) |
| BIO 126 | HSCI 140 | ECON 002-199 | PSY 030 |
| BIO 133 | HSCI 143 | FIN 095-199 | PSY 080 |
| BIO 134 | HSCI 145 | MGMT 110-199 | PSY 122 |
| BIO 145 | HSCI 148 | MKTG 101-199 | PSY 148 |
| BIO 165 | HSCI 149 | SCSS 081 | |
| CHEM 097-199 | HSCI 150 | ||
| NSCI 001-199 | PHAR 100-199 | ||
| PHY 012-199 | PHAR 126 | ||
| PHY 189 |
With prior approval from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, students may complete some of these courses via Advanced Placement (AP) credit or dual credit courses taken in high school. Students must earn a 4 or higher on the AP exam or earn a C or higher in a dual credit course in order to receive credit for and fulfill these courses. See Drake University's credit policy or the page for more information.
Pre-Occupational Therapy students should become familiar with the General Information section of this catalog, which covers many regulations that affect all Drake University students. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences also has a number of specific regulations and requirements that must be met to progress through the Pre-Occupational Therapy curriculum. Some of these are listed below; others are available in the Health Sciences Student Handbook (http://www.drake.edu/cphs/handbookspolicies/).
Many courses have prerequisite requirements. Admission to a course is denied if prerequisite courses have not been successfully completed. Therefore, deviations from the curriculum as it is structured require careful consideration. Course prerequisites may be found in the are of this catalog.
Students may apply a maximum of 9 hours of elective coursework on a credit/no credit basis toward graduation. Courses regularly graded on a credit/no credit basis are not included within the 9 hours maximum. The student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 before registering in a course on a credit/no credit basis.
Pre-Occupational Therapy students in the 4 year track are required to complete a senior capstone experience (HSCI 196/197) prior to graduation. Due to regulations at many of the experiential sites used for the senior capstone experiences, the college will complete a criminal background check and drug screen prior to entering the senior capstone year. Senior capstone sites have the right to refuse to accept a student based on the results of the criminal background check. Many of these sites also require that a copy of the background check is forwarded to them. Students who have positive drug screens and will be entering their senior capstone experience will be referred to the Chemical Dependency Policy.
Pre-Occupational Therapy students are assigned a faculty member as their faculty mentor. Faculty mentors help students:
The Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible for coordinating the registration process, verifying appropriate registration of courses, approving educational plan waivers and transfer credit requests, updating degree audits with regard to substitutions, waivers and transfer courses, answering student questions regarding registration, credit completion, course transfer process and study-abroad opportunities, and coordinating and communicating opportunities for internship, study abroad, research and postgraduate study. The final responsibility for completion of graduation requirements, however, belongs to the student and, accordingly, each student should become familiar not only with the curriculum but also with the academic regulations of the college.
|
BIO 012 - Pre-Professional Biology I |
3 |
|
BIO 012L - Pre-Professional Biology I lab |
1 |
|
BIO 013 - Pre-Professional Biology II |
3 |
|
BIO 013L - Pre-Professional Biology II lab |
1 |
|
CHEM 001 - General Chemistry I |
3 |
|
CHEM 002 - General Chemistry II |
3 |
|
CHEM 003 - General Chemistry I Lab |
1 |
|
CHEM 004 - General Chemistry II Lab |
1 |
|
ECON 002 - Microeconomics, or |
3 |
|
FYS 0-- - First Year Seminar |
3 |
|
HSCI 020 - Introduction to the Health Sciences |
2 |
|
HSCI 021 - Professionalism in Health Care |
2 |
|
HSCI 025 - Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System |
3 |
|
HSCI 055 - Innovation and Leadership in Health Sciences |
3 |
|
HSCI 060 - Statistics in Health Sciences, or |
3 |
|
HSCI 095 - Medical Terminology |
1 |
|
HSCI 105 - Values and Ethics in Health Sciences |
3 |
|
HSCI 106 - Culture Care and Health Literature |
3 |
|
HSCI 125 - Physiology, or |
3 |
|
HSCI 125L - Physiology Lab, or |
1 |
|
HSCI 141 - Human Anatomy |
3 |
|
HSCI 141L - Human Anatomy Lab |
1 |
|
HSCI 172 - Evaluating Research Literature |
3 |
|
MATH 050 - Calculus I |
3 |
|
PSY 001 - Introduction to Psychology |
4 |
|
PHY 011 – General Physics I |
4 |
|
Electives |
46 |
|
Program Total: |
92 |
|
BIO 012 - Pre-Professional Biology I |
3 |
|
BIO 012L - Pre-Professional Biology I lab |
1 |
|
ENG 037 – Public Voices |
3 |
|
FYS 0-- - First Year Seminar |
3 |
|
HSCI 020 – Introduction to Health Sciences |
2 |
|
HSCI 021 - Professionalism in Health Care |
2 |
|
HSCI 025 - Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System |
3 |
|
HSCI 055 - Innovation and Leadership in Health Sciences |
3 |
|
HSCI 060 - Statistics in Health Sciences, or |
3 |
|
HSCI 095 - Medical Terminology |
1 |
|
HSCI 102 – Health Economics |
3 |
|
HSCI 105 - Values and Ethics in Health Sciences |
3 |
|
HSCI 106 - Culture Care and Health Literature |
3 |
|
HSCI 108 – Intro to US Health Care Policy |
3 |
|
HSCI 125 - Physiology, or |
3 |
|
HSCI 125L - Physiology Lab, or |
1 |
|
HSCI 141 - Human Anatomy |
3 |
|
HSCI 141L - Human Anatomy Lab |
1 |
|
HSCI 143 – Epidemiology |
3 |
|
HSCI 144 – Introduction to Public Health |
3 |
|
HSCI 146 – Human Development Across the Lifespan |
3 |
|
HSCI 172 - Evaluating Research Literature |
3 |
|
HSCI 180 – Public Health Programming I |
3 |
|
HSCI 181 – Health Communications and Advocacy |
3 |
|
HSCI 182 – Public Health Programming II |
3 |
|
JMC 030 – Mass Media in a Global Sciety |
3 |
|
MKTG 101 – Marketing Principles |
3 |
|
PSY 001 - Introduction to Psychology |
4 |
|
SCSS 011 – Survey of Sociology |
3 |
|
Electives |
32 |
|
Program Total: |
100 |
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.