Occupational therapists are skilled professionals involved in helping individuals cope with the effects of injury, disease, and disability, and to regain independence in their daily lives. OTs enter the health field with a masters or a doctoral degree. Emphasis in education is placed on the study of human growth and development in addition to the specific social, emotional, and physiological components of injury, disease, and disability.

Students wishing to apply to a school of occupational therapy must complete their undergraduate degree from Drury University and take the GRE no more than five years prior to applying.

Drury's pre-occupational therapy program is actually a 3-2 occupational therapy program that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree from Drury University and a Master of Science in occupational therapy (MSOT) degree from Washington University in St. Louis. The student spends the first three years at Drury University and the final two years at Washington University. Upon completion of the liberal arts component, the requirements for a department major (at Drury), and a year in the occupational therapy program (at Washington University), the student will earn a bachelor of arts degree from Drury. After satisfactory completion of all requirements, including one more year of graduate work followed by six months of fieldwork, the student will earn a master of science in occupational therapy from Washington University School of Medicine.

A 3-3 occupational therapy program is also available to the student who wishes to pursue an occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) degree at Washington University. The OTD degree requires the satisfactory completion of an additional year of graduate academic work at Washington University (three years total) along with nine months of fieldwork.

Prior to entering Washington University, the student must have completed at least 90 hours of transferable college credit. The specific course prerequisites for admission to Washington University include a minimum of: life science, 3 hours; physiology, 3 hours; abnormal psychology, 3 hours; developmental psychology, 3 hours; additional social sciences, 3 hours; and statistics (behavioral, mathematical, or educational), 3 hours. The student must also meet requirements for a major and graduation at Drury.

Students who plan to have satisfactorily completed these requirements by the end of their junior year, have earned a grade of B- or better in all prerequisite courses, and are recommended by Drury University faculty are invited to apply for admission to the MSOT program at Washington University School of Medicine. Application to Washington University should be submitted by January 31 for entrance the following fall and must include current GRE scores within the previous five years.

Students must also submit a petition to Drury’s Academic Affairs Committee requesting waiver of the senior residency. Tuition payments and financial aid awards are made respective to the school in which the student is currently enrolled (i.e., the first three years at Drury and the last two years at Washington University).

Students planning to pursue graduate education in OT should complete the following courses:
BIOL 110: Fundamentals of Cell Biology or BIOL211: General Zoology
BIOL 205: Human Anatomy
BIOL 206: Human Physiology
CHEM 107: General Chemistry I
ENGL 150: Composition
COMM 211: Art of Human Communication
EXSP 210: American Red Cross First Aid
MATH 227: Introduction to Statistics
BIOL 390: Medical Terminology
PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology
PSYC 230: Life Span Development
PSYC 334: Abnormal Psychology
SOCI 101: Introduction to Sociology
Graduate Records Examination (GRE)