Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy: The One Year Program for the Practicing Therapist

Enhance your current occupational therapy knowledge or practice through the pursuit of a graduate degree. Customize your course of study in accord with your interests. Sarah Kelly, Director of Admissions, can answer your questions, schedule your visit, or arrange contacts with faculty members or students to help you further explore your interest in the Occupational Therapy program. You can reach her at (866) 385-4250 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). If you would like to know more, please use our Request Program Information Form, and we will be happy to send you a beautiful brochure about any of our programs.

Admission Criteria

All applicants to the Master of Arts program must satisfy the following general criteria:

Completion of a baccalaureate degree in Occupational Therapy with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 from an accredited college or university or WFOT approved program.*
Certification (or eligibility for certification with completion of a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy) by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapists (NBCOT).**
Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test within the last five years with a minimum combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections.*
International students must demonstrate competency in English, as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination.***

*Conditional admission may be possible if one of these two criteria is slightly below the requirement.

**International applicants are responsible for communicating with NBCOT regarding their eligibility status. This criterion is not required if applicant does not wish to practice in the United States.

***Refer to http://www.usc.edu/admission/graduate/international/english.html

Tuition and Fees

The University of Southern California is a private institution where tuition is the same for all students. Residents of California, of other states, and international students all pay the same tuition rate. Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Tuition for 2009-2010 is $1,299 per unit.

Estimated 2009-2010 tuition and fees for full-time, Post-Professional MA students are presented below. (Tuition cost and the number of semesters of study varies for students selecting the thesis option, or for students choosing to enroll part-time.) Tuition costs for 2010-2011 should be very similar or slightly increased.

Estimated Tuition Costs 2009-2010

Semester	# of Units	Tuition	USC Fees
Fall	16	$19,285 (flat fee)	$312
Spring	16	$19,285 (flat fee)	$277

There is a flat fee of $19,285 for 15-18 graduate units.

Optional student health insurance fees are not included in the above estimate. (Verification of other health insurance is required if student health insurance is not purchased at registration.) USC Financial Aid Office estimates annual costs of $15,842 room and board, $1,344 books and supplies, $2,250 for transportation. International students incur an additional orientation fee of $90.

Financial Aid

Department Merit-based Support
The department provides teaching assistantships, which cover 8 units of tuition, student health insurance, and a monthly stipend of $800 or more. Tuition Scholarships are also awarded. These are awarded on the basis of academic achievement. For more information, or to request a packet of information prepared by the department which describes a wide variety of financial resources within and outside of USC and includes an application for departmental awards, contact Sarah Kelly, Director of Admissions, at (866) 385-4250 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

USC Graduate Financial Aid