Internal Transfer Process

Department of Occupational Therapy (OT)

Internal Transfer Application Process Information and Instructions 

Thank you for your interest in applying for transfer into the Occupational Therapy Program at the University of New Hampshire.  The program you are applying to as an internal transfer student is a combined BS/MS or BS/OTD professional degree program that from the Freshman year takes 5½-years (11 semesters) to complete for the MS program and 6 years (3 semesters including one summer semester) for the clinical doctoral program (OTD).  After the senior year, students completing all UNH undergraduate degree requirements, and the Bachelors of Occupational Science requirements are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Science.   Students then enter the Master’s or Doctoral portion of the program with advanced standing, and complete the program with a Masters of Science degree or clinical doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy. Graduates are then eligible to take the NBCOT board exam to become registered occupational therapists. Please see the OT Department website for program details. Internal transfer students have the option to select the OTD, clinical doctorate tract instead of the Masters tract once they have been accepted into the OT professional program.  OT students are asked to make a decision regarding which tract (Masters or Doctoral) they plan to pursue shortly after having been accepted into the OT Professional Program.

The admission decision is based on a number of factors including:  academic achievement, the applicant’s understanding of occupational therapy and evidence of an informed decision about entering the field, and references who can attest to the applicant’s academic potential for completing the program successfully and to the applicant’s personal qualities that would allow for success in a health care field.  We often receive more applications than there are spaces available, so that the admissions process is competitive and some years not all qualified applicants are offered admission.  A minimum of 3.0 GPA is required for an applicant to be considered.  All applicants will be notified in writing of the decision on their application prior to registration for the spring semester.  If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please contact: Lisa Owen, internal transfer advisor, at Lisa.Owen@unh.edu.

The only time UNH undergraduate students may apply to transfer into the BS/MS or BS/OTD  Professional Program is first semester sophomore year  so they will enter the major as second semester sophomores.  To apply for transfer into the program, students must submit a course plan showing the ability to complete all undergraduate OT major, and UNH requirements by the end of the senior year.  At the time of application it is desirable that students have completed or be enrolled in English 401, Psychology 401, OT 510, Exploring Occupational Therapy and Occupation, OT 500 Child Development, Statistics, Anatomy and Physiology (BMS 507, 508), and several UNH Discovery courses.  Applicants are encouraged to meet with Dr. Lisa Owen, Program Director, to help develop their plan to complete all course requirements through the senior year.

Only complete applications will be reviewed.  Applications are accepted electronically with all information and documents sent to the OT Dept. Administrative Assistant, Nancy Lindley at Nancy.Lindley@unh.edu.

Complete applications include all of the following correspondence and attachments (please email Nancy.Lindley@unh.edu for all necessary forms):

• An email written and sent to the administrative assistant to inform the OT Dept. that you are applying to the OT Program as an internal transfer student with a request for all required forms.  In the body of your email, include the names of the two individuals that you plan to have serve as your references.   Send the Reference form to those individuals who you have selected, and inform them that once they complete the form, they send it to Nancy.Lindley@unh.edu, due before the end of October. Two reference letters using the OT Internal Transfer Letter of Recommendation Form must be received by the OT Dept by the last Friday of October.   One reference should be from someone who can address your university level academic abilities such as an academic advisor or course instructor, and the other should be completed by someone who can address your work ethic, and ability to work in health and human services such as an employer or coach/mentor.    
• Include the following documents as attachments to your application email:
  • UNH transcript:  Attach a copy of your most current UNH transcript.  This does not have to be official transcript-copy of the official one is acceptable, or provide a Degreeworks course summary report with grades (printed/scanned from Webcat- Degreeworks, as a pdf).  Attach any other official transcripts for college courses completed outside of UNH.   
  • Completion of the Application Form with contact information and your typed, essay approximately 500 words (attach as a word doc or pdf).
  • Your course plan for completion of all undergraduate BSOT requirements through the senior year, organized by semester using the Course of Study Plan form. Although your plan will be individualized and dependent upon your coursework to date, a suggested sequence and sample is provided on the document which includes all of the necessary OT classes and prerequisites that should be included in your OT plan/Course of Study.  It is anticipated that most of the junior and senior courses listed in the sample plan will be the same (and taken in the same semester) as those you list in your plan.

When you are ready to begin the application process, please email Nancy.Lindley@unh.edu for all required forms.