✓ Offering a 3+2 MSOT program
✓ Freshman Direct Admit Option
✓ Community-Focused Curriculum
✓ Immersive Interprofessional Education
Earn your Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Degree
Application for Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 is open!
Saginaw Valley State University has introduced new dual entry points for the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program. Students can now enter the program in either fall or winter semester, providing flexibility for Freshman Direct Admit, 3+2, and Bachelor’s entry students. This change accommodates varying academic and personal needs. The MSOT program will have rolling admissions, reviewing applications throughout the cycle.
Apply NowGraduate Admissions Coordinator
My name is Tanika Williams, MBA, MS, and I am here to help you navigate your path to earning your graduate degree. If you have any questions regarding application requirements use one of the links below or feel free to text me at (989) 461-2050.
MSOT Program Coordinator
When you join the Occupational Therapy program at SVSU, you receive an education that prepares you to be an entry-level practitioner. SVSU is the leading OT program in the region and prepares entry-level MSOT students for a variety of practice settings. Contact me at aabartle@svsu.edu or (989) 964-2930 for questions about the MSOT program.
Aricka Schweitzer, EdD, MSOT, OTRL, C/NDT
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
Three MSOT Entry Points
3+2 Admit Track (students without a bachelor’s degree) provide students with the knowledge, techniques, and clinical reasoning skills necessary to assume entry-level positions as registered occupational therapists. Students may be eligible to obtain a bachelor’s degree after completion of their first year in the MSOT program.
Bachelor's Admit Track (students with a bachelor’s degree) is intended for students who hold a baccalaureate degree and would like to advance their knowledge, techniques, and clinical reasoning skills necessary to assume entry-level positions as registered occupational therapists.
Freshman Direct Admit Track is intended for high school students choosing to commit to the university in pursuit of a career in occupational therapy with direct admission into the program after completion of prerequisite coursework. If selected, students will automatically begin professional occupational therapy courses the semester after they complete their prerequisite courses at SVSU (no wait list), based on maintaining a cumulative college GPA of 3.3 or better. Learn More
Offering the Leading OT Program in Michigan
SVSU is the leading OT program within the Great Lakes Bay Region and prepares MSOT students in a variety of settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, mental health facilities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, and more.
- Strong emphasis on implementation, analysis, and dissemination of outcomes at local, regional and national levels.
- Innovative and exploratory technology (3D printing, virtual reality, switch building) to support various populations and organizational needs.
- Supporting continuing education for practicing clinicians through events hosted by the Student Occupational Therapy Association.
A Transformative Experience
Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do in their everyday life. Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by promoting health, wellness, and quality of life. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, where the individual is the center of the therapy team.
Engagement in service-learning throughout the MSOT curriculum provides students with experiential education while supporting community partners and fulfilling population’s needs.
Accessible Admissions
Designed with various admission tracks, this program provides students with knowledge, techniques, and clinical reasoning skills necessary to assume entry level positions as registered occupational therapists.
Cost-effective and Competitive
More affordable than comparable programs with a variety of loans and scholarships available, SVSU’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program is a convenient and cost-effective way to begin your occupational therapy career.
Help When You Need It: Advising & Mentoring
SVSU's Occupational Therapy faculty and staff are available for advising and to discuss career options for those in the entry-level occupational therapy program leading to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree.
Industry Outlook
SVSU's MSOT offers working adults a flexible solution for earning their degree from a highly ranked and nationally recognized program.
Average Job Growth*
14%
Median Annual Salary*
$85K
Average Job Placement Rate for SVSU Graduates
96%
*Stats are approximations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor
Student Outcomes
SVSU Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Degree Program Student Outcomes
Graduates of the MSOT program at SVSU are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT ®). After successful completion of this exam, the graduate can become an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination. New graduate pass rate data available online at https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.
The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510 E, Bethesda, MD 20814. Contact: (301) 652-6611, accred@aota.org, www.acoteonline.org
CONTACT US.
Graduate Admissions
Wickes Hall 230
gradadm@svsu.edu
(989) 964-6096
Aricka Schweitzer, Graduate Program Coordinator
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
215 Bachand Hall
aabartle@svsu.edu
(989) 964-2930
Tanika Williams
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
gradadm@svsu.edu
(989) 461-2050