Associate in Occupational Therapy Admission Procedures for Change of Campus, Change of Major, or Change of Major and Change of Campus

Admissions Information for Students from the Following Groups:

Change of Campus
Change of Major
Change of Major with Change of Campus

Change of Campus Overview and Requirements

Students currently in an Occupational Therapist Assistant program at another Penn State campus and who wish to change campuses to Penn state Berks will be considered based on availability of space and curriculum compatibility. The direct approval of the Occupational Therapist Assistant Program Coordinator at the Penn State Berks campus will be required. Students who plan on changing from the Occupational Therapist Assistant Program at Penn State Berks to one of the other Penn State Occupational Therapist Assistant programs should contact the Occupational Therapist Assistant Program Coordinator at the campus you wish to attend for information on the procedure to be followed.

Change of Major Overview and Requirements

Students who wish to change their major must have a cumulative collegiate grade-point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale as the minimum University requirement for change of major consideration. In general, change of major to the Occupational Therapist Assistant program oftentimes requires a substantially higher cumulative grade-point average. The number of qualified applicants typically exceeds the number of available program spaces; therefore, satisfaction of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

The program is competitive and applicants to the program are reviewed annually in January. Therefore, students should submit a change of major application to the campus registrar by November 30th of the year PRIOR to when they wish to enter the Occupational Therapy Assistant program (i.e. November 30, 2014 for entrance to Occupational Therapy courses in Fall 2015). Applications received after November 30th will be reviewed on a space available basis.

In addition to a cumulative grade point average, it is recommended that all change of major applicants should have demonstrated successful completion of at least on (1) laboratory based biological and one (1) social science related course prior to the January review. This means you must have completed the following courses (with a recommended grade of 'C' or better) prior to the January review:

Biological and Life Sciences (choose at least one)

BIOL 129 Mammalian Anatomy (4 cr) OR
BIOL 141 Physiology (3 cr) and BIOL 142 Physiology Lab

Social and Behavioral Sciences (choose at least one)

PSYCH 100 General Psychology (3 cr)
HD FS 129 Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies (3 cr)

Change of Major with Change of Campus Overview and Requirements

Students who are at another Penn State campus and wish to change your campus location (from another Penn State campus to Penn State Berks) AND change your major (from another major to the Occupational Therapist Assistant Program at Penn State Berks) at the same time, should first follow the procedures for Change of Major students by contacting the Penn State Berks registrar's office, submitting your change of major form directly to Penn State Berks and wait for a change of major decision from the Occupational Therapist Assistant Program Coordinator at Penn State Berks. If approved, the student will then need to initiate a request for change of campus location by contacting the campus registrar at their current campus location - not Penn State Berks.

How to Apply as a Change of Campus OR Change of Major Student

To request a change of major, complete the Change of Major form and return it to the Penn State Berks Registrar in the Franco Building OR you may mail the form to Registrar's Office, Penn State Berks, Tulpehocken Road, P.O. Box 7009, Reading, PA 19610.

If you are requesting a change of campus AND a change of major, please follow step 1 first.

The Penn State Berks Registrar's Office will notify all students if the application has been approved by the Penn State Berks PTA Program Coordinator for change of campus and/or change of major.

If you are requesting a change of campus AND a change of major, once you have been notified by the Penn State Berks Registrar's Office that your change of major request has been approved, then you must initiate a change of campus location by contacting the campus registrar at your current campus location - not Penn State Berks.