OTA Program Admission Policies and Procedures

Applications will be due by 4 p.m. on Monday, October 16, 2023, for consideration in the spring 2024 program.

The online OTA program application will be available here between July 1 and October 16, 2023.

Apply to the OTA program online now!

  • OTA Program Admission Requirements
  • Send official college transcripts to admissions, if applicable

    Submit official transcripts from every college or university you attended to MCC's admission office.

    Mailing address: MCC, Admissions Office, 8900 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012

    Note: You must submit a request no later than one month prior to the application deadline to have your previous college coursework evaluated by MCC using the MCC Request for Transcript Evaluation form or by noting a request for evaluation on the MCC application.

  • Send application documents to the OTA program

    The online OTA program application will be available here between July 1 and October 16, 2023.

    1. Complete an essay on two questions and attach it to your online application:
      • What has been your exposure to occupational therapy assistants and/or occupational therapists?
      • What factors influenced your decision to become an occupational therapy assistant at MCC?

      Response to essay must be typed and be limited to three typed pages or less. Include your full name on the essay. Experience and documentation of occupational therapy through observation, volunteering or work experience with occupational therapy assistants is highly recommended but not required.

    2. Complete the online OTA program application. List pre-requisite courses completed, academic institutions where completed, grade and credit hours earned.
      • Cumulative GPA in pre-requisite courses equal to 2.75 or better (on a 4.0 scale).
      • Pre-requisite courses with a grade of 'C' or better:
        • English 151 or equivalent
        • OTA 110
        • Psychology 151 or equivalent course of Introduction to Psychology
        • Anatomy and Physiology (BIO 263 and BIO 264) or equivalent, that has been completed within 5 years of admission to the program or BIO230 completed at MCC.
        • Speech 151 or equivalent communication course
  • Criteria for Selection
    • Academic history of post-secondary coursework to include a GPA of 2.75 for pre-requisite courses.
    • Preference in ranking will be given to applicants who have completed all prerequisite courses at time of submission of their application to the program.
    • Preference in ranking will be given to in-district residents of McHenry County College District #528 who meet the entrance criteria. Out-of-district students' applications are eligible for review.
    • If there are more applicants than space available, applicants will be ranked by the Occupational Therapy Assistants Admissions Committee. Ranking of applicants will be based on:
      • GPA of prerequisite course.
      • academic history and completion of general education and support courses.
      • verbal and written communication skills
      • in-district residency.
    • Preference in ranking will be given to applicants who have completed all prerequisite courses at time of submission of their application to the program.

    An admissions committee of MCC faculty and advisory board members will review files. If there are more qualified applicants than class space available, applicants will be placed on a waiting list and accepted as space becomes available. The waitlist is not to be carried through to the following year. The OTA Program Director will notify students with complete application files of the decision of the Admissions Committee and continue admitting students until the class has been filled.

Program Accreditation Status

The occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-2682 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates will be eligible to sit for the National certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

*Admission to McHenry County College does not guarantee admission to the OTA program. If you are not accepted into the program, you may reapply the following year. We will not retain declined applications and will dispose of them per MCC disposal guidelines for student information.

**Occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant courses from other institutions will not be accepted towards OTA course equivalency.