Progression and Retention Criteria

In order to remain in the OTA Program and progress through the curriculum, students need to understand the following policies:

  1. A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.75 is required to remain in the OTA course sequence.
  2. A grade of C or better is required in all OTA program-related courses and core courses.
  3. Passing grades of 75% in each individual section of the course (lecture, laboratory, and Level I fieldwork) as well as the professional behavior assessment are required to pass the courses.  Other course-specific competencies may be required to pass the course.  Students who do not pass the professional behavior assessment or any other portion of the course will receive a maximum grade of D for the course. 
  4. Students will receive “0” points for any portion of an assignment that is not completed.
  5. Late assignments will receive a 10% deduction PER DAY, beginning immediately after the actual time which the assignment was due.  (Example: if a paper is due at 9:00am, and it is submitted at 10:00am, it will receive a 10% deduction.) 
  6. Students must pass all practical exams in OTA courses. Students will have only two attempts to pass each practical exam. Failure of the second attempt will result in failure of the course.  Students who fail a practical examination prior to midterm will be required to withdraw from the course but will also sign an academic agreement stating that they understand they have failed the course and will be dismissed from the program if they fail their second attempt of that course or any other OTA course (including Level II Fieldwork) or the Pre-Fieldwork Practical.
  7. Students can have only one failure of any OTA course, including Level II fieldwork courses.  More than one failure will result in dismissal from the OTA program.  Continuation in the OTA program after failure of even one OTA course is at the discretion of the OTA faculty.  The student must be eligible to return to the OTA program and to MGA.
  8. Academic progression policy
    1. Some OTA courses and some general education courses are sequential.  Students cannot enroll in an OTA course unless they have completed the required prerequisite OTA and general education courses with a grade of C or better.  Students must complete BIOL 1114K (Anatomy and Physiology I) prior to enrolling in OCTA 1211. Students must enroll in PSYC 1101 prior to taking OCTA 1421. Students must successfully complete PSYC 1101 no later than freshman spring semester.
    2. Students must pass OCTA 1410 in the freshman spring semester with a grade of “C” or better.  Failure of or dropping this course will result in dismissal from the OTA program.
    3. Students must complete all OTA core classes prior to Fall sophomore semester.
    4. Students must complete the OTA program including Level II Fieldwork within a three calendar year span of time.  For example, students who begin the OTA program in fall 2022 must complete the entire program by December 2025.
    5. Students must pass all Level II Fieldwork courses within 12 months of completion of academic preparation in order to graduate from the program or by December of the third year, whichever occurs first.  Students who fail a level II Fieldwork course must retake the course the next semester that the course is available.  Students who are failing may request to withdraw from Level II fieldwork courses one time only. NOTE: Each Level II fieldwork course is considered a course in the OTA Program, therefor failure of a Level II FW course counts as failure of a course. If a student has already failed one OTA course, failure of any level II FW course will result in dismissal from the OTA Program. Students who have already failed an OTA course may not choose to withdraw from a Level II FW course because this will exceed the 3 year maximum time frame for completing the OTA Program.
    6. Students must complete all academic requirements and all OTA core courses prior to attending level II fieldwork. It is the student’s ultimate responsibility to ensure that all required core classes for the OTA degree are completed prior to the start of Level II Fieldwork. (Limited exceptions may be considered on a case by case basis.)
    7. Students may not take any additional courses while on Level II fieldwork. This includes courses to complete an additional degree other than OTA. This policy has been put in place to protect the student’s ability to be successful on Level II fieldwork. 
  9. The grading system for all OTA courses is: A=90-100, B=80-89.99, C=75-79.99, D=60-74.99, F=below 60. Grades will not be rounded up.
  10. Midterm grades will be issued each semester. The OTA program will issue either an “S” indicating satisfactory progress or a “U” indicating unsatisfactory progress in the course.
  11. Students who fail out of the OTA program will not be eligible to reenter the OTA program.
  12. Students who fail OCTA 1300 will be dismissed from the OTA Program and may not be eligible for readmission.  Students who drop OCTA 1300 and/or OCTA 1211 for personal reasons will need to reapply to the OTA Program.  Readmission is at the discretion of the OTA faculty.
  13. Students who fail OCTA 1211, but pass OCTA 1300, in their first freshman fall semester, will be allowed to progress to the spring semester and will take OCTA 1410. Upon passing that course students will return the next fall to retake OCTA 1211 and then will progress to take OCTA 1421 and OCTA 1422 the following spring.
  14. Students must provide proof of membership in AOTA by September 30 th each year. Students must maintain active AOTA membership until they graduate from the OTA program.
  15. Students must provide proof of membership in GOTA by September 30 th each year.  Students must maintain active GOTA membership until they graduate from the OTA program.
  16. During the final semester before Level II Fieldwork, students will be given a Pre-fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment that will evaluate essential, safe, clinical practice skills.  Results will be mailed to Level II Fieldwork sites with the student’s permission.  Students must receive a minimum score of 75% on each section of the assessment.  Students will have 1 retake attempt.  Failure on the 2 nd attempt will result in failure of OCTA 2230 and delay of Level II fieldwork.
  17. Students who fail the second attempt of the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment will be required to attend scheduled labs in OCTA 1422 (Physical Practice for the OTA) in the spring semester.  Students will be given the lab schedule by the first week of January. Students who fail to attend the scheduled lab dates will be dismissed from the OTA Program. Upon successful completion of the lab dates the student will be re-enrolled in OCTA 2230 for the following fall and will be required to complete the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills assessment successfully, with one failure allowed. Students who do not pass 75% of each section on the final attempt of the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment will be dismissed from the OTA Program and will not be readmitted.
  18. Students who fail OCTA 2110, 2230, 2224, or 2323 (and it is their first failure in the OTA Program) will be required to successfully complete the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment as a stand-alone practical examination in addition to all other required coursework, to ensure that the student is adequately prepared and safe to treat clients in a clinical setting on Level II Fieldwork. Students will be required to attend scheduled labs in OCTA 1422 (Physical Practice for the OTA) in the spring semester.  Students will be given the lab schedule by the first week of January. Students who fail to attend the scheduled lab dates will be dismissed from the OTA Program. Students who complete the required labs will be assigned a time to complete the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills assessment, with one failure allowed. Students who do not pass 75% of each section on the final attempt of the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment will be dismissed from the OTA Program and will not be readmitted. (Note: regardless of which class the student is enrolled in that semester, failure of the Pre-Fieldwork Clinical Skills Assessment will result in dismissal from the program because students will not be able to meet the 3-year maximum time-limit on completing the OTA Program. Every attempt will be made to schedule students in this situation prior to midterm so that a withdrawal from the course will be possible.)
  19. All students are required to sign and submit the OTA Core Academic Requirements, OTA Student Handbook Verification, and all other signed statements included at the end of the OTA Student Handbook by the end of the drop/add period.  Failure to do so will result in a lower professional behavior grade and may hinder the OTA program’s ability to place students on fieldwork, which will result in failure of the course and possible dismissal from the OTA program.
  20. First year students must turn in all required clinical documentation as directed to the Fieldwork Coordinator or OTA Administrative Assistant by November 15th.  Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the OTA program. 
  21. Second year students must turn in all required clinical documentation as directed to the Fieldwork Coordinator or OTA Administrative Assistant by October 10 th. Failure to do so will result in the student being dropped from any OTA practice classes in which they are enrolled, which will result in dismissal from the OTA program.
  22. All students are required to communicate weekly with the AFWC via D2L unless otherwise instructed. Failure to communicate each week may result in failure of the Level II FW course.