<p>Ok so I finally dropped out of Pre-Nursing as it was something I didnt want to do. I am switching to Psychology as my major and hopefully planning to do a Masters in Occupational Therapy after undergrad.</p>
<p>I was told by my advisors that Psych is a good major and is what most pre-OT students take. She also told me ANY major for ANY graduate program is acceptable. So I could major in Music and still apply to an OT program as long as I have me prereqs done.</p>
<p>My question is...how does that work? I mean wouldnt 4 years of something closely related to the OT field (Physiology, Kinesiology, Exercise Science, Psychology etc.) be more helpful to my graduate degree work than a Music/Art degree? Why do all programs offer the option to select any major for graduate programs when some majors could be of more use later on than others? </p>
<p>My advisor said the prereqs listed on the Pre-OT track were all the courses needed to prepare me for the OT program, which confused me....Will the OT program teach me from scratch? Or will they continue on from where I left off on undergrad? </p>
<p>Professionally, wouldnt a patient under someones care prefer to be checked on with someone with a 4 year Bachelors in a related field + a 2 years Masters program? Or a 4 year Bachelors in art with only 2 years of Masters work. (no offense to those taking art)</p>
<p>Just curious.</p>
<p>In the health-related professions (Medical School included), there is a tradition of admitting students form diverse backgrounds as undergraduates as long as they have the appropriate prerequisites.</p>
<p>This is a bit different in the physical sciences and engineering, where it is more important to have a related degree since the prerequisites are virtually the entire undergraduate curriculum. For example, in physics, we require Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Physics, Junior level Classical Mechanics and Junior level Electrodynamics for a minimum of 1 semester each. In addition, advanced labs are strongly recommended.</p>
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…cared for by someone with a master’s degree. Which both of those people have.</p>
<p>The master’s degree is an independent certification of learning separate from any baccalaureate work. Two people with the same master’s degree can roughly be considered to have the same level of knowledge and understanding of a subject.</p>
<p>Now, the content contained in a master’s degree program has varying levels of reliance upon baccalaureate work. In some fields, as mentioned above, if you don’t have a whole slew of prereqs, labs, etc., you won’t be ready for masters-level work in that field. Other fields are significantly less scaffolded. My undergraduate degree is in journalism, and I’m pursuing a master’s degree in recreation.</p>
<p>As a patient, I don’t care what my physician majored in in undergrad. I care that he or she did well in medical school and knows how to do what I need them to do. Time has proven that you can do that regardless of whether you major in chemistry, psychology, or art.</p>
<p>In a sense, yes, the OT program will teach you from scratch. Some students may have an advantage coming in - the ones who majored in exercise science or kinesiology may have already learned some concepts or have a quicker time catching on to new ones because they are related to concepts they’ve already learned. But the prerequisites are the only base level knowledge you absolutely need to do well in the OT program.</p>