CLEP for graduate prereqs

[HOPEFULOTWANNAB]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum but have been lurking for a few weeks now. I have recently decided to get a master's in OT and I am really excited about the journey.

I have not taken any prereqs yet but do you guys know if BayPath, Springfield College, or AMerican International College will accept testing out (like clep) of courses AFTER graduating undergrad? I will officially be out the military in less than 1 year and I want them to pay for the classes. As it stands, I need to take the following:

-- abnormal psych (CLEP)
-- developmental psych (CLEP)
-- stats (CLEP)
-- A&P I&II (lecture and lab)
-- chemistry (lecture and lab)

Also, is it hard to get into those schools. I have a 3.0 undergrad and have 1 yr working in behavioral health while deployed. Thanks 🙂

 

[lizzo76]

Hmm. So basically you are wondering if you can take an exam, do well enough to show that you know the info., and then not have to take it as a prereq? I've never seen any school mention that as an option, but it's an interesting idea. BU only accepts credits that are less than 5 years old, but if your credits are older, you can let them know how you've managed to stay up to date on the subject, and sometimes that will suffice. But I'm not so sure about just not taking a course at ALL and just testing out. It seems like that would throw a wrench in the works when it comes to evaluating you against other applicants (you'd have no grade, just a test score.) It also seems like you might be able to "study to the test" rather than getting the comprehensive knowledge you'd get in an actual class, and some of the prereq psych courses can be writing intensive and you should probably have that experience, not just the basic knowledge. Clearly if you do self-study and then take a test to test your knowledge, you're not getting the full experience of interacting with fellow students, engaging in discussion, doing all the (time consuming) assignments on top of learning the basic info., etc.. I would think those things would be important to schools and if they're not, they should be.

I'm actually really curious what anyone has to say since this has never occurred to me as an option. I'm kind of doubtful it would be accepted, but I might be surprised. In any case, obviously your best bet is to contact the schools to see what they accept.

According to petersons.com, Bay Path accepts 80% and Springfield accepts 66% - no percentage listed for AIC, but I get the impression it's pretty easy to get into. All of them are pretty easy to get into. AIC's own website says they only require a minimum of 2.85 GPA for masters applicants (2.80 high school GPA for freshman applicants) and a C or better in prereq coursework... which is basically the lowest standards I've seen in any school I've looked at.

P.S. chemistry is an odd prereq for an OT program. I've seen neuroscience w/ lab, sometimes gross anatomy, sometimes one course in child developmental and one course in adult development (on top of what you listed) but never chemistry. It seems quite irrelevant. Physics makes sense though it's rare as a prereq.

 

[Laurp0233]

Hi Hopeful... I know when I was looking at schools quite a few accepted clep but it was always for non science subjects... pretty much the classes you said. I cannot, for the life of me, remember what schools they were, but I was looking at schools in the NJ/NY region, not the MA region so I am pretty clueless about the schools you mentioned, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that any school is "easy to get into"... I would say send the admissions departments an e-mail or a phone call and ask. And just to throw it out there... a few schools I looked into did have Chem as a requirement or at least as a suggestion.. for the OT school I just started at you had to either take Neuroscience, Chem, or some other class and I actually took chem.

 

[HOPEFULOTWANNAB]

Thank you guys for responding! I probably will have to take general psych over b/c it has been about 8 years since I took that course in high school, so I need to clep that one too.

@lizzo: It's basically the same as testing out of prereqs in your undergraduate. Every school determines what grade you get i.e. some schools make it pass or fail, some give you a letter grade based off your test score. I know I need to have a VERY good understanding of the sciences. I have found some schools that accept CLEP but only for psych courses. There is only 1 school that requires chem and I'm thinking of taking that one off my list since no other schools req it. I am also interested to know who, if anyone, has taken this route for prereqs. They are pretty cheap, $150 and under cheap!

@laura: What schools were you looking at in the NJ/NY area? I am from AL and will be applying to UAB but I want a change of scenery. I picked the Mass area (looking at Conn, RI, and ME) b/c cost of living was cheaper (translation: I could find a VERY part time job and still make it), it is close to other cities so I can take day trips or weekend trips by train or bus (translation: study while traveling ), and I think that's it. I really want a small cohort, say no more than 20 and most of those schools don't accept many people.

 

[lizzo76]

Thank you guys for responding! I probably will have to take general psych over b/c it has been about 8 years since I took that course in high school, so I need to clep that one too.

@lizzo: It's basically the same as testing out of prereqs in your undergraduate. Every school determines what grade you get i.e. some schools make it pass or fail, some give you a letter grade based off your test score. I know I need to have a VERY good understanding of the sciences. I have found some schools that accept CLEP but only for psych courses. There is only 1 school that requires chem and I'm thinking of taking that one off my list since no other schools req it. I am also interested to know who, if anyone, has taken this route for prereqs. They are pretty cheap, $150 and under cheap!

@laura: What schools were you looking at in the NJ/NY area? I am from AL and will be applying to UAB but I want a change of scenery. I picked the Mass area (looking at Conn, RI, and ME) b/c cost of living was cheaper (translation: I could find a VERY part time job and still make it), it is close to other cities so I can take day trips or weekend trips by train or bus (translation: study while traveling ), and I think that's it. I really want a small cohort, say no more than 20 and most of those schools don't accept many people.

I understand the concept although I have to say that my undergraduate college did not allow testing out. Lots of people came in with AP credits but we had to take a course in the subject area, get a grade of B or better, and then we'd get the credit for the course we just took, plus an AP credit. We were not purely granted AP credits. (Also as far as AP goes... usually people take the AP course in high school and then test on it... meaning they've done all the writing and engaged in all the discussion, etc..) The thing I see as a difference here is that the courses that are prereqs for OT programs are relevant to OT, which is a practical subject - a profession... presumably one should have as solid a foundation in these areas as possible. We're not talking about general education requirements. These are the courses which would be somewhat core to OT for those who enter OT programs as freshman. Some schools may accept CLEP, but I suspect a lot (maybe the better schools) would not. To be honest, I had to look it up because I had never heard of it, and an OT masters will be my third graduate program, so I am well-versed in graduate admissions. It could be less common in New England.

I saw that chem (or physics) was a prereq for AIC... I was just generally commenting on the fact that it is quite irrelevant to OT, so I wonder why that is listed as a prereq. Physics is relevant, as it will come into play in biomechanics (and was useful for my A&P course, but only because my prof was a muscle physiologist and decided to add in some of her own content which wasn't in the textbook.) I'm surprised a school would offer a choice between chem and neuroscience (as the other poster said), as neuroscience is clearly relevant. Of all the major science subjects, chemistry is least relevant to OT.

I think a school which accepts 80% of applicants IS easy to get into. That doesn't mean everyone gets in (obviously 20% do not) but any decently-prepared applicant should be admitted.

Anyway, good luck to you. This is the first time I have ever heard anyone mention this route, so I am also curious to see how many people may have taken the route.

Oh, P.S. - cost of living is cheaper??? I guess in western Mass, the Springfield area you're talking about. Boston is uber-expensive... one of the top 3 most expensive metro areas in the US.