Program Admission

Applicants must meet the following requirements

• Previous completion of a Bachelor’s degree from an academically accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4-point scale
• Meet the requirements of Eastern Michigan University’s Graduate School and have a completed application and official university transcript(s) on file.
• Previous course work must include (Students must receive a minimum of a B- in these courses):
  • Biology a/o Life Sciences
  • Six hours of Anatomy & Physiology
  • Chemistry
  • Math; minimum of College Trigonometry
  • Statistics
  • Physics
  • Introduction to Psychology and either a second psychology course or another social science course
• Official GRE results
• Submit an OPCAS application. As a part of the OPCAS application, applicants will be required to submit three professional references. Additional information can be found here.

Deadline for Submission

The completed application, transcripts and all other requirements must be completed and necessary paperwork received by the Office of Graduate Admissions no later than December 31st. 

Students must apply for the Fall semester. Acceptance into the Orthotics and Prosthetics program is based on a comprehensive assessment and interview of selected applicants. This is a highly competitive program; not all applicants who meet the requirements are granted admission.

Notification of Admission

• Candidates will be notified of either acceptance or non-acceptance no later than February 15th.
• Admitted applicants must commit to the program by March 1st. 
• Non-accepted candidates will be ranked and may be contacted and offered admission after March 1st if any of the initially admitted applicants decline acceptance.  

Background Check

Applicants for the Orthotics and Prosthetics program at Eastern Michigan University must be free of offenses that would disqualify one for employment in a health-related field or sit for a state licensing exam.  All students are required to successfully complete a background screening prior to beginning clinical rotations.

School Information

Health Promotion & Human Performance | Christopher Herman, Ph.D., Director | 319J Porter, 734.487.2815, cherman2@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP, Clinical and Program Director, 150 Rackham, 734.487.2814, wbeattie@emich.edu

Program Information

Continuation Requirements

• The student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0
• B- is the lowest passing grade for non-clinical courses.

Clinical Courses

• A grade of B or higher is necessary to complete a clinical course successfully.
• If a student receives a grade of B- in a single clinical course, the student may be allowed to retake an exam or to re-do a project at the discretion of the instructor to demonstrate competence in the subject of the course. If the student can demonstrate competence in the subject of the course (the equivalent of earning a ”B”), they may continue in the program and their previously earned ”B-” will remain on their transcript. If the exam or the revised project does not demonstrate competence in the material covered in the course, the student will have to retake the course at its next offering.
• Clinical courses include:
  • Lower Extremity Orthotics I & II (ORPR 640  & ORPR 650 )
  • Upper Limb Orthotics (ORPR 625 )
  • Spinal Orthotics (ORPR 610 )
  • Lower Extremity Prosthetics I & II (ORPR 615  & ORPR 645 )
  • Upper Extremity Prosthetics (ORPR 635 )

Clinical Affiliations

• As part of ORPR 620 - Clinical Affiliation I , students will be assigned to affiliated clinical facilities to observe and participate in the orthotic and prosthetic management of patients. This affiliation will be arranged and supervised by the Clinical Director.
• All clinical affiliations must be done at facilities that have Affiliation Agreements with Eastern Michigan University. Students may register for ORPR 620 - Clinical Affiliation I  after successful completion of the following courses: ORPR 580 , ORPR 615 , ORPR 640 .
• Clinical affiliations must be scheduled for at least one day per week and at least 4 hours per day. A minimum of 16 hours per week and a minimum of 4 weeks per site are required.
• A potential conflict of interest may occur when a clinical training site is also the student’s place of employment. In such cases, the student must notify the Program Director before beginning the clinical rotation. At the Program’s discretion, the student may be reassigned to an alternate clinical experience. In no cases may a student’s training overlap with employment.
• Documentation of clinical affiliation is the responsibility of the student. This documentation includes:
  • Clinical Affiliation Encounter log
  • Evaluation by Preceptor
  • Case Studies
• Students must have completed training in the following areas with certification where appropriate:
  • Infection control
  • Body substance precautions
  • First Aid Principles
  • CPR/AED
  • HIPAA
• Students must submit a completed background check by CertifiedBackground.com or equivalent approved by the Clinical Director.
• Students must submit documentation of either immunization or immunity for the following
  • Rubella (German Measles)
  • Mumps
  • Rubeola (Measles)
  • Varicella (Chicken Pox)
  • Tetanus
  • Hepatitis B or statement of declination
  • Tuberculosis - If positive, the student must have radiographic analysis to confirm the absence of active tuberculosis
  • Flu - If required by the site(s), a student will need a flu shot.
• The student must have health care insurance through either EMU or other coverage

Continuity of Enrollment

The courses in the MSOP program are designed to be taken as offered in a given semester and in the sequence offered from semester to semester. The following policies are instituted to ensure that there is as little disruption to this scheme as is possible:

• ORPR 580 - Introduction to Orthotics and Prosthetics  may be taken as an elective. Students who have completed the course may apply for admission to the next year’s cohort. However, this course, if it is applied for the Master’s in Orthotics and Prosthetics Program, may not be used for completion of another degree as well.
• If a student is not enrolled for a semester, or does not successfully complete a semester for other than academic reasons, he/she must wait until the missed classes are offered again to continue in the program, and pass competency examinations for the previously completed course(s) to ensure retention of previously studied materials.
• If a student misses enrollment for more than one academic year, for whatever reason, he/she must re-apply for admission to the program and will be considered for readmission on a space available basis.

Dismissal

Students will be dismissed from the program for any of the following reasons:

• receives a final grade of lower than a “B-” in any O&P Program course 
• receives a fourth final grade of less than “B” in any O&P Program course
• receives more than one grade lower than a “B” in a clinical course 
• attains a final cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 at the conclusion of the O&P Program curriculum 
• fails to successfully complete and pass the end-of-program Comprehensive Examination after two attempts 
• Unethical or unprofessional behavior in lab, classroom, with patients, or in clinical rotations. 

Degree Requirements: 60 hours

For degree completion, students must complete the following 62 hours of coursework and pass a comprehensive exam.

Note: Didactic course work is held mostly on weekdays and evenings. Clinical affiliations are offered during Summer semester.