Program Admission

Graduate School Application

Interested applicants will complete an OPCAS Application . See Admission Requirements below.

Deadline for Submission

The completed application (OPCAS), transcripts, and all other requirements must be completed and necessary paperwork received by EMU’s Office of 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 nonacceptance 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 initially admitted applicants decline acceptance.

Admission Requirements

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

A four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution. In addition, a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program, is required for full admission. Applicants who do not meet minimum admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission. See International Admissions for international applicant requirements.

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements:

• Previous completion of a Bachelor’s degree from an academically accredited college or university with a cumulative overall GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4-point scale. Strong applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.5.
• The following pre-admission courses must be completed within 10 years before enrollment with a grade of B- or better:
  • Biology (3 credits)
  • Chemistry (3 credits)
  • Physics (3 credits)
  • College Trigonometry (or higher math) (3 credits)
  • Statistics (3 credits)
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology (6 credits)
  • Psychology (Choose one: General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, or Abnormal Psychology) (3 credits)
• Official GRE results (EMU Institution Code: 1201). Strong applicants have a combined quantitative and verbal scores of at least 300 and a 4.0 analytical score. The GRE is not required for the Fall 2022 application cycle in response to the ongoing public health crisis.
• Submit three professional letters of reference, with at least one from an orthotics or prosthetics practitioner.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged but not required to have observation hours in orthotics and prosthetics. Strong applicants will have at least 100 hours of observation with a certified orthotist/prosthetist. The majority of hours should be completed before applying. 
• International applicants must submit official TOEFL results with a minimum combined score of 95.

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. In addition, all students are required to complete a background screening before beginning clinical rotations.

School Information

Health Promotion & Human Performance 319J Porter, 734.487.2815

Christopher Herman, PhD, Director

Advisor Information

Rebecca Spragg, Assistant Professor, 245A Rackham, 734.487.0487

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 540  & ORPR 650 )
  • Upper Limb Orthotics (ORPR 625 )
  • Spinal Orthotics (ORPR 610 )
  • Lower Extremity Prosthetics I & II (ORPR 515  & 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 515 , ORPR 540 .
• 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 60 hours of coursework with an overall GPA of 3.0 and pass a comprehensive exam. Didactic coursework is held mostly on weekdays and evenings. Clinical affiliations are offered during the Summer semester.

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

• A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
• No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.  
• Residency Requirement:
  • For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere). 
  • For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
  • Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
• Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
• The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
• Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.