The educational requirement to become an OTA is an associate degree. The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) is an entry-level program for those who have a bachelor’s degree and the prerequisite coursework. Graduate certificates are usually aimed at healthcare practitioners from other fields who want to develop a background in occupational therapy. Graduates of OT master's programs will be prepared for advanced clinical roles or for teaching roles at the university level. The program is divided into two sections, each with 18 credits for a total of 36 credits. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University here. Occupational therapist aides differ from OTAs in that they do not need to have a college degree or be licensed in order to do their work. A.T. Undergraduate certificates are generally designed to lead to a position as an occupational therapy aide, who assist OTs and OTAs and are not required to take the NBCOT certification exam. Many occupational therapy programs are going to ask you to send them official college transcripts from the university at which you earned your bachelor’s or master’s degree. If you’re worried about passing the certification exam, let us set your fears to rest, as the students who have graduated from Houston Community College in the past few years have had a 100% pass rate. Doctorate programs focus on teaching students research, writing, and leadership skills. This program emphasizes turning to evidence-based practice to develop practical skills. Where Can I Find The Easiest Accredited Online College Programs? California and Nevada have the highest median wage for occupational therapists, at $97,000 and $94,000, respectively. Location: Utica, NY. https://www.fastonlinemasters.com/affordable/occupational-therapy This is a good question, and one worth plenty of thought, as pursuing a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy is both time consuming and costs money. The program is held asynchronously, so there is no need to rearrange your schedule; take the classes and learn the information on your own schedule. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences here. Most graduates with degrees in occupational therapy go into clinical practice, meaning they are working directly with patients. Some of the required courses include an introduction to occupational therapy, introduction to medical terminology, adaptive equipment, and therapeutic treatments. There are many online degree programs available, which allow individuals to enter this rewarding field. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. Students are able to focus their studies in areas like clinical management of the upper extremity, school-based intervention, and assistive technology, to name only a few of the options available. Accessed March 3, 2018. When students take two classes per semester, they will be able to finish the degree in two years, while those who choose to take one class per semester will end up completing the degree in four years. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at University of South Dakota here. The Post-Professional OTD program consists of 31 credit hours, which can be completed in five semesters of study. To complete this degree, students are required to participate in a clinical fellowship in which they gain increased experience with patients, and they must complete a capstone project. The program features three start dates per year, and classes are held in accelerated, eight-week periods. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at Eastern Kentucky University here. Students who wish to complete the MOT program are required to take at least 83 credit hours of coursework over three years of study. Students in online occupational therapy programs study medical science, anatomy, physiology, and different interventions in occupational therapy. After the completion of this program, students are able to sit for the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy examination to become licensed in Occupational Therapy. The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree program available from Elmhurst College is designed for individuals new to the OT field, providing students with a curriculum that combines online coursework, on-campus classes and collaborative research, service learning, and in-person practice experience. Are There Easy, Accredited Online College Programs Where I Can Get My PhD? ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA and it’s web address is www.acoteonline.org. What Are The Cheapest And Easiest Accredited Online College Programs For Graduate Degrees? There are two options for specialization within the doctorate program: Executive Leadership or Teaching and Learning. Instead, they are available at vocational school and community college campuses. Overall, students have the option of pursuing the degree through a 16- or 27-week track, with two to three classes offered per semester. Certification will demonstrate to the public, as well as future employers, that you are a competent OT professional and are qualified to handle the responsibilities of being an OTR or COTA. Medical and health service managers earn slightly less than $100,000 per year. Many programs also want applicants with work experience in the field of occupational therapy, so they’ll likely request your resume. NBCOT is a non-profit credentialing agency that offers certification for those in the occupational therapy profession. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at Concordia University-Wisconsin here. Accredited Occupational Therapy Programs in Shreveport The city of Shreveport is located in northwest Louisiana, roughly 213 miles from Little Rock, Arkansas , and 170 miles to Garland, Texas . Then read on for more information about accreditation, salary projections and licensing requirements. However, some may choose to use their knowledge and skills in nonclinical roles, such as healthcare administration, case management, or teaching. Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The program trains its graduates either to work in the field, engaging in therapy with patients on a daily basis, or as educators who pass on their skills and knowledge to other occupational therapists. This program takes three years to complete and includes a research-based paper that must be submitted for publication in a research journal. The faculty members who teach the occupational therapy curriculum are highly respected – in fact, five of them are Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The Penn Foster Career School certificate program for occupational therapy aides requires 10 self-paced courses that can be completed in as little as a month. The coursework is based on criteria set forth by the American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupational Therapy Aide School. The OTD program consists of 112 credit hours and must be completed within four and a half years of starting the program. This is a part-time program in which students take two courses per semester. For more information, see our Methodology page. An associate or bachelor's OTA degree is commonly found through technical colleges and universities, and a high school diploma or GED will be required for admittance. These classes will give you the foundation necessary to comprehend and integrate more advanced knowledge you’ll use every day as an occupational therapist. St. Catherine University offers its Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate to those who hold a master’s degree, wish to further their skills, and become a catalyst for change in education, health, or community settings. Applicants to this program are expected to have a Master’s in Occupational Therapy or at least 30 credit hours of coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree. There are 36 credit hours to complete, which can be accomplished entirely online. The program provides training in areas like education, administration, and program development, among others. There are over 7,000 online certificate programs to choose from, many leading to job opportunities as physical therapy assistants, occupational therapy assistants, dental assistants, and veterinary technicians. Occupational therapist aides generally have a high school education or GED, and should display strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and empathy when applying for jobs. Prospective students who visit our site are most interested in these schools. Two other common occupations in this field are occupational therapy assistants, who earn a median annual salary of $61,510, and occupational therapy aides, who earn a median annual salary of $29,230. When offered online, occupational therapist assistant programs are a hybrid of online and traditional instruction, with the balance of coursework in the latter. The program also includes a translation project in which students utilize their newfound knowledge and skills in real-life settings and assess the outcomes. Students can enroll with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The Transitional Master of Occupational Therapy program is for certified occupational therapy assistants who have professional experience and an associate’s degree. Whether you just graduated high school and want to pursue a career as an occupational therapist or you already have your Bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy and want to get your master’s, Concordia University-Wisconsin has a program to fit your needs. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at New York University here. Alabama State University (Next visit: 2026/2027)(OT - professional entry-level master's)Department of Occupational Therapy915 South Jackson StreetPO Box 271 Montgomery, AL 36101-0271 (334) 229-5056 graines@alasu.edu www.alasu.edu/chs/occupational-therapy/occupational-therapyStatus: Accreditation Tuskegee University (Next visit: 2025/2026) (OT - professional entry-level master's) Occupational Therapy Program School of Nursing and Allied Health71-271 John A. Kenney Ha… The city is known for the Sci-Port Discovery Center, which offers hands-on science experiences and an IMAX dome. The accelerated Master of Occupational Therapy program allows high school graduates to earn both their Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science and a Master of Occupational Therapy in as little as four and a half years of full-time study. The program consists of 36 credit hours and is based on the clinician-scholar model. The Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a new degree that started accepting students in January 2020. Similarly, accelerated occupational therapy programs are designed to make the process of occupational therapy education fast. Associate's degrees are typically earned in tw… When it comes to talking about schools with reputations for producing successful and competent graduates, we would be remiss to leave out Loma Linda University. Although OTD programs are often designed to accommodate working OT professionals by offering online courses in a part-time format, some programs do include an on-campus requirement. Learn more about Accredited Online Programs For Occupational Therapy at The University of Alabama at Birmingham here. Cost: $77,804 not including … NOTE: Prospective applicants should carefully review the program’s Web site for in-class and fieldwork requirements. Graduates of the bachelor's-master's bridge program will be eligible to sit for the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam, which is part of the licensing process for OTs in all 50 US states. Online Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Programs Online occupational therapy assistant programs allow you to earn an accredited degree with the flexibility of distance learning. While the program can be completed entirely online, students also have the option of participating in in-person training at the campus. New ACOTE Members and Officers The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTEâ) is pleased to announce the appointment of the following new ACOTE members who recently began their first term on ACOTE: Velvet L. Hewett, OT/L, MPA Director of Rehabilitation UC San Diego Health La Jolla, CA Kristi McLeod, MS, BBA, COTA, DCS Associate […] Campus Location: Milwaukee, WI Arizona. Due to the physical nature of the concepts and principles taught in occupational therapy programs, it is not currently possible to earn an accredited master's or doctoral degree via online courses alone; all programs require at least some of the courses to be completed in-person at an instructional facility. Only students who are already licensed to practice occupational therapy are eligible to apply to this program. The Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Shenandoah University will give you everything you need to become an evidenced-based scholar and leader in your community. The Master’s-to-OTD program is only 40 credit hours long, and the school allows 12 credit hours to be transferred from another university. Applicants who have previously earned a Master’s in Occupational Therapy will be required to complete 27 semester hours to earn their doctorate, while those with a bachelor’s degree can expect to take 33 semester hours before graduating. The university offers a Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate to prospective students wishing to take their knowledge and expertise to another level. Due to the high level of physical training involved in the OT master's program, online education options are somewhat limited at this time. Students can complete their doctorate almost entirely online during their part-time study. Alternatively, they can become fully licensed professionals by enrolling in an online occupational therapy master’s program. Conversely, Puerto Rico pays the lowest median wages to medical and health service managers, who earn, on average, $62,470 per year. Coursework required for OTD programs will include topics such as leadership, ethics, advanced OT theory, program design and evaluation, quantiative research methods, occupational science, and evidence-based practice. However, there are two on-campus residencies. Distance Learning & Online Occupational Therapy Degree Programs Go to Masters Programs The course of study in a degree program in occupational therapy is designed to help students learn the physical, skeletal and muscular systems of the body to help injured or ill patients become physically active again. At this point, there are no graduate degrees available online for OTAs. The 33-credit-hour Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Towson University was created for those with a Master’s in Occupational Therapy who are wanting to advance their careers. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program from New York University is offered by the prestigious Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. These graduate programs take two to three years to complete and involve research and clinical work in addition to the didactic coursework. It’s important to turn your information and application packet into the school on time and that you double-check that everything that was requested has been submitted; failure to pay attention to these details could lead to you being automatically rejected from your dream program. Most occupational therapist aides receive their training on-the-job, and perform tasks to support the OTs and OTAs such as cleaning equipment or treatment areas, scheduling appointments with patients, or assisting with forms and paperwork. This program is the only one of its kind in the state and allows students to select one of three tracks, which are detailed on the school’s website. Because the field of occupational therapy is state regulated, all OTs and OTAs must be licensed or registered by their state's regulatory board in order to practice. 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