3 answers
Kendall
Student
1
Question
Updated
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What Bachelor's degree would best prepare me for an Occupational Therapy Master's program ? #Fall25
I am leaning towards Exercise Science so I can learn how the body works. I loved working with an exceptional education student at the elementary school I was tutoring and how occupational therapy helped him. My plan is to choose wisely a major that supports the Occupational Therapist I want to be!
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3 answers
Cynthia Doyle PT, DPT, CCI
Physical Therapist
17
Answers
Cheboygan, Michigan
Updated
Cynthia’s Answer
Hello,
It's great that you are planning your undergraduate studies to prepare you for your chosen career path. Many undergraduate majors would be appropriate for an occupational therapy graduate program including psychology based majors (very common for students applying to OT school), science based majors and others. If you know which graduate programs you are considering, check their websites to see what courses are required and be sure to include all of those in your undergraduate studies not matter what major you choose. You mention going for a masters in OT. When looking at graduate programs, you will see that many only offer a 3-yer doctorate option. If you prefer a masters (perfectly acceptable for OT practice if not planning on something like teaching OT), be sure to look at programs that offer a masters option. It is great that you already had some volunteer work related to occupational therapy. I suggest finding other volunteer, work or observation experiences to add to your resume for your graduate application.
Good luck-
Cindy
It's great that you are planning your undergraduate studies to prepare you for your chosen career path. Many undergraduate majors would be appropriate for an occupational therapy graduate program including psychology based majors (very common for students applying to OT school), science based majors and others. If you know which graduate programs you are considering, check their websites to see what courses are required and be sure to include all of those in your undergraduate studies not matter what major you choose. You mention going for a masters in OT. When looking at graduate programs, you will see that many only offer a 3-yer doctorate option. If you prefer a masters (perfectly acceptable for OT practice if not planning on something like teaching OT), be sure to look at programs that offer a masters option. It is great that you already had some volunteer work related to occupational therapy. I suggest finding other volunteer, work or observation experiences to add to your resume for your graduate application.
Good luck-
Cindy
Stephanie Smith
Occupational Therapist
17
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
There are a number of options you could look at for your undergraduate degree. If you have an idea of where you want to do your master’s program, see if they have a pre-OT program. My degree is in occupational science. Many others get a degree in exercise science, biology, or psychology. You can also look at the pre-requisites for OT and see what degrees meet the most of the pre-requisites so you are not needing to do extra classes. Different programs have different requirements, so good to know what classes your preferred school has in advance. Good luck! OT is a great profession!
Priscilla Hung
UX Designer & Occupational Therapist
3
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Priscilla’s Answer
Great question! In short my answer to your question is, "it depends"!
It depends is a phrase that professors often responded to our questions with in OT school :)
The last sentence you wrote is a great starting point to find the answer to your question: "My plan is to choose wisely a major that supports the Occupational Therapist I want to be!"
It sounds like you might be in the same position I was, where I knew I wanted to pursue occupational therapy before I had decided on an undergraduate major. The approach I took was to see which major(s) at my university had the most overlap with the typical prerequisites of OT programs. That landed me on Human Biology - a degree that provides a scientific understanding of human biology and the ways it is shaped by, understood, and interpreted within a social and cultural context. I really enjoyed the Human Biology coursework and it tied in very nicely with the holistic approach to care in occupational therapy.
If I were to go back in time, I would explore other majors that speak to my interests, because I believe any major can add valuable perspective to your practice as an occupational therapist. For me, that could have been journalism, interior design. For you, maybe it's exercise science. But if you're considering that to make sure you understand how the body works, know that your occupational therapy program and the prerequisite courses you take will provide you with the knowledge you need to know how the body works within the OT context! If you're interested in pediatrics or working as a school OT, you could consider majors that would deepen your knowledge of children, education settings, or even social/cultural/political factors that impact how students receive OT in the school setting, etc.
Hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything I can clarify.
Take a look at the prerequisites of several OT programs - make a list of them and be sure to look at a few programs because it varies
Think about the occupational therapist you want to be
Explore majors that would help you build knowledge to support the OT you want to be - it doesn't have to be directly related
Consider what it would look like to balance the coursework of those majors, with the OT program prerequisites you listed in step 1
It depends is a phrase that professors often responded to our questions with in OT school :)
The last sentence you wrote is a great starting point to find the answer to your question: "My plan is to choose wisely a major that supports the Occupational Therapist I want to be!"
It sounds like you might be in the same position I was, where I knew I wanted to pursue occupational therapy before I had decided on an undergraduate major. The approach I took was to see which major(s) at my university had the most overlap with the typical prerequisites of OT programs. That landed me on Human Biology - a degree that provides a scientific understanding of human biology and the ways it is shaped by, understood, and interpreted within a social and cultural context. I really enjoyed the Human Biology coursework and it tied in very nicely with the holistic approach to care in occupational therapy.
If I were to go back in time, I would explore other majors that speak to my interests, because I believe any major can add valuable perspective to your practice as an occupational therapist. For me, that could have been journalism, interior design. For you, maybe it's exercise science. But if you're considering that to make sure you understand how the body works, know that your occupational therapy program and the prerequisite courses you take will provide you with the knowledge you need to know how the body works within the OT context! If you're interested in pediatrics or working as a school OT, you could consider majors that would deepen your knowledge of children, education settings, or even social/cultural/political factors that impact how students receive OT in the school setting, etc.
Hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything I can clarify.
Priscilla recommends the following next steps: