2 answers

If you are interested in studying occupational thearpy as a major, but it is not listed in the majors offered at the school can you study it under another major at the school?

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There aren't many schools that I have looked into that offer occupational therapy as its own major and I am starting to question if it is its own major. In addition I was wondering if it could fall into other majors/fields of study in college. #occupational-therapy #college-majors #career #what-the-university-offers #what-schools-to-attend

Hi Sharon! I am a senior in high school who is also looking into becoming an occupational therapist in the future. Unfortunately, occupational therapy is a graduate study, meaning its a major meant for a master's degree or higher. Both occupational therapists and physical therapists must acquire a master's in their field of study to be licensed, so many of them get their bachelor's in a broader major like kinesiology or psychology. – Karen P.
I know some colleges offer a 5-year combined BS/MS program where you can get both a bachelor's and master's of occupational therapy in just 5 years! Sadly, occupational therapy isn't as popular of a major, so colleges that offer the program are very limited. You might have to risk going to a lower rank college to attend these types of programs. Contrastingly, physical therapy is a very popular study and programs for it can be found in almost any college, including the top 50 universities. So to answer your question, you can study parts of it under another major, but you will not get a degree in it unless you major in the actual field of study. – Karen P.

2 answers

Corinne’s Answer

Updated
Hi ,

For undergraduate you need to make sure you have all the pre requisites needed to apply for the masters program. I would recommend you contact Towson or Howard who have OT programs in the area and I am sure they will give you what courses you need .Look into a psychology or sociology major with the sciences as the other pre perquisites, or choose bio plus load the psychology /sociology classes. My first idea to contact Howard would be my best advice. Good luck.

Brendon’s Answer

Updated
Generally yes. It depends if you want to be an Occupational Therapist (OT) or Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA.) As an OT, you'll need to complete a bachelor's and then a master's/doctorate degree. Your bachelor's can be in anything as long as you complete the prerequisite courses for your MSOT or DOT graduate program.

COTAs have less schooling. 2-3 years total and finish with an associate degree. For that, you'll need to be in a specific, accredited COTA program.

Best of luck! #ot #cota