Occupational Therapy

Interest in the field of Occupational Therapy (OT) has increased in our science departments over the past few years, with our graduates going on to several programs in the region. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapists "help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes."

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 29% increase in OT positions between 2012 and 2022 with a median pay in 2012 of $75,400. Their data show that "about half of occupational therapists work in offices of occupational therapy or in hospitals. Others work in schools, nursing homes, physicians’ offices, and home health services."

OT programs are typically 2-3 years in length and can result in either a Masters or Doctoral degree, preparing you to take the national certification exam for state licensure.

Some programs require the GRE while others do not depending on your GPA. Programs typically require a certain number of shadowing/volunteer hours in an OT setting.

See information on other professional health programs on the Health related professional schools page.

Online resources for OT School
American Occupational Therapy Association

OT programs in the State of Ohio and region
University of Toledo (doctoral)

Cleveland State University (masters)

Ohio State University (masters)

Shawnee State University (masters)

University of Findlay (masters)

Xavier University (masters)

Chatham University (masters)

Typical courses required for admission to OT programs
Prerequisite courses can differ from program to program, so you should check the webpages of each school to which you plan to apply to make sure you are taking the correct coursework at Ashland. Typical prerequisite courses include:
 * Introductory Biology (Bio 201)
 * Human Anatomy and Physiology (Bio 325 and 326)
 * Statistics (Math 208)
 * Introduction to Psychology (Psyc 201)
 * Lifespan and Human Development/Developmental Psychology (Psyc 209)
 * Abnormal Psychology (Psyc 417)
 * Introduction to Sociology (Soc 111)
 * Physics (Phys 201 or 205)
 * Pathophysiology (Nur 225/226)
 * Medical Terminology (ES 261)

Not all of these courses are required by all programs, so check each program to which you plan to apply