It takes two to three years to complete accredited OT Masters Degree Online. Hybrid online occupational therapy degree programs combine flexible distance learning with 24 weeks of on-site supervised fieldwork. The average annual salary for an OT is more than $83,000.
Occupational therapists (OT) are licensed and work across a wide range of clinical populations including children, the elderly, the physically and mentally disabled. That is why we created this guide to show you everything about Masters in Occupational Therapy Online.
1. Masters in
Occupational
Therapy Online
Occupational therapists work with injured, ill, or
disabled clients to offer skills training that assist
them in their lives. According to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, this in-demand profession will
grow by 24 percent during the 2016 to 2026
decade, adding more than 31,000 new positions
nationwide. Occupational therapists (OT) are
licensed and work across a wide range of clinical
populations including children, the elderly, the
physically and mentally disabled. That is why we
created this guide to show you everything about
Masters in Occupational Therapy Online.
It takes two to three years to complete accredited
OT Masters Degree Online. Hybrid online
occupational therapy degree programs combine
몭exible distance learning with 24 weeks of on-site
supervised 몭eldwork. The average annual salary
for an OT is more than $83,000.
Featured Online
Programs
Introduction Best Programs
Affordable
Programs
2. Visit Website
Programs
South
ern
New
Hamp
shire
Unive
rsity
Southern New Hampshire
University is a private,
nonpro몭t, accredited
institution with more than
3,000 on-campus students and
over 60,000 online students,
making us one of the fastest-
growing universities in the
country. Founded in 1932, we’ve
been relentlessly reinventing
higher education ever since and
have gained national
recognition for our dedication to
helping students transform
their lives and the lives of those
around them.
We’re proud to provide
a몭ordable, accessible education
that students can pursue on our
300-acre campus in Manchester,
NH, over our innovative online
platform or at our regional
centers in Manchester, Nashua,
Portsmouth and Salem, NH, and
Brunswick, ME.
SNHU has earned the
GetEducated.com Best Buy and
Best of Business – Best Online
Degree awards and is
consistently ranked as a top
Military Friendly® School by G.I
Jobs®.
Get More Info
3. BestOccupational
TherapySchools
withOnline
Masters
Download Seal
See Schools
The 몭rst step when
choosing a
master’s in
occupational
therapy online
involves doing a lot
of research about
what are the best
occupational
therapy schools.
Many factors go
into making the
correct choice. We
have considered
several factors like
accreditation,
tuition fees,
graduation rates,
quality of the
program, etc., and
created a list of the
best occupational
therapy schools
that offer masters
in occupational
therapy online.
Link to this Page
36. Mastersin
Occupational
TherapyOnline
Programs
This guide is created to help potential OT
students understand their online degree
options, how to choose a program, 몭nance
their education, and attain national licenses.
It includes a listing of top schools offering
hybrid programs. Hybrids combine self-
paced online didactic training with on-
campus clinics and OT internships. With
more than 200 accredited master’s in
physical therapy programs online, there are
key factors to explore in creating a list of
universities that best match a student’s
educational and professional interests. OT
programs list much of the information on
their university websites including:
Program
accreditations
are a vital
component
when
searching
for
occupational
therapy
master’s
programs
online and
prospective
programs
must be
accredited
to qualify
graduates to
take the
NBCOT
exam. That’s
because
voluntary
37. Accreditation
voluntary
accreditations
ensure that
the program
meets the
national
curriculum
requirements
set by the
profession.
Each school
or OT
department
cites its
accreditation
on its
website. The
Accreditation
Council for
Occupational
Therapy
Education
(ACOTE)
accredits
more than
200 OT
master’s
programs
throughout
the country.
For more
details, read
the OT
master’s
degree
accreditatio
n
requirement
s. ACOTE is
recognized
by the
United
States
Department
of Education
and the
Council for
Higher
Education
38. Education
Accreditation.The
program
must be
approved by
the
Accreditatio
n Council for
Occupationa
l Therapy
Education
(ACOTE). If
not, OT
master’s
students will
not be
eligible to
take the
National
Board for
Certi몭cation
in
Occupationa
l Therapy
(NBCOT)
exam. Read
more about
general
Accreditatio
n.
Time
to
Completion
How many
years until a
student
completes
their degree?
It’s
important to
compare
programs
based on
total credits,
total
semesters,
and the
number and
length of
39. length of
internships.
Tuition
and
Financial
Aid
There can be
a dramatic
range in
tuition
depending
on the
university
(public vs
private) and
the school’s
prestige.
Students
can view
tuition at
each
school’s
website or,
better yet,
telephone
the
university
admissions
o몭ce or OT
department.
At the same
time, round
up
information
about
institutional
grants and
scholarships
that can
support
schooling
costs.
Find out how
to pay for
masters in
occupational
therapy
online.
For
40. For
information
about
general
몭nancial aid
for online
master’s
students,
read the
best
몭nancial
guide.
Curriculum
Look into the
optional
curriculum
for
specializations
in OT.
Specializations
can help
boost career
trajectory
and
earnings.
Class
Format
Evaluate and
compare
programs
offering an
online,
hybrid
format.
There may
be
considerable
differences
in the
percentage
of studies
offered
entirely
online and
the number
of on-
campus
41. campus
visits
required for
the degree.
Class
Scheduling
Online,
didactic
trainingmay
be entirely
self-paced
through
asynchronous
sessions at
a chosen
time and
location.
They may
also be
combined
with
synchronous
online
classes the
meet at
speci몭c
times for
lectures and
faculty
presentations.
Career
Assistance
Do
prospective
OT program
take
advantage
of university
career
resources
such as
counseling,
resume
assistance,
and job
placement?
42. Licensure
Exam/
Employment
Outcomes
Find out if
speci몭c OT
programs
have
statistics on
the number
of their
graduates
who passed
the NBCOT
certi몭cation
exam. Also
ask to see
their
statistics on
the
percentage
of graduates
who found
jobs.
Mastersin
Occupational
TherapyOnlineNo
GRE
To get admitted into an masters in
occupational therapy program, most
universities require a bachelors in a related
몭eld. However there are some universities
that dont have a GRE requirement or will
waive the GRE requirement if the applicant
has a related bachelors or professional
experience or any masters degree. Here are
some universities that offer masters in
occupational therapy online No GRE
programs:
43. University of Minnesota
Nebraska Methodist College
University of St. Augustine
FAQsabout
Mastersin
Occupational
TherapyOnline
How do I apply to a university
offering an online master’s degree in
occupational therapy?
Each college or university has its own set of
application requirements. Fees can run from
$50 to $150. Most schools require
applications via the Occupational Therapy
Centralized Application Service (OTCAS).
OTCAS fees are $125 for a student’s 몭rst
program of choice and $45 for each school
thereafter.
What are the entrance requirements?
While the particulars may vary, most online
OT programs require applicants to hold a
bachelor’s degree and complete pre-
requisite courses in physical sciences, math,
medical terminology and statistics. Students
may be required to submit previous college
transcripts, a resume, graduate test scores,
letters of recommendation, and a statement
of educational/career goals. The OTCAS
application rounds up a student’s application
materials and sends them to their target
schools.
What are the requirements for
earning a degree and how long will it
44. take to graduate?
Online OT schools establish their own
curriculum along the lines of the ACOTE
accreditation requirements. However, they
may meet or exceed the requirements, and
consequently run from 50 to 93 total credits,
including 몭eld work and internships. Hybrid
online/campus programs take from two to
three years to complete. An online, self-
paced course of study may take more time if
the student is working on a part-time basis.
What will I study?
Occupational therapy graduate programs
focus on didactic training in the core
curriculum along with hands-on clinics and
internships. Students will 몭nd classes in OT
theory, clinical kinesiology, human anatomy,
OT practice, advanced therapeutic
techniques, and treatment for clients across
the lifespan from childhood to old age.
How much will my degree cost?
Cost, along with accreditation, is one of the
key factors for choosing a school. Our
survey found that at the low end, a program
at a public university can cost as little as
$18,000. Prestigious private schools can
charge tuition as high as $80,000. Be sure to
investigate each program of interest to learn
about any additional costs, such as lab fees,
and 몭nancial aid.
How much can I expect to earn?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
reports a current salary range from $54,560
to $120,400. The top salaries are offered at
nursing care facilities, followed in turn by
home healthcare services, professional
o몭ces, hospitals and public schools.
Where should I look for a job?
A: Students should build a powerful network
of contacts from their 몭eldwork, as well as
45. of contacts from their 몭eldwork, as well as
lifelong relationships with peers and
professors. Members of the American
Occupational Therapy Association can use
their job board to 몭nd openings in their area.
In addition, job sites such as Indeed.com list
more than 4,500 new OT jobs throughout the
U.S.
Can OTs earn additional
certi몭cations?
Yes. If theyhave accrued 2,000 hours as
anOTR and 600 hours in their specialty, they
can gain certi몭cations in gerontology,
pediatrics, low vision, driving and community
mobility, mental health, school systems,
environmental modi몭cation, and feeding,
eating, and swallowing.
What are similar occupations?
The Department of Labor cites several
related professions that require a graduate
degree. They include nurse anesthetists,
physical therapists, and speech-language
pathologists.
HowtoPayfor
Mastersin
Occupational
TherapyOnline
The pursuit of occupational therapy master’s
programs online can be a costly proposition.
Fortunately, there are loans, grants and
fellowships to help master’s students along
the way. The 몭rst, all-important step in
securing 몭nancial aid is to register with the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
46. (FAFSA). Here’s a roundup of 몭nancial aid
resources:
Scholarshi
ps
The following
public and
private
scholarships are
available for OT
grad students:
Americ
an
Occup
ational
Therap
y
Associ
ation
Elizabe
th K.
Wise
Schola
rship
Americ
an
Occup
ational
Therap
y
Found
ation
(AOTF)
Schola
rships
Gates
Millenn
ium
Schola
rs
Progra
m
Nation
al
Federal
Financial
Aid
OT grad students
can apply for a
range of federal
grants and loans
to 몭nance their
studies. These
include Pell
Grants, Federal
Supplemental
Educational
Opportunity
Grants,
Scholarships for
Disadvantaged
Students, Direct
Unsubsidized
and Direct PLUS
loans. OT
master’s
students can
also search for
federal
government
scholarships.
48. OTProfessional
Licensingand
Certi몭cations
Graduates of online OT master’s programs
must pass the National Board for
Certi몭cation in Occupational Therapy
(NBCOT) exam to use the professional title
of Occupational Therapist, Registered”
(OTR). The examination takes four hours to
complete and contains multiple choice
questions, scenario-based multiple-choice
questions, and a simulation test.
Additional
Resourcesfor
Occupational
Therapy
Graduates
The following national and international
organizations offer useful information for
students enrolled in occupational therapy
master’s programs online:
American Occupational Therapy
Association, Inc. (AOTA)
American Society of Hand
Therapists (ASHT)
Exercise & Physical Activity: Your
Everyday Guide from the National
Institute on Aging
National Board for Certi몭cation in