Pre-Occupational Therapy (OT)
What future students usually study in college, how to get ready in high school, and what the career looks like today. Every fact below names its source.
You become: an Occupational Therapist (OT). Occupational therapists evaluate and treat people who have injuries, illnesses or disabilities to help them with vocational, daily living and other skills that promote independence. [1]
Last checked:
What it is
Occupational therapists typically need a master's degree in occupational therapy to enter the occupation, and master's degree programs usually take 2 to 3 years to complete and typically include courses such as kinesiology, neuroscience and anatomy. [1]
Successful completion of a master's degree in occupational therapy or a professional doctorate in occupational therapy, such as an OTD, is required to enter practice as an occupational therapist in the United States. [2]
Admission to graduate programs in occupational therapy requires a bachelor's degree, although it may not need to be in a particular subject. [1]
Some programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting. [1]
Graduate programs in occupational therapy require a specified number of hours of supervised fieldwork, during which prospective occupational therapists gain clinical experience. [1]
Courses to take before applying
Master's degree programs frequently require applicants to have completed coursework in biology, psychology and other sciences. [1]
The rows below show one named program as an example: the University of Pittsburgh Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. Confirm each program’s own list.
| Course | Status | More about this course |
|---|---|---|
| Human anatomy and physiology, with labs | Required in this example programHuman anatomy and physiology is 8 credits, the courses must be human based and taken with labs, and an in-person lab is recommended but not required. [3] | — |
Get ready with these topics: Anatomy, physiology and levels of organization · Anatomical position, directional terms and body planes · Homeostasis and feedback loops · Cells and membrane transport · Tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous · The heart and the cardiac cycle · Body systems working together | ||
| Lifespan human development | Required in this example programLifespan human development is 3 credits, and the course should span the full human lifespan. [3] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Genes, environment and behavior · Development: infancy and childhood · Development: adolescence and adulthood · Research methods: experiments, correlation and ethics | ||
| Psychopathology or abnormal psychology | Required in this example programPsychopathology or abnormal psychology is 3 credits. [3] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Research methods: experiments, correlation and ethics · Stress, coping and health · Understanding psychological disorders · Treatment and getting help | ||
| Statistics | Required in this example programStatistics is 3 credits. [3] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Measures of center · Measures of spread · The normal model · Conditional probability and independence · Confidence intervals for a proportion · Significance and p-values | ||
All prerequisites must be completed for a letter grade with a minimum grade of B, AP courses do not satisfy prerequisite requirements, and courses must be completed by the start of June before the program starts and within the past five years. [3]
Typical high school preparation
We did not find an official source that gives high school course advice for this profession, so none is listed. For the high school courses colleges ask for in general, see the College Preparation page.
Pre-Health Foundations: coming soon
The career today
National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.
The median annual wage for occupational therapists was $100,330 in May 2025. [1]
Employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 15 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. [1]
The typical entry-level education is a master's degree. [1]
Getting licensed
All states require occupational therapists to be licensed, and at a minimum, candidates must pass a qualifying exam. [1]
Therapists must pass the qualifying exam to use the title "Occupational Therapist Registered" (OTR), and they also must complete a specified number of hours of continuing education to maintain state licensure and certification. [1]
Exams on this path
Overview only. For dates, registration, rules and scoring, see each test maker's own site.
NBCOT OTR® certification exam (after OT school)
OTR candidates must graduate with an entry-level occupational therapy degree from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy program. [4]
OTR and COTA professionals have completed occupational therapy education and passed a national certification exam, and they are also state-licensed professionals. [5]
Therapists must pass the qualifying exam to use the title "Occupational Therapist Registered" (OTR), and they also must complete a specified number of hours of continuing education to maintain state licensure and certification. [1]
OTR® is a registered trademark of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). NBCOT is not affiliated with and does not endorse UpOnly Learning.
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
How long is occupational therapy school?
Occupational therapists typically need a master's degree in occupational therapy to enter the occupation, and master's degree programs usually take 2 to 3 years to complete and typically include courses such as kinesiology, neuroscience and anatomy. [1]
Successful completion of a master's degree in occupational therapy or a professional doctorate in occupational therapy, such as an OTD, is required to enter practice as an occupational therapist in the United States. [2]
What are the prerequisites for occupational therapy school?
Admission to graduate programs in occupational therapy requires a bachelor's degree, although it may not need to be in a particular subject. [1]
Master's degree programs frequently require applicants to have completed coursework in biology, psychology and other sciences. [1]
Some programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting. [1]
Your next step
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Therapists. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Program Admissions and Formats. https://www.aota.org/career/become-an-ot-ota/start-your-career-journey/program-admissions-and-formats. no edition stated. Checked .
- University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Doctor of Occupational Therapy Prerequisite Worksheet. https://www.shrs.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/Doctor-of-OT-Prerequisite-Sheet-7.14.26.pdf. no date printed (PDF file name dated 7.14.26). Checked .
- National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Eligibility. https://nbcot.org/get-certified/eligibility. no edition stated. Checked .
- National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). What Does it Mean to Be Board Certified by NBCOT? https://nbcot.org/occupational-therapy/what-is-an-otr-or-cota. no edition stated. Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.