approximately two years
The accreditation process, which takes approximately two years, is designed to start before the first class of students enters the program and completed before the first class graduates from the program. (NBCOT®).

There are no accredited entry-level occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant educational programs that are offered in the online format. Some educational programs may offer some courses or parts of courses online, but there are no entry-level educational programs offered entirely online.

While it depends on the program and courses that you have completed, you can advance from occupational therapy assistant (OTA) to occupational therapist (OT). To become an OT, you must complete a master’s program in occupational therapy, which OTA’s can apply to directly or complete a bachelor’s degree before doing so.

OTA stands for Occupational Therapy Assistant, which is the title you will receive after completing occupational therapy assistant school and obtaining your license to practice. OTAs, like their name entails, are essentially assistants to the Occupational Therapist, helping them to carry out treatment plans.

Occupational Therapists made a median salary of $84,950 in 2019. The best-paid 25 percent made $101,590 that year, while the lowest-paid 25 percent made $69,710.

Pricing structures for tuition can vary from one school to the next and students may be charged for the entire program or by the semester or credit hour. Regardless of which pricing structure schools have, generally the total tuition for an occupational therapy assistant degree can range from $5,000 to $24,000.

Is Ota a dying field? OTA is a dying field. There are NO jobs. If you love OT and have some flexibility about getting a job maybe go ahead.

Truth: Earning an OTA degree makes for a great healthcare career, as evidenced by the “A” grade by the career website owlgurus.com. Those who choose the occupational therapy assistant degree love working one-on-one with clients and seeing them achieve their life goals.

OTA is having knowledge about the activities prescribed by the OT and implement it to the client. An OTA can contribute to the evaluation process, but they cannot independently evaluate or initiate treatment prior to the OT evaluation.

To become an occupational therapy assistant, an individual would need to graduate from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy assistant program, pass the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, and attain licensure as required by the state. A refresher course for both OTs and OTAs.

Accredited weekend and bridge programs for OTAs seeking occupational therapy (OT) degrees, sorted by State. There are no accredited entry-level occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant educational programs that are offered in the online format.

AOTA’s NBCOT® Exam Prep helps you succeed: Take AOTA’s NBCOT® Exam Prep with you wherever you go, using it on your computer, phone, or tablet—anytime you want—both online and offline. Make your study time efficient with the online dashboard, where you can see at a glance your strengths as well as areas for extra focus.

Cost: $59,678 for the Master’s in OT including fees. This does not include the Bachelor’s degree cost for COTAs who need to obtain this as well. Type of Program: Full-time online/in-person meeting in person every third weekend.