How long is occupational therapy school?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

Occupational therapy school takes six to seven years on average. This includes a bachelor's degree, which takes four years, and then a graduate degree in occupational therapy (OT), which typically takes two to three years.

This also depends on the program and academic institution you choose to attend.

Here are the steps to getting to becoming an occupational therapist:

Obtain a bachelor's degree

This step usually takes four years. Those looking to become OTs choose to major in relevant areas like:

Biology
Health science
Psychology

If you choose to earn your bachelor's in an unrelated field, you might have to take prerequisite courses before being able to apply to occupational therapy graduate programs.

Occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) only need to earn an associate's degree in occupational therapy, which normally takes two years.

Earn a graduate degree in occupational therapy (OT)

The next step usually takes two to three years to complete. You must earn a graduate degree from an accredited college or university. You have a choice of obtaining either a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT), or a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree.

If you are interested in leadership roles, and advocacy, in addition to clinical practice, the best fit is an OTD rather than an MOT. If you are attending school full-time, an OTD typically requires three years to complete, while an MOT may take only two years to complete.