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Occupational therapy program director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an occupational therapy program director. Occupational therapy program directors usually study occupational therapy, psychology, or management. 52% of occupational therapy program directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 34% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 41 real occupational therapy program director resumes to see exactly what occupational therapy program director education sections show.

The most common colleges for occupational therapy program directors are the Utica College and the Utica College.

There are also many online occupational therapy program director courses to help get the education required to be an occupational therapy program director.

What education do you need to become an occupational therapy program director?

What degree do you need to be an occupational therapy program director?

The most common degree for occupational therapy program directors is bachelor's degree, with 52% of occupational therapy program directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 34% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 52%
  • Master's, 34%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Doctorate, 3%

What should I major in to become an occupational therapy program director?

You should major in occupational therapy to become an occupational therapy program director. 24% of occupational therapy program directors major in occupational therapy. Other common majors for an occupational therapy program director include psychology and management.

Most common colleges for occupational therapy program directors

Occupational therapy program directors often get their degrees at Utica College, University of Florida, and Southeastern University. Here are the most common colleges for occupational therapy program directors in the US based on their resumes.
Occupational therapy program director common collegePercentages
Utica College9.52%
University of Florida4.76%
Southeastern University4.76%
Buena Vista University4.76%
Harvard University4.76%

Best majors for occupational therapy program directors

Best colleges for occupational therapy program directors

The best colleges for occupational therapy program directors are University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.

An occupational therapy program director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for occupational therapy program directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become occupational therapy program directors.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$11,803

Enrollment

4,631

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for occupational therapy program directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for occupational therapy program directors

The most affordable schools for occupational therapy program directors are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and florida international university.

If the best universities for occupational therapy program directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for occupational therapy program directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for occupational therapy program directors

The hardest universities for occupational therapy program directors to get into are University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.

Some great schools for occupational therapy program directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for occupational therapy program directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for occupational therapy program directors

The easiest schools for occupational therapy program directors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, d'youville college, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an occupational therapy program director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for occupational therapy program directors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average occupational therapy program director salary by education level

According to our data, occupational therapy program directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $106,224 annually. Occupational therapy program directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $89,678.
Occupational therapy program director education levelOccupational therapy program director salary
Master's Degree$106,224
Bachelor's Degree$89,678

Occupational therapy program director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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