Best programs to become an occupational therapy assistant
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for occupational therapy assistants. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Occupational Therapist Assistant (IPEDS completions).
1 college program at 213 schools trains occupational therapy assistants, graduating 3,204 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $72,300 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About occupational therapy assistants
Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.
Best programs to study to become an occupational therapy assistant
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.0803 | 3,204 | 100.0% | 213 | $29,507 | $11,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What occupational therapy assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $81,500 | 5,610 | 1.21× | 17 | 323 |
| California | $81,770 | 3,840 | 0.64× | 9 | 252 |
| Florida | $71,630 | 3,910 | 1.19× | 9 | 200 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $64,920 | 540 | 0.56× | 4 | 169 |
| Ohio | $62,700 | 3,890 | 2.13× | 13 | 163 |
| Missouri | $66,070 | 1,470 | 1.52× | 13 | 144 |
| North Carolina | $69,390 | 1,590 | 0.97× | 8 | 139 |
| Arizona | $73,490 | 1,120 | 1.04× | 5 | 127 |
| New York | $68,530 | 2,230 | 0.70× | 11 | 109 |
| Oklahoma | $66,520 | 1,000 | 1.77× | 6 | 98 |
| Illinois | $64,120 | 2,470 | 1.23× | 8 | 92 |
| New Jersey | $74,960 | 1,080 | 0.76× | 8 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $59,960 | 1,050 | 1.08× | 6 | 80 |
| Arkansas | $78,940 | 730 | 1.69× | 5 | 78 |
| Tennessee | $62,420 | 1,300 | 1.20× | 5 | 69 |
| Utahlimited | $66,080 | 280 | 0.48× | 2 | 68 |
| South Carolina | $73,740 | 830 | 1.10× | 5 | 64 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,590 | 2,560 | 1.28× | 8 | 63 |
| Michiganmoderate | $63,260 | 1,250 | 0.86× | 4 | 59 |
| Virginia | $74,960 | 1,130 | 0.84× | 6 | 53 |
| Louisianamoderate | $66,090 | 760 | 1.18× | 3 | 50 |
| Mississippimoderate | $61,650 | 420 | 1.09× | 4 | 48 |
| Coloradolimited | $75,340 | 710 | 0.75× | 2 | 44 |
| Alabamalimited | $62,250 | 750 | 1.07× | 1 | 43 |
| Washington | $77,590 | 720 | 0.61× | 5 | 41 |
| Massachusettsmoderate | $75,040 | 1,410 | 1.18× | 4 | 40 |
| Georgiamoderate | $75,920 | 1,060 | 0.66× | 4 | 39 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $65,230 | 500 | 0.76× | 3 | 38 |
| Indianamoderate | $66,660 | 1,490 | 1.41× | 4 | 36 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $77,020 | 300 | 1.04× | 3 | 34 |
| Iowamoderate | $64,140 | 400 | 0.77× | 3 | 31 |
| Nevadalimited | $79,510 | 220 | 0.42× | 1 | 30 |
| West Virginialimited | $60,370 | 340 | 1.47× | 1 | 30 |
| Connecticutlimited | $72,780 | 820 | 1.46× | 2 | 25 |
| Nebraskalimited | $63,180 | 210 | 0.61× | 2 | 24 |
| Idaholimited | $65,330 | 210 | 0.76× | 2 | 21 |
| Kansaslimited | $65,010 | 660 | 1.39× | 2 | 20 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $66,710 | 300 | 1.80× | 2 | 17 |
| Delawarelimited | $78,640 | 220 | 1.39× | 1 | 14 |
| Marylandlimited | $82,010 | 710 | 0.78× | 2 | 13 |
| Oregonlimited | $76,850 | 250 | 0.38× | 1 | 13 |
| South Dakotalimited | $56,180 | 100 | 0.65× | 1 | 11 |
| North Dakotalimited | $60,970 | 130 | 0.94× | 1 | 10 |
| Hawaiilimited | $72,710 | 60 | 0.28× | 1 | 9 |
| Mainelimited | $64,270 | 250 | 1.17× | 1 | 9 |
| District of Columbialimited | $66,390 | 60 | 0.27× | 1 | 8 |
| Wyominglimited | $62,750 | 80 | 0.88× | 1 | 8 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
- Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
- Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
- Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
- Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
- Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
- Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
- Attend continuing education classes.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Monitoring3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Writing3.3
- Learning Strategies3.3
- Active Learning3.3
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.7
- Psychology4.3
- Education and Training3.9
- English Language3.7
- Therapy and Counseling3.7
- Public Safety and Security3.4
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Written Expression3.8
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Written Comprehension3.6
- Near Vision3.5
Core activities
- Documenting/Recording Information4.8
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.8
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.8
- Thinking Creatively4.6
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.5
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
How to get in
How to become an occupational therapy assistant
- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Occupational Therapy Assistants1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0803Occupational Therapist Assistant
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an occupational therapy assistant?+
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for occupational therapy assistants. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Occupational Therapist Assistant (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming an occupational therapy assistant?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Occupational Therapist Assistant (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 program to this job, which graduates about 3,204 people a year.
How much do occupational therapy assistants earn?+
The median is $72,300 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $51,490 at the 10th percentile to $89,780 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for occupational therapy assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +19.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 7,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
213 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 program that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do occupational therapy assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA), Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (LOTA), Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 31-2011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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