Program Overview

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Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

About This Program

The Occupational Therapy Assistant A.A.S. program provides you with the skills and experience needed to become a licensed occupational therapy assistant, working with individuals of all ages to help them live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Contact Information

• Kathy Swoboda | |

Program Delivery

• Delivery: Mostly online, In person
• Location: Ashtabula Campus (mostly online), East Liverpool Campus (in person)

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries

• Occupational therapy assistants
  • 34.6% much faster than the average
  • 47,100 number of jobs
  • $62,940 potential earnings

Accreditation

The A.A.S. degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE's telephone number, C/O AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA(2682) and the website is

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

• OTA 10000 - FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY - 2
• OTA 10002 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH - 4
• OTA 10003 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE I - 1
• OTA 10010 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE II - 3
• OTA 10192 - FIELDWORK 1A (ELR) - 1
• OTA 20001 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS - 2
• OTA 20002 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH - 3
• OTA 20003 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE III - 3
• OTA 20004 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PEDIATRIC POPULATIONS - 3
• OTA 20006 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH II - 3
• OTA 20392 - FIELDWORK 1B (ELR) - 1
• OTA 20492 - FIELDWORK 1C (ELR) - 1
• OTA 21092 - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS I (ELR) - 4
• OTA 21192 - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS II (ELR) - 4

Additional Requirements

• AHS 12005 - CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT - 3
• AHS 12010 - PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTHCARE - 1
• AHS 22002 - CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY - 3
• AHS 22003 - CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY LABORATORY - 1
• BSCI 11010 - FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) 1 - 3
• BSCI 11020 - FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) 1 - 3
• PSYC 11762 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) - 3
• PSYC 21211 - PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (DIVD) (KSS) - 3
• UC 10001 - FLASHES 101 - 1
• Kent Core Composition - 3
• Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning - 3
• Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts - 3

Minimum Total Credit Hours

• 65

Progression Requirements

To be able to register for Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) courses, students must be accepted to technical study. Acceptance to technical study is a selective process. Criteria for acceptance are the following:

• Completion of prescribed developmental coursework
• Minimum 2.700 overall GPA

Graduation Requirements

• Clinical education must be successfully completed within 18 months of the didactic coursework.
• Portions of the program's courses incorporate the use of technology and/or may be offered in a distance learning format. Under certain circumstances, students are required to attend clinicals on days outside of the academic calendar. These circumstances may occur on scheduled or unscheduled campus closures or on days when classes are cancelled, but the campus remains open. Examples include certain holidays, spring recess and/or prior to the start of semesters. Students are notified in advance of these dates.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Semester One:
  • BSCI 11010 - FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) 1 - 3
• Semester Two:
  • AHS 12010 - PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTHCARE - 1
  • BSCI 11020 - FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) 1 - 3
  • OTA 10000 - FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY - 2
  • OTA 10003 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE I - 1
  • PSYC 11762 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) - 3
  • UC 10001 - FLASHES 101 - 1
  • Kent Core Requirement - 3
• Semester Three:
  • AHS 12005 - CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT - 3
  • AHS 22002 - CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY - 3
  • AHS 22003 - CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY LABORATORY - 1
  • OTA 10002 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH - 4
  • OTA 10010 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE II - 3
  • OTA 10192 - FIELDWORK 1A (ELR) - 1
  • PSYC 21211 - PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (DIVD) (KSS) - 3
• Semester Four:
  • OTA 20002 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH - 3
  • OTA 20003 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE III - 3
  • OTA 20392 - FIELDWORK 1B (ELR) - 1
• Semester Five:
  • OTA 20001 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS - 2
  • OTA 20004 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PEDIATRIC POPULATIONS - 3
  • OTA 20006 - OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH II - 3
  • OTA 20492 - FIELDWORK 1C (ELR) - 1
  • Kent Core Requirement - 3
  • Kent Core Requirement - 3
• Semester Six:
  • OTA 21092 - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS I (ELR) - 4
  • OTA 21192 - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS II (ELR) - 4

University Requirements

All students in an applied or technical associate degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

• Flashes 101 (UC 10001) - 1
• Kent Core (see table below) - 15
• Total Credit Hour Requirement - 60

Kent Core Requirements

• Kent Core Composition (KCMP) - 3
• Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) - 3
• Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) - 3
• Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) - 3
• Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) - 3
• Total Credit Hours: - 15

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Engage in ongoing professional growth and development as an occupational therapy assistant practitioner.
2. Apply clinical reasoning by integrating clinical experiences with evidence-based practice and personal experience to provide best-practice occupational therapy services.
3. Implement occupation-based, client-centered practice to support clients' desired occupational roles and participation.
4. Promote community engagement through connecting resources to identified groups and populations to facilitate healthy, productive and satisfying lives.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.