
Examples of Possible Careers*
Occupational therapy assistants
- 34.6% much faster than the average
- 47,100 number of jobs
- $62,940 potential earnings
Contact Information
- Program Coordinator: Julie Mirabell (Ashtabula Campus) | jmirabel@kent.edu | 440-964-4316
Kathy Swoboda (East Liverpool Campus) | kswobod1@kent.edu | 330-382-7456 - Speak with an Advisor
Fully Offered
- Delivery:
- Mostly online
- In person
- Location:
- Ashtabula Campus (mostly online)
- East Liverpool Campus (in person)
*Note
Source of occupation titles and labor data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Description
The Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant prepares students for a career as an occupational therapy assistant. Occupational therapy services are provided for habilitation, rehabilitation and promotion of health and wellness, while emphasizing participation in meaningful occupations for clients and groups in a variety of settings. Occupational therapy assistants work under the direction of and in partnership with occupational therapists.
The degree program prepares students with a sequential curriculum, including lectures, labs and a variety of fieldwork experiences. Graduates are eligible to take the national certification exam and obtain state licensure.
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).
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.
For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Utilize professional behaviors when interacting with clients, peers and other professionals when providing occupational therapy services
- Apply clinical reasoning by integrating clinical experiences with evidence-based practice and personal experience to provide best-practice occupational therapy services
- Utilize a creative, holistic approach to support client's desired occupational roles and participation in occupations through a creative, holistic approach
- Collaborate with inter-professional team members to provide distinct valued services to each client based on individual needs
- Evaluate and support at-risk individuals, groups and populations who are in the community to identify resources and opportunities for improving engagement in occupations
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.
University Requirements
All students in an applied or technical associate degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements, please see Program Requirements for details.
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Destination Kent State: First Year Experience | 1 | |
Course is not required for students with 25 transfer credits, excluding College Credit Plus, or age 21+ at time of admission. | ||
Kent Core (see table below) | 15 | |
Total Credit Hour Requirement | 60 | |
Some associate degrees require students to complete more than 60 credit hours. |
Kent Core Requirements
Requirement | Credits/Courses |
---|---|
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 Requirements
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA; min C/S grade required in all courses) | ||
OTA 10000 | FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY | 2 |
OTA 10001 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE SKILLS II | 3 |
OTA 10002 | OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH | 4 |
OTA 10003 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE SKILLS LABORATORY | 1 |
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 PRACTICE SKILLS 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 (courses do not count in major GPA; min C grade required in all courses) | ||
AHS 12005 | CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
or NURS 20950 | HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | |
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 |
or PSYC 40111 | ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | |
UC 10097 | DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE | 1 |
Kent Core Composition | 3 | |
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts | 3 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 65 |
- 1
Students who have successfully completed ATTR 25057 and ATTR 25058 (or EXSC 25057 and EXSC 25058 or BSCI 21010 and BSCI 21020) may use those courses in place of BSCI 11010 and BSCI 11020.
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
- Completion of high school or college-level courses in algebra and general biology
- Minimum 16 observation hours in two different occupational therapy settings
- Minimum 2.700 overall GPA
Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
---|---|
2.000 | 2.000 |
- 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 major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Semester One | Credits | ||
---|---|---|---|
! | BSCI 11010 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
Credit Hours | 3 | ||
Semester Two | |||
AHS 12010 | PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTHCARE | 1 | |
! | BSCI 11020 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
OTA 10000 | FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY | 2 | |
OTA 10003 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE SKILLS LABORATORY | 1 | |
PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 | |
UC 10097 | DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE | 1 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 14 | ||
Semester Three | |||
AHS 12005 or NURS 20950 | CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT or HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS | 3 | |
! | AHS 22002 | CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY | 3 |
! | AHS 22003 | CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY LABORATORY | 1 |
OTA 10001 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE SKILLS II | 3 | |
OTA 10002 | OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH | 4 | |
OTA 10192 | FIELDWORK 1A (ELR) | 1 | |
PSYC 21211 or PSYC 40111 | PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (DIVD) (KSS) or ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 18 | ||
Semester Four | |||
OTA 20002 | OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH | 3 | |
OTA 20003 | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE SKILLS III | 3 | |
OTA 20392 | FIELDWORK 1B (ELR) | 1 | |
Credit Hours | 7 | ||
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 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Six | |||
OTA 21092 | CLINICAL APPLICATIONS I (ELR) | 4 | |
OTA 21192 | CLINICAL APPLICATIONS II (ELR) | 4 | |
Credit Hours | 8 | ||
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 65 |