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Occupational Therapy

Types of Degrees Occupational Therapy Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Occupational Therapy have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	38
Bachelor’s Degree	505
Master’s Degree	5,855
Doctor’s Degree	4,062

What Occupational Therapy Majors Need to Know

Studies in Occupational Therapy build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Occupational Therapy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Occupational Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Occupational Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Occupational Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Occupational Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Occupational Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Internet browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Ruby	Development environment software	—
Amazon Web Services AWS software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Oracle NetSuite	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Freedom Scientific MAGic	Device drivers or system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Occupational Therapy graduates include:

• Rehabilitation Teacher
• Students with Visual Impairments Teacher (TVI)
• Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS)
• Orientation Specialist
• Mobility Specialist
• Mobility Professional
• Visually Impaired Teacher (TVI)
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Global Mobility Specialist
• Vision Specialist
• Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT)
• Certified Low Vision Therapist (CLVT)
• Blind Orientation and Mobility Therapist (Blind O and M Therapist)
• Low Vision Therapist
• Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Occupational Therapy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	63.5%
Bachelor’s degree	15.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	10.2%
Doctoral degree	4.4%
Post-doctoral training	3.4%
Post-master’s certificate	2.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Postsecondary certificate	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Occupational Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 90.5% of Occupational Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	9,471	90.5%
Men	989	9.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Occupational Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,910	66.1%
Asian	790	7.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,088	10.4%
Black or African American	606	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	39	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	13	0.1%
Two or More Races	294	2.8%
Race Unknown	588	5.6%
International Students	132	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Occupational Therapy Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Occupational Therapy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,332
4 years	$70,102
5 years	$75,167

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,167 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Occupational Therapy Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Occupational Therapy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	3
Master’s	7	11
Doctoral (Research)	3	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Occupational Therapy Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Occupational Therapy graduates earn a median of $70,102 four years after completion — roughly 84% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	51.23
Animal-Assisted Therapy	51.2313
Art Therapy/Therapist	51.2301
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	51.2312
Dance Therapy/Therapist	51.2302
Drama Therapy/Therapist	51.2315
Horticulture Therapy/Therapist	51.2316
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	51.2311
Music Therapy/Therapist	51.2305
Orthotist/Prosthetist	51.2307
Physical Therapy/Therapist	51.2308
Play Therapy/Therapist	51.2317

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.