2 answers
Ryley
Student
14
Questions
Asked
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Major to become a occupational therapist?
Can I get my bachelors degree in business and go on to the next two years in an occupational therapist program?
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2 answers
Stephanie Smith
Occupational Therapist
14
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
While it is possible to have a non-medical major and go into OT, be sure you have all of your prerequisites for the program. You usually need to take multiple psychology courses, anatomy and physiology, kinesiology or physics, and medical terminology. Each program may vary slightly in their requirements, so you will want to look into that if the classes you might need don’t correlate with your major (like business). The most common degrees I’ve heard people getting prior to going into OT are biology, psychology, exercise science. My university did a dual degree program where I did undergraduate and graduate work at the same time and finished in five and a half years total. Most OT programs are three years, so if you do a regular four year degree first you spend seven years total. My bachelor’s degree is in occupational science.
I appreciate this, thank you for the advice.
Ryley
Katherine Handy
Occupational therapist
5
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Katherine’s Answer
Absolutely, you can certainly accomplish this. However, it's important to ensure that you also fulfill any prerequisite courses required by the Occupational Therapy (OT) programs you're interested in applying to. While most of these programs have similar prerequisites, some may have unique requirements. Therefore, I recommend checking the prerequisite lists of the top 5 OT schools you're considering applying to.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Ryley