OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT
Center Campus

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:  View Selective Admission for detailed information.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is designed to prepare students for certification as Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA). Occupational Therapy Assistant and Arts and Sciences courses are reinforced by supervised clinical fieldwork experiences. The Level II clinical fieldwork must be completed within 18 months of the didactic course work.

The Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant works under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) to provide skilled intervention that assists individuals of all ages with physical, developmental, or psychosocial dysfunction to achieve their optimal performance in daily life skills.

Graduates of the program are prepared to sit for the national certification examination for the Occupational Therapy Assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) may deny certification and credentialing to Occupational Therapy Assistant graduates in violation of ethical and legal standards, including felony convictions.

After successful completion of the NBCOT exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Most states require licensure in order to practice, including Michigan; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. 

Additional expenses to be met by students before entering the first clinical fieldwork experience are (1) a health history and physical examination including testing for tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, (2) uniforms, and (3) hospitalization insurance as neither the clinical agencies nor the college insures the student against accidents or illnesses.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. AOTA's phone number is 301.652.AOTA.

ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
(Minimum 63 Semester Hours)

A. Career Preparation and Related Courses

B. Arts and Sciences Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . minimum sem hrs 18

Students should plan Arts and Sciences courses with an academic advisor, counselor or program advisor.

• Group I requirement is met by successfully completing ENGL-1180 or ENGL-1210.
• Group II requirement is met by successfully completing BIOL-2710.
• Group III requirement is met by successfully completing PSYC-1010.
• Group IV requirement is met by successfully completing PHIL-2100 or HUMN-1700.
• Group V requirement is met by successfully completing any PHED Wellness course 2000 or above.

NOTES

Students in the Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant program must achieve grade "C" or better in each course listed below for retention in the program.