Career Guide
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists (OTs) help people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. They work with individuals across the lifespan who have mental, physical, developmental, and emotional challenges to help them to learn, recover, or maintain necessary skills. They help patients not only improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also compensate for permanent loss of function. OTs can work with both children and adults, and in a variety of settings. Their goal is to help individuals have independent, meaningful, and satisfying lives.
Degree Requirements
A master’s degree is the minimum educational requirement for licensure; there are also doctoral OT programs. Students may directly enter a combined Bachelor/Master Degree program, OR they may obtain a bachelor’s degree in a different discipline and then apply to an OT graduate program. It is very important to research colleges, the types of programs they offer, and prerequisites required. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination for occupational therapists administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Currently licensed OTs can choose to specialize by completing post-graduate program.
Many MCC students are advised to transfer to a 4-year college for a bachelor’s degree and then apply to OT programs.
Criteria for Acceptance
Grade Point Average
Recent work or volunteer experience in a direct patient care environment (may be required to be under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist)
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
Personal interview
Letters of recommendation
MCC Prerequisite Courses
Common OT school prerequisites include general biology, anatomy & physiology, psychology, statistics, physics, sociology or anthropology, philosophy, and medical terminology.
Examples of MCC courses:
- BIO 155 & 156 Intro to Cell & Molecular Biology and Intro to Organismal Biology & Ecology
- BIO 144 & 145 Anatomy & Physiology I & II
- PSY 101 Intro to Psychological Science
- SOC 101 Intro to Sociology or ANT 102 Cultural Anthropology
- PSY 212 Developmental Psychology: Lifespan
- PHL 101 or 103 Intro to Philosophy or Ethics
- PSY 206 Adult Psychopathology
- MTH 160 Statistics I
- HIM 104 Medical Terminology
- PHY 145 & 145 College Physics I and II or PHY 161 & 261 University Physics I and II
Not all prerequisites must be taken at MCC. Make sure to research individual school requirements.
Application Notes
Research each program to verify prerequisites and course transferability.
Institutions
See the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education to learn more about the field and find a program.
Local institutions in New York State with a program in OT include:
- SUNY University at Buffalo
- SUNY Binghamton
- D’Youville University
- Clarkson University
- Le Moyne College
- Utica University
- Nazareth University
- Ithaca College
- Keuka College
- St. Bonaventure University
- Roberts Wesleyan University
Other Important Information
While every effort is made to ensure that the information in this guide is accurate, students are advised to contact transfer institutions for specific course requirements and the most up-to-date information.
Updated 09/25/2025