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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.

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 (may be required)
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 144 & 145 Anatomy & Physiology I & II
  • BIO 155 Intro to Cell & Molecular Biology and/or BIO 156 Intro to Organismal Biology & Ecology
  • 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 College Physics I and/or 146 College Physics II

    Not all prerequisites must be taken at MCC. Make sure to research individual school requirements.

Transfer Institution Requirements


Nazareth University's Transfer Advising Guide for Occupational Science. This is a direct entry program (BS/MS); no additional graduate application is needed.

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
  • Rochester Institute of Technology - as of June 2026
  • Roberts Wesleyan University
  • Note: Bryant and Stratton College offers an Occupational Therapy Assistant program in the Rochester area that is taught in-person or hybrid.

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. Information provided by: Monroe Community College, Career Services, Building 3, room 108, Brighton Campus, careerservices@monroecc.edu.

Updated 06/18/2026