Associate Degree In Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a growing health care field in the United States with increasing employment opportunities expected into the twenty-first century. Penn State offers a two-year associate degree program that helps students prepare for careers as certified occupational therapy assistants. Occupational therapy personnel treat people of all ages who encounter health, learning, and accessibility challenges resulting from physical, cognitive, psychological, social, or environmental factors.

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants work in a variety of settings, under the supervision of occupational therapists, to help people of all ages to function as independently as possible in their daily lives. COTAs assist therapists with evaluating, planning for, and treating clients so that they may care for their personal needs; be productive in the home, workplace, or school; and engage in leisure activities.

Career Opportunities for a graduate with an associate degree in occupational therapy may include working in public and private schools, early intervention programs, general, psychiatric, and pediatric hospitals, day treatment centers, hospices and home health agencies, rehabilitation hospitals and centers, skilled and intermediate care facilities, community living programs, community wellness centers, work hardening and adjustment programs, and/or hand therapy clinics.