Occupational Therapy Assistant

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Occupational Therapy Assistant

Choose a growing, challenging, and exciting career path to help individuals become, regain, or work toward independence. The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is an accredited healthcare career that works with people of all ages, diagnoses, and living situations. We offer small class sizes, community-centered learning, and a new state-of-the-art lab.

Help people young & old regain independence

Hands-on training from industry experts

High growth rates

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Occupational Therapy Assistant, A.A.S.

Occupational Therapy is a healthcare profession that works with people of all ages, diagnoses, and living situations to help achieve increased independence in their valued occupations.

Length

  • 2 Years for Full-Time Students
  • 72 Credits

Cost

  • Typically $3,601 per semester

Course List


Application Dates

The OTA program requires an additional application. The application period to apply for the Fall 2025 cohort is December 2, 2024 – April 15, 2025. If you apply after April 15th, your application will be placed on a waitlist.

Deadline to apply is April 15.

Admission Guidelines

You must complete an additional application to be considered for admission into the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. 

  1. Apply to Minnesota West and be admitted to the college
  2. Apply to the OTA Program

Application Guidelines

An Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) is a healthcare professional who works under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist (OT) to help individuals develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. OTAs play a crucial role in carrying out a plan of care focusing on activities that enable people to perform essential tasks and achieve their personal goals.

Mission

To provide students with the entry-level skills and service competencies to be professional, successful practitioners at providing individualized interventions across the lifespan.

Vision

To broaden student knowledge and awareness of all individuals as occupational beings while enhancing the regional community’s access to excellent occupational therapy care.

Philosophy

To prepare OT practitioners to work with and among individuals of all ages, abilities, and living environments using the values of engagement, inclusivity, professional judgment, intra- and interprofessional partnerships, lifelong learning and advocacy, and the awareness of local and global occupational needs.

The OTA Program has four general education requirements that must be completed prior to starting the OTA courses in the fall. These include: BIOL 2201, ENGL 1101, PSYC 1150, and HC 1180 or BIOL 2245.

Students are encouraged to begin taking these courses before being admitted into the OTA program.
An additional two general education requirements can be completed prior to or during the first semester of OTA coursework. These include: BIOL 2202 and PSYC 2221.
You must achieve a ‘C’ or higher in each of these courses. Please connect with a college advisor if you need assistance registering for classes.

Courses:

BIOL 2201*
Human Anatomy
Credits: 4

BIOL 2202*
Human Physiology
Credits: 4

ENGL 1101
Composition I
Credits: 3

PSYC 1150
Lifespan Developmental Psychology
Credits: 3

PSYC 2221
Psychology of Mental Illness
Credits: 3

HC 1180 or BIOL 2245
Medical Terminology
Credits: 2

*BIOL 2201 and BIOL 2202 must be completed in the 5 years prior to your date of application. If more than 5 years have passed, contact OTA@mnwest.edu to discuss options and consider recency of completion. ENGL 1101, PSYC 1150, PSYC 2221, and HC 1180/BIOL 2245 do not have a recency requirement.

Faculty and staff weave the following curricular threads throughout the coursework, fieldwork experiences, and discourse to achieve the OTA Program’s mission, vision, and philosophy. These five concepts drive our program:

  • Comprehensive
  • Committed
  • Competent
  • Communal
  • Collaborators

This associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652- AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

6 General Education Courses (total of 19 credits)
In-person: $216.40 per credit
Online: $228.64 per credit

Total:

In-person: $4,111.60
Online: $4,344.16


OTA Fall Semester 1, 1st Year (total of 10 credits)
$200.30 + college fees $21.46

Total: $2,217.60


OTA Fall Semester 2, 1st Year (total of 15 credits)
$200.30 + college fees $21.46

Total: $3,326.40


OTA Fall Semester 1, 2nd Year (total of 16 credits)
$200.30 + college fees $21.46

Total: $3,548.16


OTA Fall Semester 2, 2nd Year (total of 12 credits)
$200.30 + college fees $21.46

Total: $2,661.12


Total Program Cost (with in-person general education courses, 72 total credits)
$15,864.88 

Total Program Cost (with online general education courses, 72 total credits)
$16,097.44

*OTA course credits have a higher credit rate due to additional costs associated with the curriculum. The table above does not include the cost of textbooks.

Graduation Rates (3-Year look back)
Graduation Month and Year (Cohort number) Number of Students Upon Start of Program Number of Students Upon Graduation Retention Rate
Graduation Month and Year (Cohort number)December 2024 (Cohort 1)
Number of Students Upon Start of Program
5
Number of Students Upon Graduation
-
Retention Rate
-
Graduation Month and Year (Cohort number)May 2025 (Cohort 2)
Number of Students Upon Start of Program
5
Number of Students Upon Graduation
-
Retention Rate
-
Graduation Month and Year (Cohort number)May 2026 (Cohort 3)
Number of Students Upon Start of Program
5
Number of Students Upon Graduation
-
Retention Rate
-
Graduation Month and Year (Cohort number)3 Years in Total
(2024, 2025, & 2026)
Number of Students Upon Start of Program
To be updated.
Number of Students Upon Graduation
-
Retention Rate
-
December 2024 (Cohort 1) 5 - -
May 2025 (Cohort 2) 5 - -
May 2026 (Cohort 3) 5 - -
3 Years in Total
(2024, 2025, & 2026)
To be updated. - -
 

NBCOT Pass Rates

When students graduate from an ACOTE-accredited program, they are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam. Passing the NBCOT exam is a crucial step in becoming a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA). Once certified, individuals can then apply for licensure to practice in their chosen state. Licensing requirements may vary slightly from state to state, but holding NBCOT certification is typically a prerequisite for obtaining a license.

NBCOT pass rates on the Certification Exam are indicated below and can also be accessed at nbcot.org >

Graduation Year

Number of Test Takers

Percentage of Test Takers Who Passed the Exam

2024

    -

    -

2025

    -

    -

2026

    -

    -

Total

    -

    -


ota story
I chose Minnesota West because of the quality of education and better tuition fees compared to other Colleges.
Hangatu G.
ota story
Occupational Therapy Assistant Program on the Worthington Campus

Career Opportunities

An Occupational Therapy Assistant helps patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working under the guidance of an occupational therapist. Responsibilities include implementing treatment plans, documenting patient progress, and providing support to ensure effective therapy sessions.

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