Both public and private occupational therapy schools in California are available and offer the graduate programs required for a career as an occupational therapist. Find out more about some of the school options and their programs.
Occupational Therapy Schools in California
Colleges throughout the country offer various degree programs in the field of occupational therapy, including schools with online programs for occupational therapy assistants and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degrees. Although a variety of degrees and programs are available in the field, aspiring occupational therapists typically need a master's or doctoral degree in the field. Good majors for occupational therapists include subjects like kinesiology, physics, or rehabilitative science.
The state of California is home to several different schools with degree programs in occupational therapy. While there are even more schools in California that offer undergraduate programs in occupational therapy, in this article, we focus on not-for-profit schools that offer graduate-level occupational therapy degrees that are required to become an occupational therapist.
<h3 id="section---OTSchoolsInCalifornia">OT Schools in California</h3><p>Explore some of the public and private schools in California that offer occupational therapy programs in the table below.
</p><p></p><table border="1"><tr><th>School Name</th><th>Institution Type</th><th>Location in California</th></tr>
<tr><td>San Jose State University</td><td>4-year, Public</td><td>San Jose</td></tr>
<tr><td>University of Southern California</td><td>4-year, Private not-for-profit</td><td>Los Angeles</td></tr>
<tr><td>Loma Linda University</td><td>4-year, Private not-for-profit</td><td>Loma Linda</td></tr>
<tr><td>California State University-Dominguez Hills</td><td>4-year, Public</td><td>Carson</td></tr>
<tr><td>Samuel Merritt University</td><td>4-year, Private not-for-profit</td><td>Oakland</td></tr>
<tr><td>University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences</td><td>4-year, Private not-for-profit</td><td>San Marcos</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: National Center for Education Statistics</i>
</p><h2 id="section---OccupationalTherapyProgramsInCalifornia">Occupational Therapy Programs in California</h2><p>Several schools in California offer Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA) in Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT), and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree programs. Learn more about a few of these schools here.
</p><h3 id="section---SanJoseStateUniversity">San Jose State University</h3><p>In addition to undergraduate studies in pre-OT, San Jose State University offers an MS in Occupational Therapy. The MS program is designed for students who do not have a background specifically in OT and helps prepare students for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. The program takes 2.5 years to complete and provides students with hands-on fieldwork opportunities and a practicum experience. Students are also required to participate in an international experience.
</p><h3 id="section---UniversityOfSouthernCalifornia">University of Southern California</h3><p>The University of Southern California has a bachelor's to master's program, entry-level and post-professional MA, accelerated master's to OTD, post-professional OTD, and PhD program in occupational science. The entry-level MA degree program takes 2 years to complete and includes practice immersion experiences in the areas of mental health, pediatrics, and adult physical rehabilitation. The post-professional MA program is a 1-year program designed for certified occupational therapists to focus their studies in areas like productive aging, work and industry, or children and youth.
</p><p>The accelerated master's to OTD program allows students on campus to earn their OTD in 1 more year of study after their MA in OT. In order to qualify for the accelerated program, students must maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher and have met minimum GRE requirements. The school's PhD program in occupational science helps prepare students for careers in academia and takes 4 years to complete.
</p><h3 id="section---LomaLindaUniversity">Loma Linda University</h3><p>Loma Linda University offers an entry-level MOT degree program and OTD degree program. The MOT degree program requires 2 years of coursework and concludes with 6 months of hands-on fieldwork experience to help prepare for the board exam. For their fieldwork, students may work in schools, clinics, rehab centers, and other settings.
</p><p>The school's online, post-professional OTD program requires 2 years of didactic work. The program concludes with a capstone project where students design their own professional rotation.</p>
