Occupational Therapy Graduate Schools
If you are interested in becoming a licensed Occupational Therapist you will need to get a Masters in Occupational Therapy from an Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) accredited graduate school as this is a requirement in every state for licensure. A Master’s degree is no small undertaking and is something that should be carefully considered and analyzed before one commits to a path. One thing to keep in mind is that a Masters in Occupational Therapy will greatly improve your earning potential over an Associate’s degree from an Occupational Therapy Assistant program. If you have an Associate’s degree from an Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) accredited program and become a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, you can expect approximately $47,490 as a median annual wage. If you have completed a Master’s degree program from an ACOTE accredited graduate school, you can then fulfill the remaining licensure requirements and expect a yearly median wage of $72,320 a $25,000 a year increase from the Associate’s level of education.
Once you have made the decision that attending an occupational therapy graduate school is a good choice you will need to take the time to evaluate different schools and programs in order to find one that fits your learning style, your financial situation and your overall lifestyle to ensure that you are successful.
Different people have different learning styles and also different ideas of what sort of graduate school program they want to attend. It’s important to take a look at the length and structure of any program to ensure it fits your learning style. A careful analysis of curriculums and comparing and contrasting several programs is always in your best interest when trying to figure out what Masters of Occupational Therapy program best fits your needs.
Everyone has a different financial situation and a thorough tabulation of all the costs associated with any program will be a key component of any analysis. You will also want to ensure that you thoroughly examine any external sources of funding that you might be eligible for. Remember that while tuition, whether in state or out of state, is usually the primary source of costs with programs there are also factors to consider such as books, supplies, room and board and various fees. These additional costs can vary greatly from school to school and location to location so they are well worth looking at as you consider the financial merits of one school as compared to another.
A final and very critical aspect of the decision making process is to look at where a program is hosted. The location a school is in can be a factor that is absolutely key in any decision making process. Some people thrive in larger cities with huge populations and schools of large size. Other people are more introspective and a smaller school in a smaller locale will be preferable. You will need to take the time to consider what is going to work for you and weigh this into your choice.