Occupational Therapy Assistant

Associate in Science Degree

This program’s mission is to prepare Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA)  to be professionals who contribute to the health and well-being of individuals. Disease, injury, depression, stroke, advanced age and other challenges prevent people from participating independently in activities of daily living. An Occupational Therapy Assistant makes it possible for these people to achieve independence and improve their quality of life. This degree prepares students for employment in healthcare, educational and other community settings.

Graduates of an accredited OTA Program are eligible to sit for a national certification exam;  and once certified, the graduate can obtain state licensure to practice as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) in New Jersey.

This is a joint Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program in Occupational Therapy Assistant with the County College of Morris (CCM) and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.  The curriculum includes a total of 74 credits.  Thirty-two (32) General Education credits are completed at CCM and 42 additional credits of professional/clinical coursework is taken at Rutgers.  Students completing the 32 required credits at CCM must  complete a  separate application into Rutgers at the Scotch Plains Campus to complete the 74 credits required for the A.S. in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. This is a highly competitive program. Students from CCM will  be competing for admission to Rutgers with students from other institutions. Rutgers accepts only 20 students annually into the fall full-time program and only 10 students into the spring part-time program.  Admission into Rutgers is based on:  a minimum GPA of 2.5 (A GPA of 3.0 or better is strongly recommended.), two (2) Letters of Recommendation,  20 hours of OT Observation, an interview process, and an on-site writing component.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program at Rutgers is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200 Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301-652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org/.

For more information, visit the Occupational Therapy Assistant website.