Occupational Therapy Assistant


  • About
  • Admissions
  • Career Opportunities
  • Degrees & Certificates
  • Program Contact
  • Courses

The AAS in Occupational Therapy Assistant is a one-plus-one degree program that prepares students to practice as certified occupational therapy assistants (COTA) after meeting certification and state licensure standards. East Central College is one of five colleges in the Missouri Health Professions Consortium (MHPC) currently selected to offer the program coordinated through State Fair Community College. ECC offers and enrolls students in the general education coursework; sophomore level (professional level) coursework is taught via a hybrid approach through internet-based technology.

Through the combination of general education, professional-level coursework, classroom and laboratory practice, and clinical fieldwork experiences, students learn the profession of occupational therapy assistant. The Professional Year does not run on a traditional ECC academic cycle. Classes begin in the fall semester and will run until the next fall semester of the following year. Completion of professional coursework takes one full year.

The MHPC Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The program prepares graduates to sit for the national certification examination for the Occupational Therapy Assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and meets education requirements for licensure in the state of Missouri. Individual states may have specific licensure and educational requirements. Information regarding licensing and education requirements in other states may be requested from the MHPC Program Director. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

For more information regarding accreditation, please contact:

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) logo

ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
7501 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-2682 | TDD (800) 377-8555
accred@aota.org
www.acoteonline.org