Planning

How Long Is Occupational Therapy School?

By · Updated October 9, 2026 · Sources: program lengths published on each program's website

OT school takes about 2 to 3 years after a bachelor’s degree. Entry-level master’s programs run a median of 2 years and OTDs 3 years, including fieldwork. OTA programs take a median of 2 years.

2 yearsMaster’s median (20 months–3 years)
3 yearsOTD median (2 years–42 months)
2 yearsOTA median (1 year–4 years)

The full timeline

  1. Bachelor’s degree (4 years) with OT prerequisites. Prerequisites.
  2. Master’s (≈2–2.5 years) or OTD (≈2–3.5 years), including at least 24 weeks of full-time Level II fieldwork; OTDs add a 14-week capstone.
  3. NBCOT exam and state license: usually a few months after graduating.

Master’s programs by length

#ProgramStateLengthSource
1 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-California Campus CA 1.7 years (5 trimesters) school site
2 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Miami Campus FL 1.7 years (5 trimesters) school site
3 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-St. Augustine Campus FL 1.7 years (5 trimesters) school site
4 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Austin Campus TX 1.7 years (5 trimesters) school site
5 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Dallas Campus TX 1.7 years (5 trimesters) school site
6 University of Mount UnionPreaccreditation OH 22 months school site
7 Drexel University PA 23 months school site
8 Belmont University TN 23 months school site
9 Tuskegee UniversityCandidacy AL 2 years school site
10 Midwestern University-Glendale Campus AZ 24 months (full-time) school site
11 Harding University AR 24 months school site
12 Alliant UniversityCandidacy CA 2 years (six trimesters) school site
13 Biola UniversityPreaccreditation CA 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
14 Point Loma Nazarene University CA 24 months school site
15 Samuel Merritt University CA 2 years (6.25 semesters) school site
16 West Coast University-Los Angeles CA 24 months (6 trimesters) school site
17 Sacred Heart University CT 24 months school site
18 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FL 2 years school site
19 Keiser University-MiamiCandidacy FL As few as 2 years school site
20 Augusta University GA 2 years (6 semesters) school site
21 Elmhurst University IL 2 years (24 months full-time) school site
22 Midwestern University-Downers Grove CampusApplicant IL 24 months school site
23 Murray State University-Paducah Regional Campus KY 24 months (continuous, year-round) school site
24 University of Southern Maine ME 24 months school site
25 Bay Path University-East Longmeadow Campus MA 2 years (accelerated, incl. 24 weeks fieldwork) school site
26 MCPHS University-Worcester Campus MA 2 years (full-time) school site
27 Baker College Center for Graduate Studies MI 2 years (full-time) school site
28 Davenport University MI 24 months (6 semesters incl. summers) school site
29 Grand Valley State University MI 2 years (traditional) or 3 years (hybrid) school site
30 College of St. Scholastica MN 2 years school site
31 Nebraska Methodist College NE 24 months (6 semesters) school site
32 Union Adventist University NE 2 years school site
33 MCPHS University-Manchester Campus NH 2 years (full-time) school site
34 Felician UniversityCandidacy NJ 2 years school site
35 Seton Hall University NJ 2 years school site
36 Clarkson University NY 24 months (6 semesters) school site
37 Columbia University NY 24 months school site
38 Le Moyne College NY 24 months school site
39 Maria College NY 2 years (full-time) school site
40 Appalachian State University NC 24 months (full-time, year-round) school site
41 Lenoir-Rhyne University NC 24 months (6 semesters) school site
42 Pfeiffer University-Albemarle Campus NC 24 months school site
43 Wilmington College OH About 24 months school site
44 Northeastern State University-Muskogee Campus OK 24 months school site
45 Lebanon Valley CollegeApplicant PA 2 years school site
46 Messiah University PA 2 years school site
47 Tennessee Wesleyan University-Downtown Knoxville Site TN 2 years school site
48 Abilene Christian University TX 24 months school site
49 Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences WA 2 years school site
50 University of Charleston-Charleston WV 2 years (6 semesters incl. summers) school site
51 Carroll University WI 2 years (accelerated, post-baccalaureate) school site
52 Concordia University Wisconsin WI 24 months (year-round) school site
53 Mount Mary University WI 24 months school site
54 University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse WI 24 months school site
55 A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences AZ 26 months (incl. breaks) school site
56 Stanbridge University CA About 26–27 months school site
57 Stanbridge University-Riverside CA About 26–27 months school site
58 Governors State University IL 27 months school site
59 Middle Georgia State University GA 28 months (7 semesters) school site
60 Washington University MO 28 months (full-time) school site
61 Barry University FL About 2.5 years school site
62 Springfield College MA 2.5 years full-time (3.5 years part-time) school site
63 University of New Mexico NM 2.5 years school site
64 Saint Joseph's University PA 2.5 years school site
65 Thomas Jefferson University-East Falls Campus PA 2.5 years school site
66 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor TX 2.5 years school site
67 Shenandoah University VA 2.5 years school site
68 Eastern Washington University (OTM) WA 2.5 years school site
69 University of Puget Sound WA 2.5 years school site
70 Touro University NY 3 years full-time (limited 4-year part-time option) school site
71 Touro University, Manhattan NY 3 years full-time (limited 4-year part-time option) school site
72 Walsh University OH 36 months school site

OTD programs by length

#ProgramStateLengthSource
1 Southern California University of Health Sciences CA 2 years 3 months school site
2 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-California Campus CA 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
3 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Miami Campus FL 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
4 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-St. Augustine Campus FL 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
5 Hawaii Pacific University-Honolulu HI 24 months school site
6 Rush University IL 2 years 8 months (8 semesters) school site
7 University of Illinois Chicago IL 2 years 9 months (full-time) school site
8 Hanover College IN 2 years (accelerated) school site
9 Hawaii Pacific University-Las Vegas NV 2 years school site
10 Bowling Green State UniversityPreaccreditation OH 2 years school site
11 Oklahoma Baptist UniversityCandidacy OK 2 years (accelerated) school site
12 University of Pittsburgh PA 2 years 8 months (8 terms) school site
13 Wilson CollegeCandidacy PA 2 years (accelerated) school site
14 Baylor University TX 24 months school site
15 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Austin Campus TX 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
16 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences-Dallas Campus TX 2 years (6 trimesters) school site
17 Edgewood UniversityPreaccreditation WI 2 years (accelerated) school site
18 Midwestern UniversityApplicant AZ 27 months, full-time school site
19 North Central College IL 27 months (seven semesters) school site
20 Chatham University PA 28 months (7 terms) school site
21 Abilene Christian University TX 29 months school site
22 Concordia University Ann Arbor MI 30 months (7.5 semesters) school site
23 Mount Mary University WI 30 months school site
24 University of the Pacific-Sacramento Campus CA 32 months (8 trimesters) school site
25 West Coast University-Los Angeles CA 32 months (8 trimesters) school site
26 Yeshiva University-Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus NY 32 months (full-time) school site
27 University of New HavenPreaccreditation CT 2.75 years (8 semesters, full-time) school site
28 Midwestern University-Downers Grove Campus IL 33 months (30 months from the Summer 2027 cohort) school site
29 Des Moines University IA 33 months (eight terms) school site
30 University of Saint Mary-Leavenworth KS 33 months (8 semesters) school site
31 University of MontanaCandidacy MT 33 months (2 years, 9 months) school site
32 Cedar Crest College PA 33 months school site
33 Slippery Rock University PA 33 months school site
34 Mary Baldwin University VA 33 months school site
35 St. Ambrose University IA 34 months school site
36 George Fox UniversityPreaccreditation OR 2.8 years school site
37 A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Health Sciences AZ 36 months (incl. breaks) school site
38 University of Arkansas-Fayetteville/University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences AR 3 years (9 semesters) school site
39 University of Central Arkansas AR 36 months school site
40 Dominican University of California CA 3 years (9 semesters) school site
41 Keck Graduate Institute CA 3 years (full-time) school site
42 Loma Linda University Health CA 3 years school site
43 Samuel Merritt University CA 3 years (8 semesters) school site
44 Quinnipiac University CT 3 years, full-time (including summers) school site
45 Howard University DC 3 years school site
46 Gannon University-Florida Campus FL 3 years (full-time) school site
47 Nova Southeastern University-Ft. Lauderdale FL 3 years school site
48 Nova Southeastern University-Tampa Bay Regional Campus FL 3 years school site
49 The Chicago SchoolApplicant IL 3 years school site
50 Huntington University IN 3 years (8 semesters) school site
51 Indiana University IN 36 months school site
52 University of Indianapolis IN 3 years (including summers) school site
53 Allen CollegePreaccreditation IA 3 years (9 semesters) school site
54 Drake University IA 3 years (full-time) school site
55 University of Kansas Medical Center KS 3 years (full-time) school site
56 U. of the CumberlandsApplicant KY About 3 years (9 semesters) school site
57 Louisiana State University Health Shreveport LA 3 years school site
58 University of Louisiana at MonroeCandidacy LA 3 years (9 semesters) school site
59 Notre Dame of Maryland University MD 3 years (9 semesters incl. summers, full-time) school site
60 Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) MA 3 years school site
61 Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions MA 3 years school site
62 Springfield College MA 3 years full-time (part-time available) school site
63 Andrews UniversityCandidacy MI 3 years school site
64 University of Mississippi Medical Center MS 3 years (9 semesters, full-time) school site
65 University of Missouri MO 3 years (full-time) school site
66 Washington University MO 36 months (full-time) school site
67 University of Nebraska Medical Center NE 3 years (8 semesters) school site
68 University of Nevada-Las Vegas NV 3 years (full-time) school site
69 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey NJ 3 years (8 semesters) school site
70 D'Youville UniversityCandidacy NY 36 months (nine semesters) school site
71 Long Island University - BrooklynApplicant NY 3 years (full-time) school site
72 Roberts Wesleyan University NY 3 years (full-time) school site
73 Rochester Institute of TechnologyCandidacy NY 3 years school site
74 Utica University NY 3 years (8 semesters) school site
75 Methodist University NC 3 years (36 months, 9 semesters) school site
76 Cleveland State University OH 3 years school site
77 University of Oklahoma Health Campus OK 3 years school site
78 Pacific University OR 3 years school site
79 Saint Joseph's University PA 3 years (full-time) school site
80 Seton Hill UniversityCandidacy PA 3 years school site
81 Temple University PA 3 years (full-time) school site
82 Widener University PA About 3 years school site
83 Francis Marion UniversityPreaccreditation SC 3 years school site
84 Belmont University TN 3 years school site
85 East Tennessee State University TN 3 years (full-time) school site
86 Texas Christian UniversityCandidacy TX 3 years (nine semesters) school site
87 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center TX 3 years (9 semesters) school site
88 University of Texas Medical Branch - Laredo CampusCandidacy TX 3 years school site
89 University of Texas at El Paso TX 3 years (9 semesters) school site
90 Utah Tech UniversityPreaccreditation UT 3 years (8 semesters) school site
91 University of Vermont VT 3 years (8 semesters) school site
92 University of Puget Sound WA 3 years school site
93 Marquette University WI 3 years (9 semesters) school site
94 University of Wisconsin-Madison WI 3 years (full-time) school site
95 St. Catherine University MN 3.5 years school site
96 Xavier University OH 3.5 years (7 semesters, summers off) school site
97 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley TX 3.5 years school site

OTA programs by length

#ProgramStateLengthSource
1 Arkansas State University-Jonesboro AR 12 months (3 semesters: fall, spring, summer) school site
2 Missouri Health Professions Consortium MO 12 months (three 16-week semesters) school site
3 Bates Technical College WA 16 months (6 quarters) school site
4 Fox College IL 18 months (including 4 months of fieldwork) school site
5 Madisonville Community College KY 18 months (full-time only) school site
6 Pima Medical Institute-Mesa AZ About 20 months school site
7 Pima Medical Institute-Tucson AZ About 20 months school site
8 American Career College-Orange County Campus CA As little as 20 months school site
9 Pima Medical Institute-San Marcos CA About 20 months school site
10 Platt College-Anaheim CA As little as 20 months school site
11 Pima Medical Institute-Denver CO About 20 months school site
12 Pearl River Community College MS 20 months (5 semesters) school site
13 Pima Medical Institute-Las Vegas NV About 20 months school site
14 Lake Area Technical College SD 20 months (full-time) school site
15 Concorde Career College-Memphis TN As few as 20 months school site
16 Pima Medical Institute-El Paso TX About 20 months school site
17 Pima Medical Institute-Houston TX About 20 months school site
18 Indian Hills Community College IA 21 months (7 terms) school site
19 Stanbridge University CA About 22–23 months school site
20 Daytona State College FL 22 months school site
21 Oklahoma City Community College OK 22 months (5 semesters) or 24 months (6 semesters) school site
22 Brookline College-Tucson Campus AZ Under 2 years school site
23 Grossmont College CA 2 years school site
24 Connecticut State Community College CT 2 years (4 semesters full-time; 5-semester part-time option) school site
25 State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota FL 2 years school site
26 Idaho State University ID 2 years school site
27 Lewis & Clark Community College IL 2 years school site
28 Lincoln Land Community College IL 2 years school site
29 Shawnee Community College IL 2 years school site
30 Marian UniversityCandidacy IN 2 years school site
31 Neosho County Community College-Ottawa Campus KS 2 years school site
32 Washburn University KS 2 years school site
33 Kennebec Valley Community College ME 2 years school site
34 North Shore Community College MA 2 years full-time, 3 years part-time, or 13–14 months accelerated school site
35 Springfield Technical Community College MA 2 years school site
36 Macomb Community College MI 2 years school site
37 Mott Community College MI 2 years, full-time school site
38 Anoka Technical College MN 2 years school site
39 Northland Community and Technical College MN 2 years school site
40 Itawamba Community College, Tupelo Campus MS 2 years (4 semesters) school site
41 Ozarks Technical Community College MO About 2 years (4 semesters) school site
42 Central Community College, Grand Island Campus NE 2 years school site
43 San Juan College NM 2 years school site
44 Erie Community College NY 2 years school site
45 Jamestown Community College NY 2 years school site
46 Cabarrus College of Health Sciences NC 2 years school site
47 Central Piedmont Community College NC 2 years school site
48 North Dakota State College of Science ND 2 years school site
49 EHOVE Career Center/Lorain County Community College OH 24 months (including pre-admission semester) school site
50 Marion Technical College OH 2 years, full-time school site
51 Linn-Benton Community College-Healthcare Occupations Center OR 2 years school site
52 Central Penn College PA 24 months or less school site
53 Lackawanna College PA 2 years school site
54 Thomas Jefferson University PA 2 years school site
55 Nashville State Community College TN 2 years school site
56 Dallas College Mountain View Campus TX 2 years (full-time) school site
57 Lone Star College-Kingwood TX 2 years school site
58 McLennan Community College TX 2 years school site
59 San Jacinto College-South Campus TX 2 years (5 terms) school site
60 South Texas College TX 2 years school site
61 Salt Lake Community College UT 2 years school site
62 Northern Virginia Community College VA 2 years (full-time) school site
63 University of Charleston-Beckley WV 2 years school site
64 Madison Area Technical College WI 2 years school site
65 College of Western Idaho ID 2.5 years school site
66 Huntington University IN 4 years school site
67 University of Southern MainePreaccreditation ME 4 years (typical) school site

Lengths as stated on each program’s website (only programs stating months or years). Want the fastest route? Accelerated programs.

Frequently asked questions

How long is OT school?

An entry-level master’s takes a median of 2 years (20 months–3 years across 72 programs) and an OTD a median of 3 years (2 years–42 months), including fieldwork. Add a four-year bachelor’s, so most OTs spend six to seven years in college.

How long is OTA school?

OTA programs that state a length run 1 year to 4 years (median 2 years), not counting prerequisite courses some programs require first.

Can I finish OT school faster?

Yes: some OTDs run 24 months, and combined 3+2 bachelor’s/master’s programs save a year. See accelerated OT programs.

How many years of college to be an OT?

Usually 6–7: a bachelor’s (4 years) plus a master’s (about 2–2.5) or OTD (about 3). A 3+2 program can make it about 5.