Healthcare
Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists help patients of all ages do the everyday activities that matter to them after injury, illness, or disability. Deeply human work with strong job security.
Median salary (BLS)
$93,000
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$70k – $120k
Job outlook
+12% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $93,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Occupational Therapist
Education
Typical entry: Master's degree
Master's or doctorate in occupational therapy plus licensure.
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateLicense requiredCost to qualify
$64,200–$231,000
Time to qualify
6.2 yr
Renewal
$75/yr
- 1
Bachelor's degree
DegreeFour years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.
$40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source
- 2
Master's degree
DegreeTypically two years; average graduate tuition ≈ $20,000/yr at public universities (NCES).
$24,000–$80,000 · 2 years source
- 3
National & state licensure
LicenseA national board/registry exam plus a state license application (the NCLEX pattern). Exact exam and fees depend on the role and state.
$200–$1,000 · 2 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "Occupational Therapist" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
Junior Occupational Therapist
Entry / Junior
$70,000
~2 yrs to advance
Occupational Therapist
Established
$93,000
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Occupational Therapist
Senior
$106,500
Key skills
A typical day
- •Evaluate patients' abilities
- •Design therapy activities
- •Track progress
Fields of study
Occupational Therapy · Psychology · Biology
Top colleges for Healthcare
Explore all- Johns Hopkins University7% admit · $93,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of Michigan18% admit · $87,000 grad pay
- Duke University6% admit · $105,000 grad pay
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill19% admit · $73,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.
Related careers
Other careers from this field of study
Mapped by field-of-study code (Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Biology), not by job-title guessing.