How do people occupy their time? Whether it is a child learning through play, a teen going to school, an adult being successful at school, work and at home, or a grandparent holding their grandchild, occupational therapy (OT) helps to enable people to be independent in the everyday activities that are important to them.
OT works on activities of daily living, like teaching a person who has had a stroke to dress themselves or make a meal, and/or developmental skills, like crawling and handwriting in children, to adapted driving and computer skills following a spinal cord injury, for example.
Do you want to get a degree in a healthcare field, but can’t return to school full-time? We are accepting applications annually to admit students to the part-time program. The part-time program begins during the summer semester - in June.
Program highlights
- MCC's occupational therapy assistant program prepares students to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT - https://www.nbcot.org/) exam as part of the program.
- Classes are held at the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute, including hands-on training in the 10,000 sq. ft., accredited, healthcare simulation center virtual hospital.
- MCC's OTA program has the distinction of being the longest established program in the area, founded in 1984, and maintains a good reputation for quality graduates and consistently strong success rates on the national boards certification exam.
- Part-time and full-time cohorts - Earn your Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Occupational Therapy Assistant Degree in the full-time program within two years (academic year attendance), or in two and a half years in the part-time program (attending year round), once accepted into the program.
- The program begins every August for full-time and June for part-time students.
Program admission
Additional steps are required for acceptance into this program beyond the standard MCC admissions application. This is a four-semester program that begins in August (full-time) and June (part-time) and accepts approximately 20 students per year.
Accreditation
The occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814. Phone: 301.652.6611
Careers
An occupational therapy assistant works under the direction of an occupational therapist (OT) to use meaningful activity to work in hospitals, school districts, clinics and community-based organizations to help people stay healthy.
According to the O-Net online, average annual wages for occupational therapy assistants is $61,610.
Bright outlook for Occupational Therapy Assistants in the Kansas City area
Visit Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to view salary information, employment outlook and personal characteristics needed for this career.
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As a graduate, you'll be eligible to take the national certification exam, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
Please know that you will not be able to obtain a license to practice or be allowed to participate in clinicals should you have an unacceptable background as defined by state law regarding health care providers.
An unacceptable background includes a felony and/or class "A" misdemeanor conviction.
Prospective students may contact the NBCOT for an early determination review at professional.conduct@nbcot.org or for the code of conduct.
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Students are required to have regular access to computer technology with up-to-date software, reliable broadband connection to the internet and the ability to install software that may be required for the course. Technical skills required for online courses include:
- Access sites and navigate online.
- Use a word processor (i.e. Microsoft Word) to open and save in common document file formats.
- Send and receive email, including attaching and downloading files.
- Read and post to discussion/messaging boards and blogs.
- Use a supported browser and adjust browser settings as required.
- Save a URL as a bookmark/favorite.
- Perform online searches using Google or other search engine.
- Cut, paste and copy information from the internet or files and save to the computer or other storage device
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Graduation year Students entering Students who withdrew for reasons other than academic performance Students Graduating Graduation rate 2025 20 5 12 80% 2024 14 4 9 90% 2023 15 3 10 83% Total - 2023-2025**
49 12 31 83.8% ** Note – A part-time OTA Program pathway is now available in response to students who left the program prior to graduation based on employment or family needs. Some students not represented in the table above have transitioned from the full-time to the part-time program
NBCOT pass results
Graduation year Students taking/
Students passing the NBCOTPass rate 2025 10/10 100% 2024 9/9 100% 2023 10/10 100% Total 29/29 100% Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can also be found online at NBCOT.
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OTA Coursework = 51 credit hours
Prerequisite and General Education = 22-34 credit hours
Current Costs
(In District)
Full-time
OTA
Program2026-2027 Year 1
Full-time
OTA
Program2027-2028 Year 2
Part-time
OTA
Program2026-2027
Part-time
OTA
Program2027-2028
Part-time
OTA
ProgramSummer &
Fall 2028Tuition $2,602 $3,328 $1,876 $2,239 $1,815 Books & Supplies ~$900** ~$400 ~$800** ~$450 ~$50 Student Program Fees* None at this time None at this time Clinical Management $145* n/a* $145* n/a* n/a* Yearly Total $3,647 $3,728 $2,821 $2,689 $1,865 Total Cost $7,375 $,7375 * Clinical management (Background check, drug screen, documentation review) = $145 one-time fee unless repeated drug screening or background check required.
**Books & Supplies – texts used in the program are to be purchased, retained, and used during remaining semesters of the program
AAS Degree – inclusive of Program and General Education requirements:
- 73 cr. hrs. @ $121/credit hour In district = $8,833
- 73 cr. hrs. @ $237/credit hour Metro Rate/Out of District = $17,301
- 73 cr. hrs. @ $320/credit hour Out of State/International = $23,360
OTA students responsible for housing and transportation costs while at MCC. Students responsible for transportation to and from school and clinical sites (may be up to 70 miles from primary residence).
Refer to this link to find out more about MCC's payment plan.
This program meets the educational requirements for national board certification and licensure for Missouri and Kansas.