College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools

82 Colleges in the United States
1,993 Doctor's Degrees
Ranked #15 in popularity, occupational therapy is one of the most sought-after doctor's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 82 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of occupational therapy. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,993 doctor's degrees in occupational therapy during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Occupational Therapy School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools Your choice of occupational therapy for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality occupational therapy program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for occupational therapy students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Occupational Therapy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Occupational Therapy in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in occupational therapy. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

13 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in occupational therapy. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in occupational therapy has to look into University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, USAHS is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Annual Graduates

Samuel Merritt University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in occupational therapy. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Oakland.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in occupational therapy needs to look into Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Located in the large city of Lubbock, TTUHSC is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

5
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from New York University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

A T Still University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Kirksville.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from A T Still University of Health Sciences

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio is a public university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

UTMB Galveston is a small public university located in the fringe town of Galveston.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from The University of Texas Medical Branch

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Los Angeles, West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies is a private for-profit university with a fairly small student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from West Coast University-Center for Graduate Studies

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
29 Annual Graduates

Thomas Jefferson University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Thomas Jefferson University

10
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Boston University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from University of Wisconsin - Madison

11
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3 Annual Graduates

Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Loma Linda.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Loma Linda University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
13 Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
14 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
15 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
16 Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Provo, UT
17 Midwestern University - Downers Grove Downers Grove, IL
18 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
19 Shenandoah University Winchester, VA
20 Pacific University Forest Grove, OR

Occupational Therapy by Region

View the Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 16 majors within the Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions area of study, Occupational Therapy has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Physical Therapy/Therapist 13,145
Rehabilitation Science 54
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions 31
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 19
Art Therapy 6
Music Therapy 1

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options