How can I become an occupational therapist without being a health major?

Hi everyone!

I’m transferring to Texas State University and changing my major from Kinesiology to Theatre. I plan to complete more than enough prerequisites to apply to OT school, but I’m concerned about clinicals/volunteer hours/internships. For those who major in more common OT majors (kinesiology, exercise science, athletic training, etc.) those requirements are already embedded into their degree plans.

I really want to major in theatre and become an occupational therapist. Does anybody have any tips for me? Any help would be appreciated.

A doctoral degree will be necessary for all OTs as of 2025. You may want to really look at the admission requirements for doctoral OT programs and consider your future path in light of the changes.

The coursework isn’t overwhelming from what I’ve seen, but I think you’ll need documented hours in an OT setting like you said. Perhaps observing is enough and you don’t need to be part of a program.

Maybe you can check out those specific requirements on OT school websites and then try asking at nursing homes or a children’s clinic or health network. I’ve seen students shadowing in places like that, who are not part of a formal program.

You will have to make the time to get the experience that you need.

First, check out OT programs. The 2025 recommendation may or may not come to pass,* but you still need to decide whether you want to pursue a doctoral OT program just in case (of which there are not many right now) or whether you want to get an MS and worry about the doctoral degree later.

The point, though, is that every OT program is going to have the admissions requirements and prerequisites listed on the webpage. They will tell you the minimum number of hours that you need. Some will give you a recommended number of hours; if they don’t, I would multiply the minimum by 1.5 to obtain the number you’ll need to be competitive. They’ll also tell you what classes you need to take and such.

Then do those things. It may mean that you don’t have much of a social life in college - or it may mean that you take a year or two after college to finish up these requirements before applying. I chatted with a student in a DPT program when I was at Columbia, and she said that a lot of her classmates and she had done a PTA program after their bachelor’s degree and gotten OT experience that way.

Basically, you will just have to put in more work.

*The organization who made the recommendation, AOTA, has acknowledged that they do not actually have the authority to require this. Past examples of professional organizations of health professionals trying to require higher levels of preparation for entry to practice are mixed, with some failing (e.g., the AACN and nurse practitioners) and some succeeding (e.g., physical therapists and the DPT; PAs and the master’s instead of the bachelor’s).

Thank you for the responses!! @MACmiracle @juillet
Luckily I’m not too concerned about the coursework. My biggest worry is how I’ll go about making connections and networking for internships. Do y’all have any more tips/suggestions on that?

-Take some classes in kinesiology, get to know the professors, and eventually see if they have any useful contacts.
-Go to the office of the kinesiology clinical/internship manager or administrator and have a chat with them. Make an appointment if they don’t have office hours.
-Look up some OTs in the local area on LinkedIn and send them a short, polite message explaining that you’re interested in the field and you’d like to do an informational interview.