Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA), AAS

Program Requirements

Students interested in applying to LaGuardia Community College should contact the Admissions Office. New students selecting OTA as their major are considered to be in the pre-clinical phase.

Progression to the clinical phase of the program is competitive and is by acceptance into candidacy. Students must apply for candidacy and be accepted in order to enter the clinical phase.

Day and Evening Options
Students intending to pursue clinical courses as a Day student should apply for candidacy in the Fall I session preceding the Spring entry to the OTA Clinical Phase.

Students intending to pursue clinical courses as an Evening student should apply for candidacy in the Spring I session preceding the Fall entry to the OTA Clinical Phase.

Pre-Clinical Phase
The pre-clinical phase of the OTA program consists of all required general education and elective courses, including Key Courses. Pre-clinical students are considered candidates for the clinical phase.

Students must first complete, or be in the process of completing, the four key courses in the 12-week semester in which they are applying for candidacy.

Eligible students are then ranked according to a scoring system of grades in Key Courses.

For additional information, please review the OTA Admission Guide.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Information Sheet

Candidacy and the Clinical Phase

1. In order to apply for OTA candidacy (progression to the clinical phase of the OTA Program), you must be an OTA Major.
2. To apply for candidacy, students must register for Intent to OTA OTA000 in the first 4 weeks of a 12 week term. Check the Academic Calendar for exact dates. There are no credits, classes or meetings or charges involved for registering for this candidacy. Students can only register for OTA Candidacy (OTA000) by emailing the Health Sciences Department at HealthSci@lagcc.cuny.edu.
3. You should only apply for candidacy if you have completed all four key courses or if you are going to complete all four key courses by the end of the 12 week session in which you are applying for candidacy.
4. If you are enrolled in one of the four key courses and you withdraw from that course, you must also withdraw from OTA Candidacy (Intent to OTA000). If you do not successfully withdraw from Intent to OTA, you will lose one candidacy attempt. You can only apply for candidacy twice.
5. Please note that if you received a C, D, or F for any of the key courses and have repeated the course, all grades received will be averaged in any key course(s) repeated that key course will be used in your consideration for OTA Candidacy.
6. Results  of  candidacy  will  not  be  available  until  all  grades  for  the  12  week  term  are submitted. The Registrar’s office will then do all the calculations and will provide OTA faculty with the list of students’ names and ranking.
7. Day/ Extended Day choices: Students may enter the OTA Program clinical phase in either the Fall I semester for evening session classes or the Spring I semester for day session classes. SCO101 – Introduction to Occupational Therapy and SCO110 – Legal and Ethical Aspects of Occupational Therapy are the first courses taken in the clinical program. One evening section of SCO101 and SCO110 are offered in Fall I, and one day section of SCO101 and SCO110 are offered in Spring I.
   • Students who wish to enroll in the Fall evening section must register for OTA000 in the preceding Spring I term.
   • Students who wish to enroll in the Spring day section must register for OTA000 in the preceding Fall I term.
8. Notification of success in candidacy takes place on campus following calculation of grades. Students should be present at the scheduled notification time to sign the list of accepted students to be enrolled.
   • Accepted students that are not present to sign the list may forfeit their seat to the next ranked candidate.
   • If a student cannot be present, a representative may substitute with the student’s ID card and a signed note from the candidate giving that person permission to represent the student.
   • Students should expect to receive a mailing after grades are submitted or may check with the OTA office to verify the time and place to report for candidacy notification.
9. The most common reasons for being ineligible for candidacy are:
   • Not having successfully completed one of the key courses
   • Having a grade of INC in one of the key courses
   • Having a GPA of less than 2.5 in the key courses
   • Having retaken a key course, not realizing that both grades are calculated in computing the key course GPA

If your candidacy is not successful, you may repeat the registration for OTA00- Intent to OTA only once.

Student Costs to Attend & Complete the OTA Program

The costs noted below apply to all students entering the OTA Program in the academic year 2024-2025. Annual costs are estimates and subject to increases. Students are advised to contact the College and the OTA Program for further information related to costs to attend and complete the OTA Program. Additional information related to LaGuardia Community College tuition and fees, financial aid, and scholarships can be found at https://www.laguardia.edu/payingforcollege/tuition-and-fees/

Total Cost of the Program

*Students may incur additional OTA Program fees related to fieldwork including, Basic Life Saving (CPR), background checks, fingerprinting, N-95 fit-testing, and medical lab testing.

**Please see the OTA Program Fees table below for a detailed breakdown of fees per year of the clinical phase of the program

LAGCC OTA Program Fees