Clarkson University
315-268-4476
Clarkson University’s main campus, including its OT department, is located in Potsdam, New York. The university also includes additional research and graduate facilities in Beacon and Schenectady, the Capital Region Campus. With three separate campuses, Clarkson is a sprawling university with a great deal of variety in the undergraduate and graduate majors it offers to students. The school is research-focused, especially in interdisciplinary research. Its OT program, accredited by the Occupational Therapy Association, prepares students to manage all current and developing social needs that impact the care graduates will provide to patients in occupational therapy jobs. Their Smart Simulation Lab is state-of-the-art, assisting in hands-on classroom learning.
Columbia University
212-854-1754
Columbia University is located in Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is an Ivy league research university. As the oldest university in New York and the fifth-oldest university in the United States, the school has a long and storied history. Columbia University offers multiple occupational therapy degree programs, all contained in their Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. These programs include a Master of Science degree, a MS/MPH dual degree, a Doctor of Education in Movement Science degree, and a post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program that is entirely online. With these programs, there are many opportunities to continue your studies long past undergrad.
Dominican College
845-359-7800
Dominican College is an accredited liberal arts college in Orangeburg, New York. Due to its close proximity to New York City, the campus is very connected to city life. The school commits itself to providing personal support to each of its students through the use of small class sizes and dedicated faculty. The occupational therapy program is designed for those currently working and looking to further their studies in a way that does not intrude upon their work. The university offers weekend classes and teaches its students the latest trends in the profession to ensure they are getting the best possible education.
D’Youville College
716-829-7600
D’Youville College is located in Buffalo, New York. It is a small private college that was founded as a Roman Catholic institution and still honors this heritage, though it is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds. Its mission emphasizes service and leadership, building a community of academics and scholars. The occupational therapy program at D’Youville College includes both a three year MS and a combined BS and MS path. Both programs are American Occupational Therapy Association-accredited. Education in the program emphasizes the variety of occupational therapy jobs available, including everything from nursing facilities to neonatal intensive care units.
Hofstra University
516-463-6600
Hofstra University is a private school located in Hempstead, New York. It is the largest private university on Long Island, and its location means it is closely connected to New York City. Hofstra University defines its most important principles as its PRIDE values. This stands for perseverance, responsibility, innovation, diversity, and empowerment. These values are reflected in all of their degree programs, including occupational therapy. Their MS in occupational therapy is a full-time program that operates on campus. It features two 12-week field work experiences to give students the real world skills they need to succeed in their occupational therapy jobs.
Ithaca College
800-429-4274
Ithaca College is in Ithaca, New York. It is a fairly large private liberal arts college that offers a wide variety of majors. Ithaca has been consistently ranked within the top 15 of U.S. News & World Report’s regional university rankings, displaying a consistent quality of education and student experience. The campus is also home to over 200 student organizations, and despite its fairly large size, classes remain small so education is still personalized to the individual. Ithaca’s Department of Occupational Therapy offers both a two year master’s in occupational therapy and a combined bachelor’s and master’s program. The programs include opportunities for learning inside classrooms, through research, and through fieldwork placements.
Keuka College
315-279-5000
Keuka College is located in Keuka Park, New York. It is a private college that is fairly small in size. Its courses focus on allowing those who are already in the workforce or otherwise leading busy lives to get the experiential education they need to succeed. Many programs, including occupational therapy, offer night classes and a curriculum that allows for one course to be taken at a time. Field work is prioritized alongside other forms of hands-on learning. Their occupational therapy program is offered as a hybrid undergrad and graduate course, with a four-year undergraduate degree in Occupational Science and an additional year for the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.
Le Moyne College
800-333-4733
Le Moyne College is in Syracuse, New York. It is a private institution with connections to the Jesuit faith in its founding that are continued to this day. The college prioritizes Jesuit beliefs in its practices, which emphasize contemplation, action, and spirituality. Community service hours are an important aspect of education. Class sizes are relatively small, with a student to faculty ratio of about 13:1. Despite its smaller size, Le Moyne has over 80 student organizations and clubs. Occupational therapy is offered as a graduate-level MS program. Education starts with a desire to understand patients and their needs, and continues on to find ways to address those needs through occupational therapy.
Long Island University (LIU)
718-488-1011
Long Island University is made up of two main residential campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, and three additional non-residential campuses. LIU Post is located in Brookville, New York, while LIU Brooklyn is in Brooklyn, New York. The occupational therapy program is located at the Brooklyn campus. The curriculum prepares students for the modern developments of occupational therapy jobs with a three year full-time program. It is geared towards community involvement, specifically in research areas that serve to improve general health and wellness. It also contains fieldwork opportunities in various different fields including mental health, pediatrics, geriatrics, and physical disabilities.
Mercy College
https://www.mercy.edu/contact-us
877-637-2946
The main campus of Mercy College is located in Dobbs Ferry, New York. The college also has campuses in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Yorktown Heights. It is a private college with historic affiliations to the Roman Catholic faith. Class sizes are typically below 30 students, though the college’s total enrollment includes over 10,000 students. Mercy College’s graduate occupational therapy program consists of a two-year weekend program that runs every other week. This ensures that students with busy schedules can not only receive the education they need, but also graduate in a timely manner. Hands-on and “learning by doing” methods are prioritized.
Nazareth College
585-389-2525
Nazareth College is a private college located in the Pittsford suburb of Rochester, New York. The college offers majors in over 60 different fields of interest and dozens of graduate programs. The campus is home to about 3,000 students each year. Nazareth College prides itself on the civic engagement of its students and its arts and sciences core. In the American Occupational Therapy Association-accredited occupational therapy program, students undergo five years of study in a BS to MS degree program. In these five years, they learn all the skills they need for entry-level practice in an occupational therapy job. Clinical experiences that connect different areas of study are a key component of the degree program’s fieldwork.
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
800-345-6948
NYIT is in Old Westbury, New York, just a short ride away from New York City. Though it is most well known as a business school, it features multiple health sciences programs as well, including occupational therapy. The Master in Occupational Therapy program features many faculty-taught research opportunities and chances for fieldwork. Many courses intersect with other disciplines such as sports medicine, computer science, and engineering. NYIT expands its focus to include technological developments that could assist in occupational therapy, such as computer applications and virtual reality. Travel abroad opportunities are also available through the program.
New York University
212-992-4723
New York University is located in New York City. It is a private school with a heavy focus on research, and it is the largest independent facility for research in the United States. The university is made up of students and faculty from incredibly diverse backgrounds, with members from nearly all states and over 130 different countries attending the school. It has a large population of first-generation students, as well as low-income students who receive financial aid. Occupational therapy is offered as part of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. There is a Master of Occupational Therapy program as well as a MS/Doctor of Occupational Therapy program.
Sage Colleges
518-244-2000
The Sage Colleges are made up of three different schools. These are the Sage College of Albany located in Albany, NY; Russell Sage College, a women’s college in Troy, NY; and the Sage Graduate School in both Albany and Troy. Occupational therapy is offered at the Sage Graduate School, as part of their School of Health Sciences. There is both a full-time and a part-time route for earning a Master of Occupational Therapy. The full-time route is a two-year program that includes six months of field experience. The part-time method works around busy schedules by letting students take classes two to three days a week.
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
718-270-1000
SUNY Downstate Medical Center is a hospital and medical school in Brooklyn, New York. It is one of the many SUNY schools, which make up over 60 different campuses in the New York area. SUNY Downstate is one of the country’s premier urban medical centers, treating thousands of patients and providing education for thousands of students. Because of the unique nature of this hybrid hospital and university, hands-on learning is paramount, with many students able to participate in treatment right on campus. SUNY Downstate is also a very diverse program in all fields, including the occupational therapy program. The Master’s program is two and a half years of full-time study with fieldwork.
Stony Brook University
631-632-6000
Stony Brook University is a SUNY school that functions as one of the four campus centers of the SUNY system. It is a research university located in Stony Brook, New York. Stony Brook is a consistently award-winning university from publications like Forbes, QS World University Rankings, and the U.S. News and World Report. The school offers occupational therapy as part of their School of Health Technology and Management. The American Occupational Therapy Association has accredited their three-year occupational therapy MS program, which is nationally ranked. The program has a secondary campus site at Stony Brook at Southampton.
Touro College
212-463-4889
The Touro College system is made up of 34 different schools that span 16 different cities. These schools are home to over 200 programs and 26 different degrees. Each school maintains a small-school feeling while remaining connected to the larger whole, which gives each school access to more resources for study. The Touro School of Health Sciences is home to their occupational therapy program. They provide a three-year combined program for both a Bachelor of Sciences in Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. These classes are offered at their Manhattan, Long Island, and Bay Shore locations.
University at Buffalo, State University of New York (SUNY Buffalo)
716-645-2000
SUNY Buffalo is a SUNY school located in Buffalo, New York and Amhurst, New York. It is a public research institute and it is considered the flagship SUNY campus due to its large student body and high funding for research. SUNY Buffalo offers degrees in many different disciplines, with a special focus on health sciences studies. It has been ranked in the top one percent of universities worldwide by the Center for World University Rankings and the college is a member of the Association of American Universities. An occupational therapy degree is offered as part of a BS/MS dual degree program that takes five years to complete.
Utica College
315-792-3006
Utica College is located in Utica, New York. It is a private college that boasts innovation and looking towards the future as some of its values. There are over 100 clubs and student organizations with plenty of ways to get involved in the community. Their occupational therapy program is founded on educating, while also helping students develop their compassion and empathy skills. Utica College offers both an occupational therapy undergraduate degree and a graduate program. The college allows students to take courses through their weekend/bridge program, which combines in-person classes with an online education.
York College, The City University of New York (CUNY)
646-664-3550
CUNY campus is located in New York City. Its foundational beliefs include providing a high-quality education for students regardless of their financial situation or background. Financial support is frequently offered to attending students, and the school encourages its members to get involved in efforts to volunteer and improve the community. The occupational therapy program is part of their York College in Queens, New York. It is an accredited combined program that confers both a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. The program prepares students for occupational therapy jobs as certified practitioners, researchers, mentors, educators, and consultants.