2025 Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools in California

Occupational Therapy is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #15 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Occupational Therapy Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 444 doctor's degrees in occupational therapy to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on occupational therapy students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of occupational therapy students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized occupational therapy related body.

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

More Ways to Rank Occupational Therapy Schools

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 in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Occupational Therapy in California

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for occupational therapy students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

1

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

102 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in occupational therapy. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from University of Southern California

2

Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, CA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

Samuel Merritt University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a doctor's degree in occupational therapy. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt University

Best Occupational Therapy Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Occupational Therapy Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	216	0
Oregon	145	39
Nevada	111	9

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Rankings in Majors Related to Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is one of 16 different types of Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Occupational Therapy

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Physical Therapy/Therapist	1,677
Rehabilitation Science	4
Art Therapy	2

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Barbara E. Carver. More about our data sources and methodologies.