2025 Best Occupational Therapist Assistant Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Ranked #32 in popularity, occupational therapist assistant is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 18 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Occupational Therapist Assistant Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 405 associate degrees in occupational therapist assistant during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Occupational Therapist Assistant School for Your Associate Degree

The occupational therapist assistant associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to occupational therapist assistant students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other occupational therapist assistant students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• 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 therapist assistant related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for occupational therapist assistant students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Therapist Assistant Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Occupational Therapist Assistant in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in occupational therapist assistant.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Occupational Therapist Assistant

1

St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

114 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat St Catherine University if you want to pursue an associate degree in occupational therapist assistant. Located in the city of Saint Paul, St. Kate's is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from St Catherine University

2

Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

19 Annual Graduates

Kirkwood Community College is a great choice for individuals interested in an associate degree in occupational therapist assistant. Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Kirkwood Community College

3

Lake Area Technical Institute
Watertown, SD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in occupational therapist assistant has to check out Lake Area Technical Institute. LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Lake Area Technical Institute

4

Washburn University
Topeka, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

15 Annual Graduates

Washburn University is a good decision for students interested in an associate degree in occupational therapist assistant. Located in the city of Topeka, Washburn University is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Washburn University

5

Central Community College
Grand Island, NE

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

12 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Central Community College

6

Anoka Technical College
Anoka, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

16 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Anoka Technical College

7

North Dakota State College of Science
Wahpeton, ND

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

10 Annual Graduates

North Dakota State College of Science is a small public college located in the remote town of Wahpeton.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from North Dakota State College of Science

8

Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

10 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City

9

State Fair Community College
Sedalia, MO

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

13 Annual Graduates

State Fair Community College is a small public college located in the remote town of Sedalia.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from State Fair Community College

10

Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

9 Annual Graduates

IHCC is a small public college located in the town of Ottumwa.More information about a associate in occupational therapist assistant from Indian Hills Community College

Best Occupational Therapist Assistant Colleges by State

Explore the best occupational therapist assistant colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	299	337
Kansas	275	70
Missouri	210	144
Iowa	200	73
Nebraska	163	29
South Dakota	148	14
North Dakota	144	6

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Occupational Therapist Assistant

One of 14 majors within the Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services area of study, Occupational Therapist Assistant has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Occupational Therapist Assistant

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Physical Therapy Assistant	444
Medical/Clinical Assistant	163
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	39
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant	18
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	4
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	1

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). More about our data sources and methodologies.