At Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada, Therapist Assistant Diploma is offered as a diploma in Rehabilitation Sciences programme. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 9,800 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Rehabilitation Sciences
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 9,800 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Therapist Assistant Diploma will prepare the graduate to work as an Assistant to Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Recreational Therapists. It is a two-year diploma of full-time study including four semesters of coursework plus 18 weeks of practical experience in clinical settings. Principles, theory and practice will be taught at the Assistant level in the disciplines of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Recreation Therapy. You will obtain an academic and practical foundation in the areas of health and rehabilitation science, and will take introductory-level university courses in English, Biology and Psychology. The Therapist Assistant Diploma curriculum is reflective of the growing and evolving scope of practice for Therapist Assistants.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Two routes into this diploma - meet either one.
Route one: B.C. secondary-school graduation or the equivalent, or being 19 or older and out of secondary school for at least a year by the first day of classes; English 12 at 60 per cent or an accepted alternative; Chemistry 11 or the advanced-level ABE chemistry course; and one of Biology 12, Anatomy and Physiology 12, BIOL 122 or BIOL 124, or the provincial-level ABE biology equivalent - Biology 12 or BIOL 122 is the College's strong recommendation.
Route two: one of ENGL 100, 150, 151 or 153 or the equivalent, plus BIOL 131 and 133, plus PSYC 111 and 121, or equivalents.
International applicants who cannot present English 12 satisfy the same English line through the College's test table at the 60 per cent level: IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band under 6.0, TOEFL 79 internet-based, CAEL 60, PTE Academic 56 with no communicative skill under 55, or Duolingo 105; results must be under two years old. Duolingo is not accepted for some health programs, so confirm with Admissions before relying on it.
Other admission requirements: current Red Cross or St. John Ambulance standard first aid and current CPR level C; tuberculin testing from no more than six months before the application date, with evidence of follow-up if the result was positive; and criminal record check clearance through the B.C. Criminal Records Review Program, started only when Admissions instructs you. Current immunisations, hepatitis B included, are strongly advised. Missing a documentation deadline can cost you the offer.
Before clinical placements: the full B.C. Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum including its eight-hour in-person class. These pre-practice items carry extra cost and are normally completed outside class time.
The College warns that the course load is demanding and suggests taking BIOL 131 and 133 (strongly recommended), PSYC 111 and 121, or one of ENGL 100, 150, 151 or 153 beforehand, and arriving with at least beginner-level computer and word-processing skills.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes published by Okanagan College for this program: September 2026 (Kelowna). Campus availability differs by intake and the program page shows which are still open.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants: there is no fixed closing date. Okanagan College opens applications on October's first business day each year, and programs that run several intakes across the year - Entry-Level Trades Foundation and health programs other than Nursing and Dental among them - keep taking applications for those intakes over the following ten months. Most programs accept applications right up to the start date and close only when the seats are gone, so apply early and check each intake's status on the program page. Apply through EducationPlannerBC; the fee is $30 CAD. International applicants: 15 March is the College's deadline for its limited-entry programs, a list the calendar gives as every Engineering Technology diploma plus Early Childhood Education, Human Service Worker, Human Kinetics and Therapist Assistant - this program is on it. For a January start the international deadline is 31 October (documents by 15 November) and for the May or July sessions 28 February (documents by 31 March). These are institution-wide dates, not a deadline published for this program on its own.
