Play Therapy/Therapist Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Play Therapy/Therapist maps to BLS occupations averaging about $72,158, with roughly 243,340 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $10,104; common paths include Occupational Therapy Assistants and Physical Therapist Assistants.
Key Statistics
Play Therapy/Therapist: what the data shows
Common questions about play therapy/therapist degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a play therapy/therapist degree?
A Play Therapy/Therapist program is classified under NCES CIP 51.2317 in the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions field family (51.23).
A program that prepares individuals to be a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or a School Based-Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT). Includes instruction in child development, theories of personality, psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychopathology, and ethics
Types of play therapy/therapist degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.23 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Animal-Assisted Therapy (CIP 51.2313)
- Art Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2301)
- Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering (CIP 51.2312)
- Dance Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2302)
- Drama Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2315)
- Horticulture Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2316)
- Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist (CIP 51.2311)
- Music Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2305)
- Occupational Therapy (CIP 51.2306)
- Orthotist/Prosthetist (CIP 51.2307)
- Physical Therapy (CIP 51.2308)
- Rehabilitation Science (CIP 51.2314)
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy (CIP 51.2309)
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor (CIP 51.2310)
How long does it take to get a play therapy/therapist degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2317 in our file:
- 7 Doctorate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Occupational Therapy Assistants (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a play therapy/therapist degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Play Therapy/Therapist to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | 108,010 | $65,510 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | 44,010 | $34,520 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a play therapy/therapist degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions bachelor's program family: median debt $36,199, median earnings $55,792 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.05.
About 4.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,104 and median net price is $19,104.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Play Therapy/Therapist and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,104 Median In-State Public
$40,370 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Play Therapy/Therapist majors are, on average, $10,104 for in-state public colleges, and $40,370 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Play Therapy/Therapist programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Play Therapy/Therapist from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Play Therapy/Therapist.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 4 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Play Therapy/Therapist programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 2 | Grossmont College | CA | $1,332 |
| 3 | City College of San Francisco | CA | $1,696 |
| 4 | Isothermal Community College | NC | $2,030 |
| 5 | Isothermal Community College | NC | $2,030 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Play Therapy/Therapist programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 2 | Middlesex College | NJ | $2,288 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $2,823 |
| 4 | Moraine Valley Community College | IL | $2,829 |
| 5 | CUNY Hunter College | NY | $2,984 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Play Therapy/Therapist programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Play Therapy/Therapist programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.23 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Animal-Assisted Therapy CIP 51.2313
- Art Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2301
- Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering CIP 51.2312
- Dance Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2302
- Drama Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2315
- Horticulture Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2316
- Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist CIP 51.2311
- Music Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2305
- Occupational Therapy CIP 51.2306
- Orthotist/Prosthetist CIP 51.2307
- Physical Therapy CIP 51.2308
- Rehabilitation Science CIP 51.2314
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy CIP 51.2309
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor CIP 51.2310
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2317 in the survey year used in our extract (7 total across levels below).
- 7 Doctorate (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $72,158. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Play Therapy/Therapist graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | $83,755 | 47,910 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | $85,555 | 108,010 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | $40,345 | 44,010 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | $44,140 | 5,000 |
| Psychiatric Aides | $51,699 | 34,900 |
| Genetic Counselors | $143,815 | 3,510 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions CIP family (28 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Play Therapy/Therapist graduate.
- $36,199 median federal loan debt among completers
- $55,792 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.05 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$72,158 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Play Therapy/Therapist majors is $72,158.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Play Therapy/Therapist majors.
Occupations by Share
243,340 2023 Workforce
The number of Play Therapy/Therapist graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Play Therapy/Therapist by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Play Therapy/Therapist in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Play Therapy/Therapist.
Age distribution for Play Therapy/Therapist degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
65 Total Degrees Awarded
4 Male (6.15%)
61 Female (93.85%)
Gender distribution of Play Therapy/Therapist degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
42 White (64.62%)
13 Black or African American (20.00%)
7 Hispanic or Latino (10.77%)
1 Asian (1.54%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Play Therapy/Therapist degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Play Therapy/Therapist are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Play Therapy/Therapist.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Play Therapy/Therapist field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Play Therapy/Therapist majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Play Therapy/Therapist majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Play Therapy/Therapist majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to be a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or a School Based-Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT). Includes instruction in child development, theories of personality, psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychopathology, and ethics
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Play Therapy/Therapist.
CIP Code
51.2317 - Play Therapy/Therapist
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $36,199 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $55,792, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.05. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Play Therapy/Therapist graduate.
Women earned 93.8% of 65 Play Therapy/Therapist completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $72,158. The largest mapped role by headcount is Occupational Therapy Assistants (47,910 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,104 in-state at public colleges and $40,370 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.