The Department of Occupational Therapy at Yonsei University was established in 1979 as the first of its kind in Korea. For the past 20 years, Yonsei occupational therapy program has been leading the Korean occupational therapy society. Occupational therapy is a health profession that uses purposeful activities to promote one‘s maximal performance in the areas of work, leisure and self-care as well as remediating impaired functions. The occupational therapists evaluate and treat people who have disabilities caused by physical, sensory-motor, cognitive, psychological and social dysfunction.

The occupational therapy program requires successful completion of liberal arts and science courses such as psychology, sociology, anatomy and physiology and major-related courses such as psychosocial occupational therapy, physical disabilities and activity analysis. All students must complete full-time fieldwork at hospitals or health-related institutions in the 2nd semester of the 4th year. At Yonsei university, there are two levels of graduate programs (MS and Ph.D.) in the Department of Rehabilitation Therapy to meet students' educational goals.

The graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national licensure examination for the occupational therapist in Korea. The occupational therapists practice in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, community health centers, industry, schools or pediatric centers. Currently, some of them are working at research institutions or teaching at colleges and universities.

Since the Korean government declared that it will prioritize rehabilitation-welfare policy the demand for occupational therapists is sharply rising. Reflecting this recent trend, the opening of occupational programs is rising in many colleges and universities. Therefore, occupational therapy is such a promising field that the employment outlook is excellent as clinicians, administrators, and educators.