Occupational Therapy
BSc (Hons)
Key facts
UCAS code
B920
Start dates
September 2023 / September 2024
Location
Course length
Full time: 3 years
Accreditation(s)
Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists - WFOT)
UCAS Tariff Points
112
Overview
Occupational therapy (OT) involves enhancing the daily lives of people with a broad range of physical, mental health and social needs. As an occupational therapist you will work with people of all ages, to improve their wellbeing and quality of life.
Our Occupational Therapy degree will equip you with the skills to practise as a competent occupational therapist, in a wide variety of health and social care environments.
Your studies will cover:
- occupational therapy theory
- occupational therapy practice
- components of the biological, behavioural, social and medical sciences.
This course will teach you to assess the living skills and occupations of clients. You will use this information to improve how they move around their environment.
You will gain real world experience. We have a clinic where you can watch patients being treated by a qualified occupational therapist.
Six months after qualifying, 90% of students are employed in a professional role with an average salary of £22,000.
How to apply
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 112
A Level: BBC
IB Points: 30
BTEC: DMM
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 88
A Level: CCD
IB Points: 27
BTEC: MMM
Further offer details
The following are intended to give you a general guide to the attainment levels we expect for this course:
Access to Higher Education Diploma: to include 12 Level 3 credits in Biology/Human Biology. English and maths level 2 credits will no longer be accepted as GCSE equivalences.
Mature students are welcome to apply but will have to show evidence of recent academic study at A-level standard or above in the last three years. They will also have to have GCSE English grade 5 and Mathematics at Grade 4 qualification, or equivalent.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: Grade 4 (C) in English, Maths and Science. For English and Maths, Level 2 Functional Skills are accepted as alternatives to GCSEs.
We strongly recommend that you seek the opportunity to observe an OT working either in hospital setting or community before applying to the University.
Personal qualities and work experience are also taken into consideration if you meet the academic entry requirements. Preference will be given to those candidates who show an understanding of the demands of completing a degree and the resilience necessary to work in as a health care professional. All applicants are invited to take part in a group interview as part of the selection process.
Securing a place is subject to both a satisfactory DBS and an Occupational Health clearance. If neither clearance has been completed prior to enrolment nor a DBS issue has been declared on application, then enrolment may not be possible.
If enrolment has been agreed, then continuation on the programme will be contingent on satisfactory clearances.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Screening
All applicants will be screened for fitness to practise and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be made.
Selection process
All Oxford Brookes University Health and Social Care Programmes conduct Value Based Recruitment (VBR). We recognise that values and attitudes have the greatest impact on the quality of people's care and their experiences.
VBR is a way of helping our Programme recruitment teams to assess the values, motives and attitudes of those who wish to work with people in health and social care settings. When we refer to values we mean, for example, the values included in the NHS constitution.
VBR focuses on 'how' and 'why' an applicant makes choices in how they act and seeks to explore reasons for their behaviour. Further details about the VBR framework can be found here.
English language requirements
International students are required to undertake IELTS English language proficiency test, and achieve 6.5 in the IELTS, with no less than 6.5 in any component. They must be eligible for matriculation into a university in their home country.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
If you do not meet the entry requirements for this degree, or if you would like more preparation before you start, you can take an international foundation course. Once you enrol, you will have a guaranteed pathway to this degree if you pass your foundation course with the required grades.
If you only need to meet the language requirements, you can take our pre-sessional English course. You will develop key language and study skills for academic success and you will not need to take an external language test to progress to your degree.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Application process
Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCASInternational applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityFull time international applicants can also apply through UCAS
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Financial support and scholarships
All eligible Occupational Therapy students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. For more information please visit https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Placement costs
There are costs that need to be paid for by students in travelling to and from practice placement and/or potential accommodation costs (a minority of students require additional accommodation for placement(s) during the course). Currently these can be as much as £1,500 per placement for accommodation and/or travel but will depend on location and type of placement. Eligible home students will be able to claim reimbursement of these additional placement costs but will need the money to pay upfront. Currently, the average travel cost per placement is £300 and for placements that require accommodation the average cost per placement is £800. There are 3 placements during the course (but more may be required if students are obliged to re-take with potential resulting additional costs).
Learning and assessment
Year 1 modules provide you with a foundation in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes of occupational therapy.
You will spend time in our skills laboratories to combine your theory and practice.
The placements you undertake at the end of the academic year will provide you with practical work experience.
In Years 2 and 3 you will develop skills and knowledge in specific practice areas.
You'll complete two placement opportunities in different practice areas. This will refine your practical and professional skills.
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Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
You will have online and experience-based learning opportunities.
You will also learn through:
- lectures
- seminars
- group work
- self-directed study.
You will have access to an extensive range of learning resources through our online learning platform.
Throughout the degree, there are a range of assessments, including:
- skill-based assessments
- coursework
- exams.
We assess each of your three practice placements. This counts towards to your final degree.
You will share some of your learning with other health and social care students, including those studying:
- nursing (adult, children and mental health)
- midwifery
- operating department practice
- paramedic emergency care
- physiotherapy
- social work.
This is essential to develop your teamwork skills and your understanding of other roles you will encounter in practice.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Students normally take four modules per semester. You will be assessed through a combination of:
- written exams
- practical exams
- coursework.
You will receive feedback on your draft work before your final submission. This feedback is given verbally or in written form. This feedback helps you to make modifications to your coursework before the final hand-in.
After you graduate
Career prospects
As a graduate, you will be well equipped with the knowledge, values and professional strategies you require for occupational therapy practice. You will also have developed the professional and personal competence necessary to become a confident, autonomous and accountable occupational therapist.
Career opportunities include specialist areas of practice, research, teaching and management. Some occupational therapists go on to take NHS consultant posts, or work in industry or with charities, both in the UK and abroad.
Free language courses
Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Information from Discover Uni
Full-time study
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.