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Occupational Therapy

BSc (Hons)

Key facts
Overview
How to apply
Tuition fees
Learning and assessment
After you graduate
Free language courses

Key facts

UCAS code

B920

Start dates

September 2023 / September 2024

Location

Headington (Marston Road site)

Course length

Full time: 3 years

Department

Department of Sport, Health Sciences and Social Work

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

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  • Royal College of Occupational Therapists

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

What is a 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.

International qualifications and equivalences

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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 UCAS

International applicants

Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£16,500
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£17,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£16,500
2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£17,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

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

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

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. 

Occupational Therapy

Study modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Human Performance and Function in Occupational Therapy

This module promotes the development of knowledge about the functioning of the body and body systems in health. You will have the opportunity to consider how changes to individuals’ health and well-being influence their occupational participation. The module will provide you with clinical lab based time to develop the skills fundamental for professional practice at Stage 1 level, applying the anatomical and physiological parameters of human performance and function in the exploration of occupational disruption caused by disease processes of the body.

Foundations of Occupational Therapy Practice

This module introduces you to a range of Occupational Therapy models including Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOPE), Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and theories from psychology and sociology to develop an understanding of the occupational paradigm and an understanding of occupational performance, participation and engagement across the lifespan.

Professional Development 1a

This professional development module provides you with the essential pre-requisites to enable you to gain 'fitness to practise' authorisation. This is prior to the practice module Professional Development 1b. You will participate in statutory and mandatory training requirements of the National Health and Social Care Services. Your learning will be recorded and submitted as part of the professional portfolio in order to meet the 'fitness to practise' requirements for practice placement. This will provide a basis for the continuing professional development requirements of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Health and Care Professions Council.

Professional Development 1b - (6 weeks' placement in practice)

This professional development module enables you to begin to develop and apply the professional values, skills and knowledge in a practice context. You will observe, reflect and participate in occupational therapy practice with supervision, as appropriate to the setting and your level of abilities. The placement experience provides opportunities for you to recognise key occupational therapy concepts and be able to describe their application in the placement setting. You will show professional suitability in particular through your communication skills with service users and team members.

Skills for Health Informatics

This module introduces key principles and skills for selecting, collating and managing digital information in both the delivery of health care and the contemporary management of health conditions. It will provide opportunities to work alongside other health and social care students, developing the essential digital skills required to effectively practice in an evidenced based health environment. This module is designed to be shared with other health and social care students, thus enabling the students to develop collaborative strategies essential for health care delivery.

Therapeutic Use of Self

This module will enable you to develop the skills necessary to build and maintain a therapeutic alliance with clients. You will have the opportunity to develop critical self-awareness skills fostering your ability to be an empathetic and compassionate listener, as well as the opportunity to develop specialist therapeutic communication skills to work with people who have additional communication difficulties and/or behavioural challenges.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Professional Development 2a

This professional development module provides you with the essential prerequisites to gain 'fitness to practise' authorisation. This is prior to the practice module Professional Development 1b. You will participate in statutory and mandatory training requirements of the National Health and Social Care Services. Your learning will be recorded and submitted as part of the professional portfolio to meet the 'fitness to practise' requirements for practice placement. This will be built upon from Professional Development 1a and will contribute to the professional development requirements of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Health and Care Professions Council.

Research Methods and Analysis

This module will teach you the research process, the associated research methods, data analysis and the ethical considerations associated with health and social care research. The module focuses on the techniques and skills for data collection and analysis in quantitative and qualitative research designs. It provides you with more advanced skills to critique research and determine its usefulness for evidence based practice. It is the pre-requisite research methods module for the honours degree dissertation.

Collaborative Practice in Health Care

This module aims to give students the opportunity to engage in a series of enquiry based learning activities focussed on practice based scenarios designed to simulate interdisciplinary practice experiences. The students will work alongside other health and social care colleagues, such as Physiotherapists. This module aims to develop the necessary skills and values for health and social care practitioners to work in collaboration to ensure seamless client focused delivery in practice. Students’ ability to use patient-centred clinical reasoning and multi-disciplinary care planning approaches will be developed.

Occupational Disruption

This module will develop your understanding of concepts of occupational disruption, transition and adaptation across the life span. You will explore the presentation of a range of health conditions and use your theoretical and conceptual knowledge to analyse the impact on occupational performance and participation using a variety of occupational therapy assessment approaches. You will be offered opportunities to analyse and understand how life events affect occupational performance and well-being. This module builds upon Level 4 academic modules within the occupational therapy programme and your experience gained on Professional Development 1b.

Occupational Therapy for Participation across the Lifespan

This module will enable you to develop skills in planning occupational therapy intervention for individuals with a wide range of needs throughout the lifespan, informed by occupational therapy theory and current best practice guidance. This module runs alongside the Occupational Disruption module which focuses on conditions, life events and assessment relevant to occupational therapy practice. This module builds upon Level 4 academic modules within the occupational therapy programme and your experience gained on Professional Development 1b.

Professional Development 2b

This extended practice module (10 weeks) is set at an advanced level, building on Professional Development 1b (6 weeks). This placement module involves managing a small caseload and undertaking identified responsibilities (as appropriate). You are supported through the transition from guided to more self-directed practice, self-evaluation and setting of your own development goals. The practice placement will provide a different setting/client group or age range from Professional Development 1b, and will retain an emphasis on person centred multidisciplinary teamwork to promote effective collaborative working.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Professional Development 3

This professional development module is the final period of supervised practice and builds on previous Professional Development modules. This sustained period of professional development (13 weeks) provides you with an opportunity to contribute to the planning, implementation and evaluation of a service and to critically appraise your own performance. The module allows you to demonstrate the ability to take on appropriate levels of responsibility relevant to the practice context and to work effectively with other colleagues, teams and organisations. This final practice module serves as a transition into autonomous professional practice, requiring you to demonstrate leadership skills and creative entrepreneurial abilities as well as an active commitment to lifelong learning.

Advancing Occupational Therapy

This module will build on your capacity to use your acquired knowledge in an applied manner to enhance your therapeutic reasoning skills. You will expand, consolidate and evaluate this knowledge and integrate evidence-based information for professional practice in different contexts. The module will focus on transitions to graduate professional practice, enabling you to apply advanced skills in therapeutic reasoning in new, diverse and complex settings. To help launch you into your new professional career the module will offer opportunities to explore current drivers for practice (policy, law, ethics, and professional regulations – HCPC, RCOT, and continuing professional development requirements) and to investigate potential future trends, directions and theory development. You will have opportunities to prepare for graduate occupational therapy practice and to respond to the ever changing and diverse needs of the population.

Contexts of Occupational Therapy practice

In this module you will reflect on your acquired professional skills and consolidate your practice education experiences. You will develop and build on a range of occupational therapy practice skills through participation in specialist workshops focusing on a wide variety of clinical areas. The module will provide you with current health and social care strategies to deliver relevant evidence-based practice in the workplace. Workshops are led by lecturers and clinicians with expertise in specialist areas of practice; with additional input from service users, carers and other professionals.

Leadership and Management in Healthcare

This module aims to provide students with the skills, knowledge and strategies to promote and develop effective leadership qualities to work in partnership within diverse teams/agencies across professional and organisational boundaries. This module will develop critical insight and evaluation of individual professional development needs as a preparation for continuing professional development and future employment opportunities, both national and international. This module facilitates interdisciplinary working by involving teaching and learning activities with peers from a variety of health and social care programmes.

Occupational Therapy Dissertation / Project (Evidence Based)

This module is focused around evidence-based practice. It enables you to autonomously investigate a topic of particular interest, to critically appraise and synthesise a body of knowledge and identify a gap or substantive problem in that knowledge/ practice arena and draw up a research proposal or project specification designed to investigate the issues. You are given the opportunity to: develop a deeper acquaintance and understanding of a particular area of interest building on previous learning within the programme acquire expertise in investigating a substantive problem from a research or evidence based perspective develop autonomous investigative and project management skills.

Work placements

Optional modules

Work placements

Practice placements occur each year and form an integral part of your course. You will complete three placements, each consisting of supervised workplace learning in a selected health or social care setting, which may be located in a hospital or in the community. You will become increasingly involved in the treatment of clients of different ages and with a diversity of needs. We offer a range of support mechanisms, both within the University and in the placement area, to support you through your programme of study. While on placement, you will be supported by a named member of staff known as a practice educator. We have a dedicated Practice Education Unit that provides administrative and academic support for placement learning/practice education for all pre-qualifying courses.

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.

More about free language 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.