Operating Department Practice
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Operating Department Practice
Overview
Don your scrubs and head straight into the theatre with our highly practical Operating Department Practice degree.
Course Options
- 3 years full-time
- Start dates: September
- Location: Chelmsford, Cambridge
Key Facts
- Study options: 3 years
- Start dates: September
- Location: Chelmsford
- Entry: UCAS code: B991
- Fees: £9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)
Teaching and Assessment
Year 1
- Introduction to Perioperative Practice
- Exploring Aspects of Anatomy and Physiology
- Principles and Practices of Anaesthesia
- Practical Concepts in Anatomy and Physiology
- Holistic Care of the Surgical Patient
- Into ARU
Year 2
- Perioperative Pharmacology and Physiology
- Care of the Patient Undergoing Anaesthesia
- Promoting Best Practice in the Operating Theatre
- Post-Anaesthetic and Acute Care
Year 3
- Research Methods
- Enhanced Clinical Skills in Perioperative and Critical Care
- Undergraduate Major Project
- Holistic Leadership in the Perioperative Environment
Facilities
- Purpose-built mock theatre
- True-to-life skills labs
- Clinical placements in leading NHS and private hospitals
Careers
- Operating Department Practitioner
- Anaesthesia, intensive care work, transplant team, helicopter emergency services, and management
Entry Requirements
- 96 UCAS Tariff points
- 3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths
- Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure
- Satisfactory Occupational Health clearance
- Literacy and numeracy tests
Interviews
- Invitation to attend an interview
- Assessment of overall suitability for the course
Fees and Paying for University
- Tuition fees: £9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)
- Maintenance Loan: available to help cover living costs
- Training grants: eligible students can receive funding of at least £5,000 a year
Placements
- 24 hours a week on placement
- Hands-on experience in hospitals and surgical settings
- Locations: Essex, Cambridgeshire, London
Research Areas
- Health, Performance and Wellbeing
- Safe and Inclusive Communities
- Sustainable Futures
Institutes and Centres
- Our research institutes and centres
Why ARU?
- Prepare for vital roles in surgery, anaesthesia, and post-operative care
- Get a minimum of £5,000 per year non-repayable training grant
- Dive straight into real-life operating theatre experiences with placements at NHS hospitals
- Get hands-on training in state-of-the-art clinical skills and simulation labs
- Study with supportive tutors who are experienced professionals in their field
- Graduate ready to start your career as an ODP
Study at an Award-Winning University
- Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023
- Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework
Vibrant Campuses
- Choose where you study: Cambridge and Chelmsford
Taster Days
- Book your place at one of our Taster Days
- Meet our lecturers and current students
- Learn more about the course and the role of the ODP
- Pick up useful tips for your application and interview
Your Guide to Placements
- Spend around 24 hours a week on placement
- Get hands-on experience in hospitals and surgical settings
- Locations: Essex, Cambridgeshire, London
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Program Outline
Careers:
- Most of our students have secured jobs in their third year of study.
- As an ODP your career options are wide-ranging, and could see you specialise in any number of areas including anaesthesia, intensive care work, joining a transplant team or even being involved with helicopter emergency services and management.
Tuition Fees and Payment Information:
Tuition fees and student loans for UK students (2024/25) £9,250 UK students starting 2024/25 (full-time, per year) If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now. If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees. Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year. You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate. If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped. If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped. For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5: If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45. What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back. For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page. This information also applies to: Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. Additional course and living costs Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. Additional course and living costs Additional DBS check - £44 Living at university We understand that affordability is an important issue when you’re thinking about studying at university. The overall cost of university can vary depending on where you’re studying and which course you’re taking. However, some of the main costs you’ll want to think about include: accommodation bills internet, mobile phone and calls travel food and drink socialising and going out study materials. As a very general guide, living costs at university can range from around £7,000–£9,000 per year. They may be lower if you're living at home. Our Money Advice Service is on hand if you’d like to chat about living costs, budgets and managing your money. Most full-time UK students can apply for a Maintenance Loan to help cover living costs. EU students starting a course before 1 August 2021 are also eligible for the Maintenance Loan. More about maintenance loans Funding information Training grants From September 2020, nursing, midwifery, operating department practitioner (ODP) and paramedic science students will receive funding of at least £5,000 a year to help with living costs. Some students may be eligible for more, and this money does not have to be repaid.
Entry Requirements:
Main
- 96 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).
- 3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
- If English is not your first language, you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 7.0 (Academic level), or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognized by Anglia Ruskin University.
Notes
- An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure will also be required.
- If you have already achieved your Access to HE results and are unsure if we can consider you, please contact us.
- A satisfactory Occupational Health clearance will also be required.
- Literacy and numeracy tests are part of the assessment process for entry to this course.
- To receive an offer of a place on this course, you must be successful at interview.
Alternatives
- UCAS Tariff points acquired from BTEC Level 3 Diplomas are accepted.
- UCAS Tariff points from Access to HE Diplomas are accepted.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 24 points is accepted.
- UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Advanced Highers are accepted.
- UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Highers are accepted.
- UCAS Tariff points from the Irish Leaving Certificate are accepted.
- UCAS Tariff points acquired from the International Baccalaureate Certificate are accepted.
Important additional notes
- Our published entry requirements are a guide only, and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
- Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email answers@aru.ac.uk for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.
- You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.
- We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However, for some degree courses, a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.
- If you don’t meet our advertised entry requirements, you could consider Public Health with Foundation Year, which’ll give you the Level 3 qualification needed to apply for this degree. In your first year, you'll make an application to apply for an interview, and if successful, you'll be offered a place on the condition you complete the Year 1 (Public Health with Foundation Year) and meet the conditions of your offer.
Occupational health
- You must have a satisfactory occupational health clearance to be allowed out on placement. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/IDC (Industrial Diagnostics Company) will undertake the vaccinations on behalf of ARU. However, if this is undertaken by a third party (your own GP), ARU is unable to reimburse the cost.
- If you can produce acceptable evidence of already having the vaccinations, you won’t need to have them again. However, if you have not previously had the vaccinations, you can expect to have the following:
- Measles immunity blood test
- Rubella immunity blood test
- Varicella (chicken pox) immunity blood test
- Hepatitis B immunity blood test
- IGRA blood test (TB screening)
- Hep B surface antigen blood test (Hep B surface antigen screening)
- Hep C blood test (Hep C screening)
- HIV blood test (HIV screening)
- Three or four Hep B vaccinations
- Two MMR vaccinations
- Two varicella (chicken pox) vaccinations
- One BCG (TB) vaccination
- You’ll be contacted by the occupational health provider after you have firmly accepted your offer (minimum of six months before your course starts), who’ll first ask you to complete a medical questionnaire and arrange a meeting with the nurse.
Covid and flu vaccine
- As your course has placements in care homes and/or NHS environments to fulfill Professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements, we continue to strongly recommend Covid and flu vaccination. This is to protect both yourself and the vulnerable people that you’ll come into contact with throughout your placements.
- Please also be aware that if you were to catch either Covid or flu during your course, it may result in significant disruption to your studies. If you are unsure about vaccines, we suggest you seek evidenced-based information on vaccines from reputable sources.
Additional information for Operating Department Practice students
- If you don’t meet our advertised entry requirements, you could consider Public Health with Foundation Year, which’ll give you the Level 3 qualification needed to apply for this degree. In your first year, you'll make an application to apply for an interview, and if successful, you'll be offered a place on the condition you complete the Year 1 (Public Health with Foundation Year) and meet the conditions of your offer.
- International students
- This course is open to UK applicants only, as the availability of work placements in the UK health service is limited.
Interview information
- If you're applying for certain courses at ARU, we may invite you to attend an interview. Visit our interview page for more information about what's involved and how you can prepare.
