Program Overview

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Occupational Therapy

BSc (Hons)

Overview

On your Occupational Therapy course, you'll gain an understanding of how to help people overcome daily challenges. With your vision, you'll be able to help people achieve and progress in their everyday lives, and help them improve their quality of life.

You’ll meet people from around the world who share your values and can broaden your perspective on looking after others. You’ll also take part in a supervised practice placement each year. This gives you opportunities to apply everything you learn on the course in a professional context. Placements take place in or outside of the Oxford area, in professional settings, giving you the chance to learn and practice on location.

This degree is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council. It is accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. Successful completion allows you to register as an occupational therapist in the UK. So you can be confident you’ll be learning the right skills for a lifelong and rewarding career.

Why Oxford Brookes University?

• Personalised support
• Diverse perspectives
• Community spirit
• Practical experience
• Top 20 in the UK
• Learn a language
• Accreditation(s)

Course Details

Course Structure

In Year 1 , you'll develop the knowledge that is essential to shape your professional identity. You’ll start to hone your skills as an occupational therapist and build your understanding of anatomy and patho-physiology. To prepare for your first clinical practice placement, you’ll engage in learning activities that aim to improve your critical thinking and academic development.

In Year 2 , you’ll progress your population-specific learning. You'll study working with children and those with long-term conditions, and improve your collaborative skills working with other health and social care colleagues. Your second clinical placement will allow you to advance your growing professional competencies.

You’ll start your final year with your final clinical placement. After this you'll explore the occupational therapy role in relation to complex health and social care issues. You will also have the opportunity to develop your employability skills, through your self-directed research project and dissertation. In addition, you'll have the chance to select practice-specific workshops.

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 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
• paramedic science
• physiotherapy
• social work.

This is essential to develop your teamwork skills and your understanding of other roles you will encounter in practice.

Assessment

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.

Study Modules

Teaching for this course takes place Face to Face and you can expect around 18 hours of contact time per week. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Year 1

• Compulsory modules
  • Therapeutic Use of Self
  • Structure and Function of the Human Body
  • Skills for Health Informatics
  • Enabling Occupational Participation 1
  • Occupational Therapy Foundations
  • Occupational Therapy Core Skills
  • Professional Practice 1

Year 2

• Compulsory modules
  • Enabling Occupational Participation 2
  • Research Methods
  • Enabling Occupational Participation 3
  • Collaborative Practice in Health Care
  • Professional Practice 2

Year 3

• Compulsory modules
  • Professional Practice 3
  • Specialist Practice
  • Advancing Occupational Therapy
  • Leadership and Management in Health and Social
  • Occupational Therapy Dissertation

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.

Careers

You’ll have the opportunity to get involved with different groups and communities. This will help you develop skills useful in your occupational therapy career. This includes communication, research, and collaboration with sector professionals. You’ll graduate with the knowledge and skills to add real value to the role of occupational therapy.

You’ll find you can work in any field where an occupational therapist is needed. Our graduates have secured employment across various sectors, including social care, charities, and in policy development.

Entry Requirements

Standard Offer

• UCAS Tariff Points: 104
• A Level: BCC
• IB Points: 29
• 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.

Specific Entry Requirements

• A Level: One science subject (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Maths, PE, Physics, Psychology).
• GCSE: Grade 4 (C) in English, Maths and Science. For English and Maths, Level 2 Functional Skills are accepted as alternatives to GCSEs.

How to Apply

• Full time Home (UK) applicants: Apply through UCAS
• Part time Home (UK) applicants: Apply direct to the University
• International applicants: Apply direct to the University

Tuition Fees

2025 / 26

• Home (UK) full time: £9,535
• International full time: £18,950

2026 / 27

• Home (UK) full time: £9,535*
• International full time: £19,700

*Please note: Tuition fee level for . Tuition fees for home undergraduate students in will be confirmed by the Government later in 2025 and will be updated on our website as soon as the information becomes available.

Additional Costs

• 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).