Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons)

On this accredited course you will master the skills, knowledge and professional behaviours you need to succeed as an Occupational Therapist. We have been teaching Occupational Therapy for over 45 years. We hold a strong professional identity with a commitment to ensure students fulfil their potential as occupational beings. We are ready to share our expertise with you and help you to grow as a person.

Our course is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and we have designed our course in line with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). Successful completion of all modules and placements will enable you to register with the HCPC, to practice under the protected title of State Registered Occupational Therapist.

You will become a part of a thriving community with a variety of network collaborations with local occupational therapists, local community groups and charities, as well as working with other people involved in the health and wellbeing of others. This support network will allow you to gain experience on placements in various settings, and study theories backed up by substantial evidence. Your placements will take place in each year of study.

We offer opportunities to be entrepreneurial, innovative, and enterprising and we hope to support your future ability to scope and broaden the horizons during your course. Teaching matches contemporary drivers within health, wellbeing and social care and will enable you to become a competent, confident Occupational Therapist.

Study routes

We offer various routes for study and we have many flexible routes for those who are balancing work, life commitments and study. We have 4 routes for you to choose from:

• Full time for 3 years
• Complete your course by attending 2 years full time and 2 years part time (4 years in total)
• Complete your course by attending 1 year full time and 4 years part time (5 years in total)
• Complete your course entirely part time (6 years in total)

Year 1

Our academic year is split into 2 semesters.

Full time - in your first year you will study:

• 3 compulsory modules in semester 1
• 3 compulsory modules in semester 2

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

Modules

Year 2

Full time - in your second year you will study:

• 2 compulsory module in semester 1
• 3 compulsory modules in semester 2

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

Modules

Year 3

Full time - in your third year you will study:

• 2 compulsory module in semester 1
• 3 compulsory module in semester 2

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

Modules

Teaching and learning

Your modules will increase in complexity as you progress through your degree. You will learn through:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Individual and group tutorials
• Interactive workshops
• Practical skills workshops
• Professional practice placements

Your contact time can vary each week but will usually be 12 to 18 hours a week. We schedule our taught sessions between 9.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

You will need to conduct independent study outside of this time. This might include reading, research and coursework preparation. You can also arrange academic tutorials to receive feedback on your work and discuss the course content.

Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area. You can find out more about our research and backgrounds by visiting our staff pages.

Assessment

Assessment types vary from module to module. Some of your assessments might include:

• Portfolios
• Presentations
• Oral exams known as viva 
• Research or service evaluation proposals
• Research articles
• Service evaluation reports

There will also be other assessments that do not count towards your final grade but are an important part of developing your work. For each assessment you will have the chance to talk to a tutor about your work before submission. Each assessment will be marked and returned with feedback so you can improve your academic writing.

Placements

One third of the course is dedicated to professional practice placements experiential learning (over 1000 hours). These summative assessed hours are divided into four separate professional practice placements (2 are in the first year of the course, 1 is at the end of the second year and the last is 1 is towards the end of the course). These placements provide you with a broad range of experience within a very wide range of settings, for example:   

• Hospital based in-patient services - orthopaedics, cardiology, stroke, acute mental health, trauma, elderly, forensic mental health or secure units. 
• Day or clinic-based services - stroke rehabilitation, neurological out-patients, frailty services, paediatrics, crisis intervention teams, early intervention psychosis services, palliative care.  
• Community based services - community housing team, community mental health, community dementia services, community learning difficulty teams.  
• Charity and non-governmental organisations - working with people who are homeless, refugees and/or asylum seekers. 
• Non-traditional settings (Role Emerging Placement) (optional) - therapeutic horticultural and allotments, social prescribing groups, social enterprises, schools, colleges and charity sectors. 

Your future with a degree in Occupational Therapy

This course will prepare you for a career as an occupational therapist in a variety of professional settings. You will also develop diverse skills that can be used in a range of jobs. These include data collection and analysis, creative problem solving and communication skills.

This degree could be the first step toward your career as a:

• Occupational therapist
• Art therapist
• Care manager
• Ergonomist
• Health improvement practitioner
• Social worker

Discover more career options on Prospects careers advice pages.

You could also progress onto a postgraduate degree and take your learning even further.

Postgraduate courses at York St John University

Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) MSc

PGCE at York St John University

Further your education and work towards a rewarding career in teaching by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) after you graduate. For over 180 years, we have worked with enthusiastic individuals who want to shape the future of young people across both primary and secondary school settings. You'll spend a lot of time in schools, developing your practice by teaching. You will graduate with Qualified Teacher Status and become part of the well respected alumni of York St John educators.

Discover more about PGCE

Whatever your ambitions, we can help you get there.

Our careers service, LaunchPad provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:

• Employer events
• LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
• Workshops on application writing and interview skills
• Work experience and volunteering opportunities
• Personalised career advice

This support doesn't end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain experience and confidence to succeed.

Qualifications

Calculate your UCAS Tariff points

You will need 120 UCAS points from the following qualifications:

We do not accept Adult Numeracy or Key Skills instead of GCSE Maths. We do not accept Adult Literacy or Key Skills instead of GCSE English Language.

Additional requirements

For entry onto this course, you will also need:

• A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• A satisfactory medical report

If you have previously been enrolled in an Occupational Therapy Pre-registration degree or any other health professional education course must submit a self declaration confirming that there are no previous fitness to practice concerns. This is a requirement of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

Interview

If we think your application is outstanding, we will invite you for an interview. We do not interview every applicant. Find out more about the Occupational Therapy interviews, what you will need and what you can expect on the day.

International students

If you are an international student you will need to show that your qualifications match our entry requirements.

Information about international qualifications and entry requirements can be found on our International pages.

If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have English Language competence at IELTS level 7.0 (with no skill below 6.5) or equivalent.

International entry requirements

Terms and conditions

Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.

Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may be increased in line with inflation, prior to the start of each academic year, and subject to the fee cap set by the UK government. Such increases to fees will be at the Retail Price Index (RPI) forecast rate, as advised by the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Office for Students. The only exception to this would be where government legislation deems otherwise.

If a rise in the tuition fee becomes necessary, we will endeavour to inform you as soon as possible and we will explain the reason(s) for the increase. Any tuition fee increase will only be applied from the start of the next academic year and will not be applied 'in year'.

UK 2025 entry

• £9,535 per year for full time study
• £7,145 per year for the first 4 years if you study part time

This price applies to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.

You can find out more about funding your degree by visiting our funding opportunities page.

Funding Opportunities

NHS Training Grant

If your application to this course is successful, you can apply for extra financial support from the NHS. This is a non-means-tested grant. Find out how to apply.

NHS Training Grant

Tuition fees

International 2025 entry

The tuition fee for 2025 entry to this course is £14,700 per year for full time study.

This price applies to all students living outside the UK.

Due to immigration laws, if you are an international student on a Student Visa, you must study full time. For more information about visa requirements and short-term study visas, please visit the International Visa and Immigration pages.

Find out more about funding your degree.

International Fees and Funding

Accommodation and living costs

For detailed information on accommodation and living costs, visit our Accommodation pages.

Financial help and support

Our Funding Advice team are here to help you with your finances throughout your degree. They offer a personal service that can help you with funding your studies and budgeting for living expenses. 

For advice on everything from applying for scholarships to finding additional financial support email fundingadvice@yorksj.ac.uk.