MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-reg)

The course is a two-year full-time masters degree that will be delivered through a combination of on-campus learning and placement opportunities.

Teaching and learning are mostly through lectures, seminars, hands-on practical skills, placement-specific workshops, study groups, essay consultations, oral presentations, and guided independent study. Assessment of knowledge and understanding is typically by coursework assignments, examined essays, case study-based assignments, online tests and exercises, practice-based skills examinations, oral presentations, and the dissertation or long essay. In addition, students may be involved in workshops and may produce various forms of creative or editorial work. 

In the first year, the week will be divided into approximately two days on campus and two and a half days on placement. Additionally, students will have self-directed study time integrated into all modules and placements.

Year one teaching will consist of two 30-credit modules focusing on human sciences and occupational science, 'Occupational Therapy with a Global Context' and 'Human Sciences and Occupational Performance' as well as two 15-credit modules linked to practice placements 1 and 2. These will focus on developing core occupational therapy practice skills.

The second year will include two 15-credit modules focused on advanced clinical, research, and leadership skills required for occupational therapy practice across various settings, these are 'Research in practice (focused on PP4 preparation & research methods)' and 'Collaborative approach in practice (module focused on PP3)'. Additionally, students will complete two 30-credit modules: 'Contemporary Practice in Occupational Therapy' and 'Research project in Occupational Therapy & Global Health', a research project aligned with occupational therapy and global health needs.

Practice Placements:

Students on the occupational therapy course are required to complete four practice placements and a minimum of 1000 hours of practical learning over two years, in line with the requirements of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT, 2016). Each learning placement is linked to a 15-credit module such as Occupation in Practice 1, Occupation in Practice 2, Collaborative Approach in Practice, and Research in Practice.
The primary responsibility for the assessment of students is held by the practice educator, who has undergone formal preparation and education, including regular updates, before the placement. The Occupational Therapy Placement Lead will support the practice educator and student to ensure robust and consistent arrangements for the assessment of practice learning. Practice-based learning placements are graded as pass/fail, and students can be reassessed a maximum of two times on non-consecutive placements.

2:2

UK 2:2 entry grade. Some understanding of research methodology, taken within dissertation, final year project or as its own module will be required.

We invite students from a wide range of scientific, social science and humanities backgrounds to apply and be considered. You will need to have completed an undergraduate degree in one of these fields to be eligible. Other eligible backgrounds will be evaluated individually on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants will be subject to an interview and upon enrolment, applicants will be required to go through occupational health checks. DBS and Occupational Health checks are mandatory admissions requirements for this programme in alignment with Health and Care Professions Council standards of education and training for occupational therapists.

International & EU requirements

English language requirements

• IELTS 7.0 and no sub-score below 6.5.
• Pearson Test of English: 69 overall. No other sub-score lower than 61.
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE IV
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C/210.
• TOEFL iBT: 97 overall, with Reading 25 Listening 25 Speaking 25 Writing 25.
• Duolingo: 130 overall, with no sub-score below 125.

This is a pre-reg masters leading to a professional qualification to practice Occupational Therapy and not a traditional MSc studies in Occupational Therapy. Upon successful completion of your course, you will be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Once registered, you will be able to practice as an occupational therapist in the UK and may apply for additional professional registration with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). If you are an international student or want to practice in another country, you may need to complete additional country-specific registration requirements.

This is a unique course that is focused on disaster management, sustainability, and global health. This course will equip you with clinical, professional, research and other transferrable skills to work in different sectors and age groups. You will have a variety of career development opportunities in health and social care within client-facing roles.

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £9,250

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £20,500

Other essential costs***: Please be aware that there will be additional costs such as travel and accommodation for placements.

How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.

* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2024/25. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase all postgraduate tuition fees annually, based on the UK’s Retail Price Index (RPI). Please therefore be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. For further information, please see our terms and conditions.

There is an NHS Learning Support Fund available for this programme. Find out more here.