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How do you manage a health condition and take control of your life? What impact does where you live have on your health? How does ageing effect how you participate in everyday life?
Occupational therapists work with people whose daily lives are impacted by physical, mental, or social issues. This course aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Our MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) course is an accelerated postgraduate degree, designed for graduates who wish to become a registered occupational therapist. You'll develop flexible skills essential to becoming an occupational therapist in statutory and non-statutory health and social care organisations locally and across the UK.
This two-year, full-time course incorporates placements over both years. You’ll have first-hand experience collaborating with occupational therapists working with people of all ages, with various occupation...
2 years full-time
Dr Michele Harrison (Programme Lead for MSc (Pre-registration) Occupational Therapy)"Studying Occupational Therapy at Manchester Metropolitan University will connect you with occupational therapists working in services across Greater Manchester providing you with access to a range of expertise and experiences."
The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) programme is full-time, delivered over 45 weeks each year for 37.5 hours per week. You will be on placement for a total of 30 weeks over the two years, with a total of 14 weeks in Year 1 and 16 weeks in Year 2.
You’ll learn the foundational knowledge of occupational therapy theory and underpinning sciences to support occupational therapy across the life course, developing critical understandings of the societal contexts occupational therapy is delivered in.
Your time on the course will be split between theory and practice-based learning. Practice based learning gives you the opportunity to work alongside occupational therapists in different practice settings and sectors. You will work with people who are experiencing a range of health conditions and occupational issues across the life course which impact on their physical, mental and social functioning. This could include developing or informing services to address occupational issues through research and leadership.
Your learning will be supported by our teaching team through a variety of methods, including interactive workshops, practical sessions, presentations, simulations and directed learning activities. You’ll learn particularly through collaborative and small group work, and problem-solving scenarios, ensuring that your education and training is person-centred and reflects clinical practice.
Our technical team is on hand to help you become experts using specialised equipment and technology. The core teaching and assessments on the degree will include digitally enhanced learning to enable you to develop skills essential to being an occupational therapist.
Our specialist facilities support interdisciplinary learning, for example, through the simulation of scenarios you’ll face as a practicing occupational therapist. You’ll develop a key understanding of how other allied health professions work and how you can collaborate effectively across disciplines in order to improve the lives of the people you work with.
You’ll be supported throughout the course by personal tutors both on campus and in placement settings.
On the successful completion of the postgraduate degree, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC and practice as an occupational therapist.
Whether you've already made your decision about what you want to study, or you're just considering whether postgraduate study is right for you, there are lots of ways you can meet us and find out more about postgraduate student life at Manchester Met.
We offer:
Your studies are supported by a department of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field.
We often link up with external professionals too, helping to enhance your learning and build valuable connections to the working world.
These typical entry requirements may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year. Please check back for further details.
Applicants will have a minimum 2:1 UK undergraduate degree, or equivalent and evidence of academic study in the five years prior to application. Preferred subject areas include Health, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Education or Humanities.
Applicants must meet requirements for NHS values-based assessment at interview, Occupational Health Assessment and have a satisfactory enhanced DBS report.
Applicants whose first language is not English must be able to communicate in English to the standard equivalent to level 7 of the International English Language Testing system (IELTS), with no element below 6.5. This is a requirement of the Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapists (HCPC 2023).
Full-time fee: £9,250 per year. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation and may increase each academic year in line with inflation or UK government policy for both new and continuing students.
Full-time fee: £22,000 per year. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation and may increase each academic year in line with inflation or UK government policy for both new and continuing students.
A masters qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of study provided the course is completed in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Compulsory estimate: £2 to £15 a day whilst on placement (costs will vary considerably)
Travel costs to placement estimated at £2 to £15 a day whilst on placement (costs will vary considerably) Travel costs are subject to change as a result of price increases.
Accommodation costing approximately £40-55 per night may be required.
Uniforms: Full uniform is provided free of charge when the course commences. Replacement or additional uniforms £15 to £50. If replacing any item of uniform or securing additional items of uniform throughout their course, then this must be ordered and paid for directly with the supplier. There are certain exceptions to this, for example if a student becomes pregnant.
We operate a uniform recycling scheme where students can pick up uniform donated by graduating students.
Optional estimate: £61.56/year or £5.13 per month for membership of Royal College of Occupational Therapists
Student membership of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists is £61.56 per year/£5.13 per month, providing students with access to professional resources to support their learning and practice.
Optional estimate: £400
All books required for the course are available from the library. The University also has PC labs and a laptop loan service. However, students may choose to buy some of the core textbooks for the course and/or a laptop. Estimated costs are £300 for a laptop up to £100 each year for books and printing.
From the NHS to social services; from charitable organisations to research roles, there’s a variety of different career paths you can take as an occupational therapist. You may decide to work in a healthcare setting or perhaps work in education or even self-employed. Many graduates may choose to start their career in the NHS as a band 5 occupational therapist. Becoming an occupational therapist can open up a variety of different careers to you.
Please contact our course enquiries team.
Applications to this course for should be submitted via UCAS.
As this course is pre-registration, you'll find it listed in Undergraduate courses on UCAS, not Postgraduate.
UCAS code: OCCT
Manchester Metropolitan University institution code: M40
You should submit your application prior to the UCAS Equal Consideration deadline of 29th January 2025. Applications received after this date may still be considered but will be classed as a late application.
Shortlisting of eligible applicants and interviews for 2025 entry will take place after the 29th January UCAS deadline.
Get advice and support on making a successful application.
You can review our current terms and conditions before you make your application. If you are successful with your application, we will send you up to date information alongside your offer letter.
Programme review
Our programmes undergo an annual review and major review (normally
at 6 year intervals) to ensure an up-to-date curriculum supported by the
latest online learning technology. For further information on when we
may make changes to our programmes, please see the changes section of our
terms and conditions.
Important notice
This online prospectus provides an overview of our programmes of study
and the University. We regularly update our online prospectus so that
our published course information is accurate. Please check back to the
online prospectus before making an application to us to access the most
up to date information for your chosen course of study.
Confirmation of regulator
The Manchester Metropolitan University is regulated by the Office for
Students (OfS). The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education
in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory
framework can be found at
officeforstudents.org.uk.
All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place. The student protection plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. Access our current student protection plan.