Occupational Therapy

  • Fully accredited

    Our courses are fully accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

  • Prepare for your career

    You'll do more than 1,000 hours of work-based practice during the course, making you eligible to register with the HCPC, a prerequisite to practice in the UK

  • Excellent connections

    Our good links with NHS Trusts and health and social care organisations provide you with good placement and job prospects

  • Highly employable graduates

    98% of our undergraduate Occupational Therapy students are successful in gaining a job after graduating (NSS 2017)

  • Excellent training

    Our academic tutors have professional experience as occupational therapists. Plus, you'll have access to newly refurbished occupational therapy suites and mock clinical wards

Our Occupational Therapy programmes are fully accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and lead to eligibility to apply for registration with the Health & Care Professions Council. The programmes are very practical with about one-third of your time spent on placement, working with qualified therapists.

Our courses

We also offer a number of related Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses/short courses in the Occupational Therapy area:

All CPD/short courses

Why study Occupational Therapy at the University of Cumbria?

As a student on one of our Occupational Therapy courses you'll have access to all aspects of Occupational Therapy, including over 1000 hours of work placement. You'll often study in small groups and will work closely with our Physiotherapy, Social Work, Radiography and Nursing students to encourage inter-professional learning in university and on placement.

Our staff aim to provide high-quality vocationally-relevant degrees and awards with 86.4% of students 'satisfied with the teaching on their course'*.

Your studies will focus on using occupation to improve people's lives. You'll work in traditional and non-traditional settings, such as hospitals, community and voluntary organisations, and schools, to support people at any stage of their lives. You'll learn to support the elderly, people with learning disabilities or people in palliative care. You can also go into health promotion or forensic work.

Keep up to date with our Occupational Therapy courses through our Facebook or Twitter pages.

*Guardian League Tables 2017

What can a course in Occupational Therapy lead to?

Our Occupational Therapy courses will enable you to graduate with highly marketable professional and personal skills. Our students are sought after by employers in the NHS and, increasingly, in the social care and private, voluntary and independent sector. This qualification is recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, giving you the opportunity to work abroad*. Whilst the majority of graduates will work in practice settings, students graduate with research, leadership and management skills which are welcomed by a large range of employers.

Upon graduation you are eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration; this is an essential requirement for practicing occupational therapy in the UK.

In addition to the HCPC you may wish become a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists who support occupational therapists during their career through advice, union support and professional development.

*Some countries will require graduates to take an entry examination or assessment

HCPC Website

RCOT Website

Student Testimonial

Michael Parkinson
BSc Occupational Therapy Graduate

"I love the fact that Occupational Therapy can be practised in so many settings. I was fortunate enough to have placements in memory assessment, acute inpatient mental health, stroke rehabilitation and community mental health to name a few. The variety of clients, environments, physical and mental illnesses I experienced throughout my four years as a student was what I enjoyed most about the course."

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