Intro

The Advanced Occupational Therapy MSc provides high quality CPD opportunities for occupational therapists from the UK and overseas.

Core modules on the course focus on the four pillars of clinical practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) and help you to develop complex decision-making skills, apply evidence-based practice and develop innovative solutions that will enhance patient, family and carer experience and improve clinical outcomes.

The course supports a multicultural exchange of clinical knowledge and approaches, which gives an exciting extra dimension to learning.

This course has been designed in alignment with The Multi-Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 3–6 years

Apply now for your place

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
This course is for qualified occupational therapists. Applicants should hold an honours degree in occupational therapy but those with suitable alternative qualifications, such as a diploma in occupational therapy, will be considered.

Normally a minimum of two years clinical experience post qualification is required for entry to this course.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The structure of this course allows you to focus on your own area of interest within the occupational therapy profession. This means that you will be able to find support for your ongoing learning and career development. 

Interdisciplinary learning is a strong feature of this course. Many of the modules are attended by occupational therapy, podiatry, nursing, midwifery and paramedic colleagues. 

To be awarded the MSc you will complete six modules and a relevant dissertation. Modules comprise three core modules, two professional modules and an option module. The dissertation may be based on research carried out either in the university or in another suitable environment.

The course is delivered in a variety of ways, typically via e-learning, lectures, seminars, workbooks for work-based learning and practice in our Clinical Skills and Simulation Rooms.

The modular framework normally involves six one-week study blocks at the university. A full-time student will need to take all modules in one year, whereas a part-time student may choose to spread the modules over several years.

Health sciences postgraduate education
This course is part of our postgraduate education programme. The programme allows you to sign up for one module at a time and build your qualification as you go. It also gives you access to interdisciplinary modules across a broad selection of health and social science subjects.

Occupational Therapy students working on mobility exercises

Syllabus

As a student on the course, you will share your learning with other health and care specialities, allowing you to benefit from intra-professional collaboration. Our programmes are designed to allow students from different disciplines and professions the opportunity to exchange knowledge and expertise.

Core modules

  • Research Theory and Application for Health Professions
  • Leadership and Service Development in Health and Social Care
  • Health Professional as an Educator
  • Dissertation

Plus two from

  • Physical Activity and Exercise Rehabilitation
  • Exploring Pain
  • Dementia, Frailty and Later Life
  • Practice Development Through Independent Learning
  • Promoting Health and Resilience Through Participation

Plus

You choose one further module which may come from the list above or you choose from suitable modules in our postgraduate education programme.

Occupational Therapy student working in hospital

Study advice

There are lots of resources to support you with postgraduate level study. Our Build your study and digital skills page contains advice and tips for developing your key skills, alongside guidance on how to make the most out of your learning experience.

For further support and resources make sure to visit the library support pages and our LinkedIn Learning site.

Female Occupational Therapy student with headscarf

Facilities

As a Brighton occupational therapy student you will use a range of specialist facilities which will include: 

  • an occupational therapy daily living suite with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities. Here you’ll practice activities of daily living in a realistic, furnished home environment.  
  • occupational therapy craft rooms equipped for the creative arts and crafts taught as part of the occupational therapy curriculum with its focus on health through occupation.
  • a virtual anatomy lab that houses our 3D anatomy visualisation table
  • simulation ward so you can become confident working in a hospital environment. 

The facilities are so new that we haven't yet taken photos, but you can view them when you visit us. You can also get a feel for them by watching the short video and checking out our Falmer campus information.

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Careers

Masters-level education is an important component of advanced and specialist practice. It allows you greater autonomy and to accelerate personal and professional development or promotion in your practice.

Roles that our graduates have secured include clinical specialists, occupational therapy management positions, general management roles, clinical educator and occupational therapy education positions.

Completion of the Advanced Occupational Therapy MSc will also prepare you for further study at MPhil and PhD level if you wish to continue pursuing an academic path.

Occupational Therapist at work in hospital

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 8,400 GBP

International (full-time)  14,900 GBP 

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our allied health professions students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

What's included in your tuition fee

  • An initial set of specialist uniforms.
  • DBS checks and occupational health checks.
  • Where health course includes a placement: UK students – travel costs which are over and above your daily journey to university and dual accommodation costs may be reimbursed by the NHS learning support fund.
  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies. See the subject area in the library for an up-to-date list of key subject journals and databases.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software on campus – and can borrow a laptop from us if yours is broken or you don’t have a computer at home. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning.

Additional course costs

  • Where health course includes a placement: Overseas students are not covered by the NHS learning support fund. This means that any additional travel or accommodation costs for this course will be your responsibility. Travel to placement may be up to 90 mins each way/travel on public transport at peak time cost, and you may incur additional accommodation and living costs if staying away from your usual home base for the length of your placement.
  • You’ll need to budget for printing and stationery for personal study, and books if you decide to buy your own.   
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.   
  • Many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the students' union shop and bar.

The campus has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus - learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine-minute journey to central Brighton.

Your Brighton Boost 2024 – up to £1,750 to help new undergrad students with study, accommodation or travel costs. Find out more...

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Falmer

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

  • You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:
    • Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls offer a range of rooms on our Falmer campus, minutes from your classes, and on the edge of the South Downs.
    • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Falmer campus

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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