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Occupational Therapy BSc(Hons)

  • Intro
  • Course
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  • Careers
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Intro

Occupational therapists help people to maintain or rebuild their lives physically and psychologically, and to use activity to retain their independence.

As an occupational therapist, you will work with people who are unable to lead full lives for various reasons. These might be essential everyday skills such as dressing, eating and cooking, or the aspects of life that define us, such as our jobs, leisure interests and relationships.

Our accredited part-time occupational therapy degree course gives you everything you need to qualify and practise as an occupational therapist. A practical approach to learning means that you will apply your knowledge to solve real-world case scenarios in clinical settings.

You will develop practical skills in our Daily Living Suite and specialist rooms that are equipped for creative arts and crafts such as pottery.

A focus on interdisciplinary learning enriches your experience while preparing you for the reality of professional practice. Many students on the degree are already working in health and social care, but we also welcome applicants with transferable experience from other backgrounds.

This degree is also available as a apprenticeship for students who are employed in a healthcare setting.

See our upcoming events

Key facts

Location 

2023 entry – Eastbourne year 1 then Brighton: Falmer from year 2

2024 entry – Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Apply direct to the university

Part-time 4–6 years

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

Apply online

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

Apply now for your place

Top 20 for health professions courses - Guardian University Guide 2023

Course content

Course structure

This part-time degree runs over 4–6 years. You will attend classes on campus two days per week, 32 weeks per year. Within those 32 weeks you will also complete seven or eight weeks of full-time practice placement in each year of the degree. You should also expect to spend 20 hours per week (on average) on degree-related independent study during term time. 

The innovative curriculum uses a problem-based learning approach, where you will examine real-life scenarios in small groups with a tutor. This type of education has been found to deepen understanding and promote lifelong learning. You will practice a variety of creative skills, for example in arts and crafts, cooking, ceramics, and horticulture.

You will study in a shared cohort with students on our Occupational Therapist Degree Apprenticeship.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Two students doing a high five

Syllabus


Year 1

Modules

  • Human Occupation

    This module will introduce you to professional standards of practice, the study of occupational science, the theories and practice of occupational therapy, and will also help you to develop skills inactivity analysis, study skills, and computer skills.

  • Beginning Practice

    This module will provide you with the opportunity to observe an occupational therapy service that you're not already familiar with. You will observe the occupational therapists at work, including the therapeutic process, and team meetings. You may also have opportunities to assist in the occupational therapy process if appropriate, and interview service users to find out more about the experience of occupational loss in this setting.

  • Assessing Occupational Capacities 1

    The in-depth study of the occupational therapy process begins. Although the whole procedure will be considered, focus will be on the theory and strategies of the first phase - the assessment of occupational risk factors -and on some causes of occupational loss. You will develop your communication skills, and demonstrate how you can use these to develop a rapport with a client, carry out an interview, and reflect on the interview and your interview skills.

  • Assessing Occupational Capacities 2

    In this module study of the occupational therapy process continues with in-depth focus on the theory and strategies of assessment of occupational risk factors and occupational performance. Valid and reliable assessment measures now play a larger and more formal part in evaluating practice and in research. You will consider the clinical reasoning that facilitates this initial collaborative phase between service-user and therapist.

  • Novice Practice

    This six-week placement occurs at the end of year one and will enable you to develop confidence in working with service users and reinforce your assessment skills. With assistance, you will develop the ability to assess and identify occupational issues, on which to base principles of intervention.

Year 2

  • Maximising Occupational Participation 1
  • Maximising Occupational Participation 2
  • Occupational Therapy in Teams
  • Intermediate Practice

Year 3

  • Evaluating Therapeutic Occupations 1
  • Occupational Therapy in Diverse Settings
  • Diverse Practice
  • Evaluating Therapeutic Occupations 2

Year 4

  • Competent Practice
  • Person-centred Occupational Therapy
  • Achieving Best Practice 1
  • Achieving Best Practice 2
students during a craft session

Facilities

From September 2024 this course will be taught at our Brighton, Falmer campus. The Falmer campus is being redesigned, renovated and upgraded and will have lots of new facilities for sport and health science students.

Practical skills rooms and Daily Living Suite

Practical skills rooms are equipped so that students can learn and practise practical skills with each other before working with patients and clients. 

As an occupational therapy degree student, you will make full use of our Daily Living Suite. This room is furnished like a flat with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities, allowing you to practice activities of daily living in a realistic environment. In addition the kitchen area is used for cookery skills and other specialist rooms are equipped for the creative arts and crafts taught as part of the occupational therapy curriculum with its focus on health through occupation.

Other newly developed resources include our new simulated ward learning environment.

Occupational health daily living suite
Click image to view a virtual tour of our OT facilities.

Problem-based learning

Our educational philosophy mirrors the philosophy of occupational therapy. We believe that an individual's positive engagement in (learning) activity leads to advanced productivity, increased perception of self worth, improved quality of life and enjoyment (of the course).

Our occupational therapy degrees use problem-based learning (PBL), a technique recommended by authorities around the world. All subjects covered are integrated around problem-solving within a real life situation. We find that learning in this way significantly increases our students' engagement with the subjects.

The pre-registration occupational therapy programmes incorporate the experience of doing and making, in order to engage with, analyse and develop skill in therapeutic media. We have creativity studios for cooking, ceramics, crafts, and performing arts, and we have developed gardens for the practice of horticulture.

Around the world, many academic courses in occupational therapy are losing this aspect of their education, to give over more time to ‘theory’, but here at the University of Brighton we believe that it is vital to retain these embodied learning experiences – which utterly link theory and practice – as they are central to the understanding of the true essence and potential of occupation. Recent research has revealed the connection between skilled hand use and the development of thinking. As one student, who could not imagine a course without these sessions, said “how can we learn about doing without doing?” These classes are central to the philosophy of our occupational therapy education at Brighton and they have become one of its hallmarks.

Occupational therapy students

About the profession

Occupational therapists work with individuals and their families to identify where change is needed. The individual might not be able to feed or dress himself independently if he can only use one hand following a stroke, or they may be too depressed to get out of bed to go to work.

They try to discover what the impediments are, and how the person might be able to resolve them practically.This often involves demonstrating new techniques that allow the individual to undertake everyday activities independently again.

Alternatively, occupational therapists might introduce new activities, such as cooking or pottery, for the individual to find enjoyment or improve their self-confidence.

Occupational therapists believe that humans are creative beings who thrive when engaged in a balanced range of enjoyable activities. They seek to understand peoples' motivations and needs and try to match activities to a person's existing skills.

Activity analysis exposes that although the things people do may seem deceptively simple, human occupations are actually incredibly complicated.

Occupational therapy is the study of what people do, how they do things, the effect these activities have on human health, and the reasons why people choose to do what they do (the meaning behind the doing).

The videos here show students Rhys Philips and Troy Croxton, in the role of Occupational Therapy Support Workers explaining how occupational therapy helps people live meaningful lives and carry out activities of importance to them. 

Please enable targeting cookies in order to view this video content on our website, or you can watch the video on YouTube.

Two students explain how they mix practical experience with their degree in occupational therapy.

Please enable targeting cookies in order to view this video content on our website, or you can watch the video on YouTube.

Rhys and Troy, fourth year students, talk about how they became interested in occupational therapy.

Practice placements

What are practice placements and why are they necessary?
You will undertake five placements of between two and eight weeks, working alongside an occupational therapist in a practice setting.

Placements make up approximately one third of the course and meet the World Federation of Occupational Therapists requirement that all students complete a minimum of 1000 hours supervised practice. This enables you to acquire an understanding of the centrality of occupation in human life and the possibility of transformation through occupation.

Placements provide opportunities for you to develop your professionalism, knowledge and skills under the guidance of an occupational therapist. Your skill development might be related to many areas of practice including group work, creative activities, mobility, communication, and the use of technology.

What type of placement?
You will practice in many different settings including the National Health Service, social care organisations, schools, the voluntary sector, hospital in-patient settings, community settings and mental health services.

Where are the placements?
Placements take place across the South-East of England, including Kent, Sussex, Surrey and South London. It may be necessary for you to travel up to 90 mins or to stay away from home.

What support can students expect?
We provide preparation sessions in advance and a practice educator will support you on placement. We select your first two-week placement, than you can provide your preferred options (not guaranteed). If you have commitments outside of university, such as childcare, we will try and accommodate (not guaranteed). A tutor will visit or call you and your practice educator half way through the placement to discuss your progress.

Meet the team

David Haines, course leader

David joined the School of Sport and Health Sciences as a senior lecturer in 2006 and teaches on our undergraduate and postgraduate occupational therapy degree courses. He is now Principal Lecturer and Course Leader of the Occupational Therapy BSc(Hons).

David trained as an occupational therapist at the University of Brighton (1998–2000) and then worked in community learning disability teams in Sussex, Surrey and south London and in the therapy department at St John's College, Brighton.

Read David's full academic profile.

David Haines

Channine Clarke, academic lead

"I am the Academic Lead for our Occupational Therapy courses. As a University of Brighton Occupational Therapy graduate myself I can say that doing my training was the best thing I ever did. Occupational therapy is such a diverse career and there really is an area of practice for everyone, whether your interest lies in physical, mental health, learning disabilities, paediatrics or diverse settings.

"Once qualified (in 1998) I started my career in a forensic mental health team, helping to set up and run a rehabilitation hostel. I spent 10 years in the service, developing my career to become a Head Occupational Therapist before coming to the university in 2007 as part of the teaching team and taking on the role of practice placement tutor. I have also worked at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists helping to develop occupational therapists’ knowledge, understanding and practice related to clinical audit and effectiveness. I completed my PhD here at Brighton in 2013 and my areas of interest are occupational therapy in diverse settings, problem-based learning, practice-based education and professional development of our students.

"I know that the occupation-focused and self-directed nature of my training enabled me to work passionately and autonomously from the start of my career. I use the knowledge, skills and attributes I learnt every day and am now able to share these with, and hopefully inspire, the next generation of therapists.

"Many of the staff team here are also Brighton graduates, which is a testament to what a great place it is to study and work. It is a very supportive team and a lovely campus where you get the opportunity to train alongside other health students with a variety of inter-professional learning events. We are all highly committed to working with you to ensure that you become the occupational therapist that you want to be."

Read Channine's full academic profile.

Channine Clarke
  • Sue Wheatley, admissions tutor
  • Paul Boyle
  • Dr Tara Sims
  • Annette Feakes
  • Luci Carnall-Moore

Other members of the teaching team:

  • Tania Wiseman
  • Heidi Von Kurthy
  • Audrey Yong
  • Dr Josh Cameron
  • Jamie Liddell
  • Adele Quinell
male student sewing

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In allied health professions, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy, 100% of our research environment is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Careers

After professional registration with the HCPC graduates are eligible to take up opportunities in health and social care, in the NHS, social services, the private, and voluntary sector. There are now many new and exciting possibilities for occupational therapists nationally and worldwide.

Occupational therapists work in an ever-widening range of mental health and physical disability settings including acute hospitals, long-term rehabilitation, social care, local communities, schools, factories, residential homes, institutions for older or more profoundly disabled people, voluntary organisations and prisons.

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

Want to know more about being an allied health professional?

The Springpod virtual work experience programme offers the opportunity for anyone aged 14-25 to learn more about a career as an allied health professional. You’ll develop key skills for the profession, hear from NHS professionals about their day to day work, complete assignments and join live workshops. Find out more about the Springpod virtual work experience programme.

Occupational therapy students looking at patient notes in the Leaf Hospital

Royal College of Occupational Therapists logo

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Academic requirements
You will be expected to provide evidence of academic achievement at Level 3 or above, equivalent to at least one subject at A-level. This could be a BTEC National Extended Certificate, an Access to HE qualification or a Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate.

Normally, this will have been awarded no earlier than the summer 10 years before the September start date. If your academic qualifications were gained outside of this period you are asked to support your application with evidence of relevant work-related CPD or other studies.

T-level
Pass with D or E in your core components in the Health, Healthcare Science or Science T-level. Other T-levels are not accepted.

GCSE
Grade C/4 or above from GCSE maths and English language. Level 2 Functional Skills will be accepted.

If you do not have the required GCSEs find out which equivalent qualifications we accept instead.

If you have an honours degree in any subject awarded within the last 10 years, you may be able to apply for our accelerated Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) MSc (PGCert PGDip) course. It is ideal for graduates who wish to start a career in this challenging and highly rewarding field.

Non-academic requirements
A 500-word report which demonstrates the applicants understanding of the diversity of occupational therapy. Each applicant is responsible for gaining the knowledge required to write the report. Applicants who work in an occupational therapy setting may wish to draw on their experience, but it will be expected that a range of services will be referred to including physical, mental health, hospital or community settings. All applicants are encouraged to use resources such as books, journal articles, and web-based sources. The report will not be expected to cover all occupational therapy practice settings.

The report is in addition to the personal statement and should be uploaded as a separate document on the personal statement section of our admissions portal.

English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 overall, with no element below 6.5.

References
Two references. References should not be from personal acquaintances, and you should consider referees who can best support your suitability for an occupational therapy course at undergraduate level.

COVID-19 vaccine requirement

The COVID-19 vaccination requirement has been removed. Find out more about this decision.

Your application
We currently welcome applications and are planning online interviews from January to June to commence the course in September. There is no application deadline but we reserve the right to close the course if all places are filled. Places are limited and we recommend that you apply early to be considered.

Apprentice applicants may be individually interviewed earlier if their employer has supported an earlier application.

You can find more interview information and dates in the Interview info and deadlines tab.

All offers are subject to a satisfactory occupational health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced disclosure check.

Deferred applications
We are not able to accept applications for deferred entry onto this course. If you wish to apply for a later year of entry, we recommend waiting until the admissions cycle for that year opens – this is usually in October of each year.

International students
We are unable to accept applications for this part-time course from international students who require a student visa.

Men are under-represented in many nursing and allied health professions in the UK. We are committed to helping address the balance and particularly welcome applications from male applicants.

Interview info and deadlines

Interviews will take place online from January to June. We have limited places on this course so we recommend that you apply early to be considered. There is no application deadline but we reserve the right to close the course if all places are filled. Places are limited and we recommend that you apply early to be considered.

Candidates are scored using a point system. Candidates with the highest scores are offered conditional places based on confirmation of DBS and occupational health clearance.

We are looking for students who have a very good understanding of the profession, are highly motivated, have excellent communication skills and are able to accurately evaluate their own performance.

All candidates must be able to demonstrate (in your application form and at interview) a sound knowledge of occupational therapy as a profession. This could come from, for example, experience of working in occupational therapy departments, talking to qualified occupational therapists, visits to departments, open days or other events, and reading relevant material.

Flexible admissions

When you apply to Brighton we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.

Find out more

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Fees

Course fees

UK6,935 GBP

Additional funding support

UK students studying nursing, midwifery and some allied health professions subjects receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 each academic year. Find out more on the NHS website.

Funding arrangements for part-time students

Students can apply for a loan if this is their second degree providing it is not in the same profession/subject. Find out more on the gov.uk website.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Sport and Health Sciences in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • 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.
    • Overseas students are not covered by the NHS scheme, 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.
  • An initial set of specialist clothing and uniforms, where required, are included in the course fees.
  • DBS checks and occupational health checks, where required, are included in the fees.
  • Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £100 if buying your own copies.
  • In sport courses, UK-based field trips are available in some option modules in the final year. You do not have to take these option modules to complete the degree programme. Where a field trip is present costs are covered but you are expected to make a contribution towards food. Typically this is £50.
  • For sports courses which require a placement, you’ll be expected to pay for your living costs and travel. Physical Education (QTS teacher training) students can claim travel costs to their school placement.
  • The school runs a number of day trips which students do not pay for. There may be some food and drink costs and you should budget around £30 per year.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Eastbourne campus

Our campus is within 15 minutes' walk of the beach, South Downs National Park and the Eastbourne's busy town centre.

Campus learning facilities include the Queenwood library, computer rooms, a media centre and a learning and technology suite – and there is a wide range of subject-specific facilities for our sport and health students. Welkin halls are also on campus.

Eastbourne Student Centre provides services including careers, volunteering, counselling and wellbeing, student advice, disability and dyslexia support and chaplaincy.

Queenwood Library at Eastbourne

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 – from 2024 these will include 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 sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. New facilities are being developed ready for September 2024 when all of our sport and health students will be based here. Learn more about the changes at Falmer.

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.

Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

Eastbourne

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

Welkin halls
Located in the Meads area of Eastbourne, right next to the Students' Union and Student Services, Welkin halls are a short walk or bike ride to other areas of the campus.

  • Ensuite halls with a choice of room and flat sizes.
  • All rooms are self-catered with access to shared, fully equipped kitchen facilities.
  • Rent includes all utilities, 24/7 security and support, contents insurance and cleaning of communal areas.

Private renting
Eastbourne offers good choice when it comes to student accommodation.

There’s a good supply of affordable, high quality private rented accommodation and plenty of support and advice from us if you choose this option. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Student accommodation in Eastbourne

Student accommodation in Eastbourne

Welkin bedroom

Student bedroom in Welkin halls

Modern kitchen in Welkin Halls

Modern kitchen in Welkin Halls

Brighton: Falmer

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students.

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:
  • Falmer campus is linked to the halls on Falmer campus and at Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
    • 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. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.

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

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

Easy-going Eastbourne

The South Downs National Park, the bustling town centre and the beach with the pier, prom and bandstand are all within a 15-minute walk of our Eastbourne campus. Officially the sunniest place in the UK, Eastbourne has loads on offer: a year-round calendar of sporting events, the independent shops and cafes of Little Chelsea, music and arts festivals, theatres, galleries, great restaurants and high street shopping.

Every June, leading tennis players descend on Eastbourne for one of the main warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon. One of the UK's biggest free extreme sports festivals, Beach Life, takes place on the seafront in July, bringing hi-octane action on land and sea. The international airshow Airbourne is another summer highlight.

Every autumn our students and staff participate in and support the Beachy Head Marathon, one of the UK's largest off-road marathons with challenging climbs and descents along the Seven Sisters.

The beach and the South Downs provide sports opportunities including horse riding, mountain biking, paragliding, sailing, canoeing, body boarding, kayaking, windsurfing and kite surfing.

The Towner Art Gallery has world-class exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and entry is free. Eastbourne also has four theatres, two cinemas and hosts a varied programme of arts and music events throughout the year.

It's only 90 minutes by train from Eastbourne to central London and less than 40 minutes to Brighton. There are also daily direct trains to Ashford International and Gatwick Airport.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Enjoying sport above Eastbourne

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 less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Eastbourne campus map

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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.

Students talking in a social area

Student views  

Lucy Howell 

"I often saw university to be inaccessible due to many personal factors. I had not considered occupational therapy as a career but the more I looked in to the profession, the more knew this was the direction I wanted to head. 

"The course at Brighton includes the problem based leaning approach to teaching which is combined with practical hands on sessions and placement learning. Not being a naturally academic student, this course allowed me a flexible approach to leaning, which suited me far better than traditional studies. I had to be creative and self directed to develop my knowledge and clinical reasoning skills, which I still use with my clients in a community mental health setting.

"Learning on the job with placement educators and group work opportunities gave me practical experience of the occupational therapist role and the benefit of working in multi-disciplinary teams, all of which enhances wellbeing for my clients today. 

"Discovering I had a learning disability half way through the course came as both a shock and relief. Staff were supportive in offering time and additional support when needed and the university has a network offering support and guidance for both personal and professional issues. The part-time course allowed me to retain a balanced life as a mum and grandma, continue with my self-employment and complete my academic studies.

"Over the 4 years, I have grown in ability and confidence and feel equipped and proud to be a member of the occupational therapy profession, where I encourage and support clients to build their own recovery journeys."

Lucy Howell, graduate, 2017. 

Lucy Howell

Iain Wilkes 

"My cohort was mixed with students from all sorts of backgrounds. This benefitted our learning and we all learnt a lot from each other as well as from our formal studies. The academic staff were excellent, had a variety of clinical backgrounds and each brought their own unique flavour to learning. I found them all to be very approachable and have maintained links with the university since graduation.

"Problem-based learning (PBL) was new to me and is a great way to build confidence and skills in presenting and group participation, and it develops self-reliance. There were also guest lectures from practising Occupational Therapists and a variety of fixed resource sessions. The clinical placements were always a highlight; they were a necessary part of the training and also widened my perceptions and have benefitted me in my current practice. 

"The Eastbourne campus was also a serene place to study. Situated at the foot of the South Downs it is green and peaceful and made for a relaxed learning environment.

"I now work as Specialist Neurological Occupational Therapist in a Community Neurological Rehabilitation Team. The course fostered a confidence and independence in my approach to learning and I have found it invaluable post-qualification. I have been fortunate to be invited back several times to participate in or facilitate some learning sessions with current pre-registration students and always extol the benefits of studying occupational therapy at Brighton."

Iain Wilkes, Occupational Therapy BSc graduate, 2013.

Iain Wilkes

Kate Guy

"For someone taking their first degree later in life than most, Occupational Therapy at the University of Brighton really was the perfect degree to maximise my skills as a student and my skills in life!"

Kate Guy

Carla Lauren 

"I graduated in 2014 and I am now working in a children's neurodevelopment assessment team for the NHS. I can honestly say there is not a week that goes by where I don't either quote from or draw directly from the teaching I had on the occupational therapy degree course, I am so thankful to the teaching team and will continue to fly the flag for Brighton (sometimes moving away makes you appreciate even more where you came from).

"Having worked with occupational therapists from different countries and universities I really think there is no other course like it."

Carla Lauren, Occupational Therapy BSc graduate 2014, now working in paediatrics.

Graduate Carla Lauren

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Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment, so that you have all the information before you come to Brighton.

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