Occupational Therapy (OT) at Brunel is one of the largest, longest established, and most highly regarded programmes in the world. In fact, we are the original ‘London School of Occupational Therapy.’

The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) provides a Master's level route for graduates to become competent occupational therapists equipped for life-long, safe and effective practice within the global marketplace. This course is for those who are not already qualified as occupational therapists. It is a professional full-time programme, which will prepare you to become a competent occupational therapist in a variety of health and social care settings. 

It also allows students to be eligible to:

• Apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Sit for the US national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
• Apply for membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapists/Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

As a career, occupational therapy offers many opportunities to work in the health service, social services, education or the private and voluntary sector.

The role is an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists work to enable people to get back home following a stay in hospital, they may support people at home to live independently in their communities, they may be working to help people get back to paid or voluntary work. Occupational therapists work across the lifespan and many specialise as they develop their expertise.

At Brunel we provide many opportunities and experiences within your degree programme and beyond – work-based learning, professional support services, volunteering, mentoring, sports, arts, clubs, societies, and much, much more – and we encourage you to make the most of them, so that you can make the most of yourself.

The MSc (pre-registration or pre-reg) occupational therapy programme benefits from being integrated with other programmes within the College of Health and Life Sciences. In their first year of study, MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy students undertake components from a number of the current BSc modules/study blocks, as well as shared teaching with post-graduate students from the divisions of occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work and community health and nursing studies. In their second year of study, students share modules with other post-graduate students within the division of occupational therapy. Where learning is shared with the undergraduates, the content has been integrated into master's level modules and is assessed at master's level.

The programme comprises two years full time study. Taught modules are within a three-term structure. To provide a balance between academic and practice placements and still meet the minimum of 1,000 hours of practice placements required by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the College of Occupational Therapists, three of the practice placement modules extend beyond the term boundaries over the summer.

Academic modules are based at Brunel University in Uxbridge and practice placement modules are provided in a range of health and social care setting and increasingly in voluntary and private organisations including non-traditional settings.

Year One: The Skilled Practitioner – the How, What and Why of Occupational Therapy

Year 1 of the programme introduces students to the "how, what and why" of occupational therapy and aims to give them the opportunity to develop, explore and critique the core occupational concepts and skills of the profession in depth. The arrangement of study blocks and the two practice placement modules (that occur prior to the commencement of academic study in year 2), allow for a reciprocal exchange of academic knowledge and professional skills that develop the student’s understanding and knowledge of the profession further. Applying and evaluating research in practice is essential for occupational therapists, who are required to adopt evidence-based practice. Therefore the students are made aware from the onset of the programme of how research impacts on practice through clinical reasoning and decision-making skills gained in study blocks and also an inter-professional module HH5609: Approaches to Research.

Year Two: Mastery of Occupational Therapy – Advancing Practice

Year 2 of the programme aims to provide students with a more advanced exploration of the occupational therapy profession. Students acquire mastery in critical knowledge and evaluation of key issues on professional practice as well as critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of theoretical concepts central to occupational therapy. In addition, students study one optional module that enables an in-depth consideration of a specialist area of current practice. Students’ research skills are further enhanced in the second year and culminate in the students producing a research thesis, in the form of a detailed research dissertation. There are two practice placements in Year 2, one at the beginning of the year and one at the end.

Core Modules

Year 1

• Introduction to Occupational Therapy Theory and Philosophy
• Informing Sciences
• Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 1
• The Process of Occupational Therapy Practice
• Preparing for the Work Place 1
• Occupational Therapy Practice in Context
• Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 2
• Lifestyle Redesign Through Occupation
• Preparation for Dissertation

Year 2

• Preparing for the Work Place 2
• Strategies and Visions for Professional Development
• People and Communities
• The Art and Science of Occupational Therapy

Optional Modules (choose one)

Occupational Therapy for Children, Young People and their Families

Main topics include: analysis of aspects in child development and study of common problems and disorders in childhood; review of the research based current evidence on occupational therapy theory and practice for children and adolescents; review the clinical reasoning process in paediatric occupational therapy practice; examine a selection of experimental methods appropriate for assessing and evaluating clinical practice or service delivery in children’s health; exploration of effective ways of incorporating the family into their child’s assessment and treatment; exploration of relevant current children’s health policy and legislation.

Occupational Therapy in Mental Health

Main topics include: overview of occupational therapy in mental health; review of the research based literature on occupational therapy theory and practice in mental health; detailed exploration of current mental health policy and legislation in relation to occupational therapy practice; exploring contemporary issues; examining current evidence and research related to the contemporary mental health issues; exploring a detailed selection of quantitative and qualitative measures appropriate for assessing and evaluating clinical practice or service delivery in mental health.

Occupational Therapy in Neurorehabilitation

This module aims to enhance your ability to reflect upon day-to-day occupational therapy practice when working with people with neurological disorders. You will be able to objectively rationalise and justify your choice of techniques and approaches, critically explore the role of occupational therapy in relation to the service user experience, the multidisciplinary team and the changing landscape of service provision for people with neurological disorders.

Occupational Therapy for Active Ageing

Main topics include: Occupations, occupational deprivation and occupational justice for older people; current older persons’ health policy and legislation pertaining to occupational therapy; review of the research based literature on occupational therapy theory and practice for older people; person centred care; quantitative and qualitative measures to assess clinical practice or service delivery for older people; Joint-working across health and social care and voluntary contexts; Risk assessment, social inclusion and health promotion.