MSc Occupational Therapy

Transition Support - How has my course been designed to support my progression and success?  
Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students. All support described should be embedded within the course experience — not offered as optional or extra-curricular.  
 
The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) course is designed to support students in their transition to postgraduate study while fostering their professional identity from the outset. An induction week introduces academic expectations, unconscious bias awareness, research skills, critical thinking, and reflective practice. Each student is allocated a Personal Tutor, ensuring access to guidance and support. Academic staff also provide orientation to university resources, including the library, online platforms, and student services. The library offers tailored sessions on study skills, referencing, and academic writing, equipping students with essential tools for success. 

Inclusive teaching practices underpin the course, enabling students from diverse educational and professional backgrounds to thrive. Assessment workshops are embedded within modules, offering drop-in sessions, one-to-one support, formative submissions, and in-class feedback. A variety of assessment types allow students to develop a broad skillset, while additional support for academic writing, referencing, and critical analysis is available through the library. The university’s disability and wellbeing services ensure reasonable adjustments are made, and collaborative learning activities encourage students to share perspectives and experiences. This emphasis on equity and inclusivity builds confidence and nurtures professional growth. 

Formative opportunities are integrated early in the programme, allowing students to practice academic skills. Tasks such as reflective essays, case studies, and interactive presentations provide meaningful opportunities to demonstrate understanding. Feedback is detailed, timely, and constructive, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Staff employ feed-forward strategies, guiding students on how to apply feedback to future work. This approach reduces anxiety, builds confidence, and ensures students develop the critical and professional skills required for later stages of the course. 

Practice Placements form a vital part of the programme. Each student participates in pre-placement and post-placement meetings, receives supervisor support during placements, and is assigned a university link tutor to oversee their development. These structures ensure students are well supported in applying theory to practice. 

Feedback is a continuous feature of the course. Each module incorporates opportunities for reflection and review, while semester evaluations capture student experiences. The course team responds to feedback through “you said, we did” updates, demonstrating how student input shapes ongoing improvements. Student representatives further amplify the student voice, ensuring learners are active partners in the development of the programme. 

Overall, the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) course combines academic rigor, inclusivity, and strong support systems to prepare students for professional success .

Personalisation opportunities - What opportunities are they for me to personalise my learning to my ambitions, interests and lived experiences?  

Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students.  

Personalisation is at the heart of the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre Registration) programme, giving you the freedom to shape your learning around your interests, ambitions and lived experiences. Throughout the course, you will have opportunities to choose topics, projects and assessment formats that reflect what matters most to you as a developing occupational therapist. 
 
Many modules allow you to select your own case studies or draw directly on your placement experiences, helping you connect academic learning with real world practice. Several assessments also offer flexibility in format—such as choosing between written work or presentations—so you can demonstrate your understanding in a way that best suits your strengths and learning style. 
 
You will also have choice in how you engage with learning across the programme. Modules such as the service improvement proposal or those exploring emerging areas of practice allow you to focus on topics you are passionate about. A wide range of resources are available, including academic literature, multimedia materials, e learning content and practical workshops, enabling you to tailor your study approach, and learn new approaches that suit you. Learning activities vary from simulation and hands on practical sessions to flipped learning, where you take the lead in teaching back to your peers—an approach that builds confidence, communication skills and professional identity. 

Inclusivity is embedded throughout the programme, ensuring that diverse perspectives, backgrounds and identities are valued and reflected in the learning environment. This helps make your studies meaningful, relevant and connected to the communities you will eventually serve. 
 
Reflection is a key part of your development. You will take part in end of semester reflection sessions, pre  and post placement reviews and ongoing feedback opportunities. Many modules include reflective components, and during placements you will maintain a professional development portfolio to document your growth, insights and achievements. These structured opportunities help you understand your progress, identify areas for development and make informed decisions about your future practice. 
 
Learning and Teaching - How will I be taught?  
Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students.  

Your learning on the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre Registration) course is designed to build your confidence step by step, using a spiral curriculum that introduces foundational knowledge before gradually progressing to more complex skills. You will learn through a blend of teaching styles, including lectures, seminars, workshops, group activities, problem based learning, and hands on simulated practice sessions. These approaches help you understand core concepts before applying them in increasingly realistic and challenging scenarios. 

As you move through the course, your practice placements provide structured, graded opportunities to develop your skills in real world settings. Each placement increases in length and responsibility, helping you grow from observing practice to confidently contributing as part of a professional team. You will be supported throughout by a dedicated placement supervisor and a university link tutor. 
Teaching takes place in person, creating an interactive and engaging classroom environment. This is complemented by online learning through CANVAS, where you will access weekly digital materials, readings, videos and activities to deepen your understanding. This combination of face to face and online learning supports flexibility, inclusivity and different learning preferences. 

You will develop strong academic and digital skills through a variety of learning activities and assessments, including group work, research tasks, independent study, presentations, group interventions and digital posters. These experiences help you become confident in communicating your ideas, working collaboratively and using digital tools effectively. 

Digital fluency is embedded throughout the programme. You will learn about the ethical use of digital tools, AI and data through sessions delivered by the Skills for Learning

team, and you will encounter digital technologies within your modules to prepare you for modern occupational therapy practice. 
Overall, the course is structured to support your growth as a reflective, skilled and adaptable practitioner, ready to apply your learning confidently in real world health and social care environments. 
 
 Assessments - How will I be assessed?  
Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students.  

Assessment on the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre Registration) course is designed to support your learning, challenge you, and prepare you for real world professional practice. As this is an accelerated programme, the workload is demanding, but assessments are varied, engaging and carefully structured to help you succeed. You will experience a balanced mix of assessment types, including written assignments, presentations, practical assessments, group interventions and reflective work, allowing you to demonstrate your strengths in different ways. 

To help you feel confident and prepared, every module includes scheduled assessment workshops. These sessions give you the chance to explore expectations, ask questions and practice key skills. You will also have opportunities for 1:1 feedback, written formative feedback on draft work, and engage in group feedback discussions. Each assessment is supported by a clear rubric that links directly to the learning outcomes, helping you understand exactly what is required and how your work will be marked. After each summative assessment, you will receive strengths based feedback and feedforward guidance to support your progress. 
Developing intellectual skills is central to the assessment design. Across the course, you will be encouraged to think critically, analyse evidence and problem solve—essential abilities for working in complex healthcare environments. Assessments such as interviews, case based tasks, written analyses and reflective pieces help you apply theoretical knowledge to realistic scenarios and demonstrate your ability to make informed, evidence based decisions. 

Inclusivity and accessibility are built into the assessment approach as some modules offer a choice of assessment format, and many allow you to select case studies or topics that align with your interests, lived experiences or placement learning. This flexibility helps you personalise your assessment journey; while ensuring you can engage meaningfully with the tasks. 
Assessments also reflect real occupational therapy practice. You will work with authentic case studies, draw on placement experiences and apply professional models and interventions. This ensures that what you learn in the classroom directly connects to the skills and reasoning you will use as a qualified occupational therapist. 

Overall, the assessment strategy is designed to challenge you, support you and help you grow into a confident, reflective and capable practitioner. 
 
Currency - How is my course kept up to date?  
Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students.  

The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre Registration) course is designed to stay current, relevant and responsive to the fast changing world of health and social care. The module content is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect new research, emerging theories and contemporary issues affecting the profession. Staff actively draw on new data, national policies, professional guidance and trends in healthcare to ensure your learning reflects the realities of modern practice. Furthermore, we also have guest speakers deliver sessions from varying professions to demonstrate the current climate of healthcare first hand. 

Research informed teaching helps you understand how evidence shapes practice, while assessments and learning activities encourage you to develop your own inquiry skills. Through critical reading, discussion, and applied tasks, you will learn to question assumptions, evaluate evidence and make informed decisions—key abilities for any occupational therapist. 

The course also prepares you to think creatively and critically about real world challenges. You will explore issues such as sustainability, health inequalities, equity and social responsibility, and consider how occupational therapists can contribute to positive change. Case based learning, simulation, and placement experiences help you apply your knowledge to complex situations and develop innovative, person centred solutions. 

The University’s Graduate Attributes are embedded throughout your learning. You will become a Global Citizen by exploring diverse perspectives and understanding the social, cultural and political factors that influence health. You will grow as a Knowledgeable and Professional practitioner through evidence based learning, reflective practice and real world experience. Digital tools, online resources and teaching on the ethical use of AI support your development as a Digitally Fluent graduate ready for contemporary practice. 
Interdisciplinary collaboration is a core part of the programme. You will learn alongside students from other allied health professions, helping you understand different roles and work effectively within integrated teams. This, combined with a strong emphasis on reflection and continuing professional development, supports you in becoming a lifelong learner—someone who can adapt to future challenges and continue growing throughout their career. 

 Professional Development - How am I being supported in professional development?  
Please use the below prompt questions to complete this section in 200–400 words in total. Your answers should be written in clear, accessible language suitable for students.  
Your professional development is built into every stage of the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre Registration) course, helping you grow into a confident, capable and future ready practitioner. From the beginning, you will explore a wide range of career pathways and through your practice placements. These can take place in diverse settings such as mental health, physical health, community services, private practice and emerging areas of occupational therapy. These experiences allow you to discover what areas of practice excite you most while building the practical skills employers look for.

You will be supported to develop a strong professional identity. You will build a portfolio of skills, reflections and achievements—supported by your CPD folder during placements - which helps you evidence your growth and prepares you for future job applications. Learning activities, assessments and placement expectations are all aligned with the professional standards set by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT), ensuring you understand what is required of you as a safe, ethical and effective practitioner.

Employability skills are also woven throughout the programme. You will practice communication, teamwork, leadership and problem solving in both academic and practice based settings. Year 2 workshops and guidance on CV writing, interview preparation and professional networking help you feel confident when applying for roles. 

As you progress, you will be encouraged to make informed choices about topics, case studies and areas of focus that align with your career ambitions. Modules that allow topic selection - such as service improvement proposals or emerging practice areas—give you the freedom to explore specialisms that interest you. 
 
Student Support Statement 
IMPORTANT: This section need only be completed if there is additional course-specific support provided to students beyond the University-Wide offering detailed in the statement contained below AND if this course-specific support has not already been covered in your narrative up until this point. 

The University provides a wide range of academic and pastoral support to help students succeed in their studies and personal development. This includes access to the Library and Skills for Learning service, academic coaching for Level 3 and 4 students, and tailored advice from the Careers and Enterprise teams. Students also benefit from 24/7 wellbeing support through WLV Student Life Connect, pastoral care via the Multi-faith Chaplaincy, and assistance from the Mental Health and Wellbeing team. Those living in university accommodation have additional access to Residential Life support, and all students can engage with the Students’ Union for advocacy, societies, and further peer-led services. 

The MSc Occupational Therapy blends interprofessional learning, real‑world simulation, service‑user involvement and leadership development into a tight‑knit, highly supportive learning community—giving you the skills, confidence and professional identity to thrive as an Occupational Therapist.

The distinctive features of this course include: 

• Inter‑professional learning (IPL) throughout both years, with selected modules shared with other allied health students such as Physiotherapy. You will learn with, from and about other professions, preparing you for the increasingly integrated and complex health and social care environments you’ll work in after graduation.  
• Extensive hands‑on simulation learning, using specialist equipment, dedicated lab spaces and a fully equipped mock house to recreate real‑world scenarios. You will practice assessment, communication and clinical reasoning skills in a safe, supportive environment before applying them in practice. 
• Direct involvement of service users and carers, who contribute to teaching, assessment and curriculum design. Their lived experience helps you understand the real impact of occupational therapy and keeps your learning grounded in authentic perspectives. 
• A small, close‑knit cohort of just 20 MSc students per year, creating an intimate learning community where collaboration, peer learning and meaningful interaction are central. This environment allows practical skills, confidence and communication to flourish, offering richer opportunities for feedback than larger programmes typically provide.  
• Diverse practice placement opportunities across mental health, physical health and community settings. Placements may take place within NHS organisations, private providers or emerging services, helping you build confidence, adaptability and professional networks.