Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
In the National Student Survey 2025, Our occupational therapy course scored over 80% student satisfaction rates for academic support (87%) and learning resources (81%); it scored a 95% satisfaction rate for freedom of expression.
Accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Health and Care Professions Council.
This degree includes 1,000 hours on placement over three years, with placements located in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire and London.
About the course
This is a practice-based course where you complete over 1,000 hours in placement settings. It gives you the skills and knowledge you need to follow a rewarding career as an occupational therapist. You put your skills and knowledge into practice through managed roleplay and simulation as well as practical sessions where you learn about patient assessments; treatment planning; treatment interventions; and impact evaluations.
Find out if you are eligible for £5,000 a year NHS learning support funding
Course accreditation
This course is accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). On successful completion, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and consider a broad range of roles in the NHS; local government; charity sector; government agencies; and private sector.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Fully immersive simulation unit with range of settings, to prepare students for real-life scenarios in a safe and supportive environment
- Occupational therapy simulated ‘flat’ that includes a bedroom, bathroom, living area and moving and handling room
- Simulated ward area
- Opportunities for placements at our Putteridge Bury Wellbeing Garden
Industry links
We collaborate with a wide range of sector-relevant organisations, enabling us to offer placements across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire and London as well as the opportunity for placement experiences abroad.
Student experience
Benefit from a course that builds learner competence and confidence through theory and practice-based learning opportunities including placements in a variety of settings, spread across the three years of the degree.
Learn from an experienced academic team using modern facilities that include state-of-the-art simulation suites.
This degree includes 1,000 hours on placement over three years, 40 hours of which can be simulated practice; placements are located across our regions and we can also place students abroad.
Study alongside other health students - including physiotherapy, nursing, paramedic science, social work and midwifery – so you can explore how areas are connected and develop strong inter-professional skills.
Hear from expert guest speakers from the UK and around the world.
Showcase your skills and knowledge to local employers at our annual Graduate Therapies Conference.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
Year 1
Professional identity – What defines an OT professional; core values and professional regulation; differences in UK and international approaches. Practice placement one: holistic therapy in practice – 10-week placement where you can practise your new skills in a real-world setting. Academic skills for therapists - Build the study skills you need to learn effectively, make progress and succeed. Developing therapeutic relationships - Develop your communication skills so you can build and maintain strong therapeutic relationships. Sciences supporting occupation – Explore other fields relevant to OT including anatomy, physiology and psychology. Holistic factors affecting occupation – Learn to carry out a patient-centred OT assessment and plan interventions for common conditions.
Year 2
Practice placement two: enabling in therapy practice – An eight-week placement where you begin taking supervised responsibility for planning, delivering and reviewing treatments. Evidence-informed therapy – Become confident in sourcing, evaluating and reviewing research. Collaborative therapies – Learn to work with other practitioners to ensure seamless, client-focused care. Practice placement three: collaboration in therapy practice – A 10-week placement where you take supervised responsibility for client assessment and interventions. Enabling occupation – The role of OT in supporting clients to live well with long-term conditions. Professional reasoning in occupational therapy – The ways in which disability can make everyday tasks harder, and how equipment and adaptations can help.
Year 3
Practice placement four: complexity in therapy practice – An eight-week placement where you start to take on increased responsibility for assessment and treatment. Occupational therapy project – Produce and present a project that reviews and evaluates OT research. Practice placement five: quality in therapy practice – A nine-week placement chosen by you where you can explore new healthcare settings or develop a specialism. Growth and leadership in therapies - Build the skills to be an effective leader, able to work well with a range of professionals. Managing complexity in occupational therapy – Prepare to work independently, able to meet the needs of people with complex physical or mental health issues.
The assessment strategy utilised by the School is rooted in the notions of assuring professionalism, competence and employability described within SOPs. The assessments for these four curriculum themes seek to address your development in key knowledge and understanding, skills and abilities required for each.
All assessments will be communicated to you, via your assessment handbook, with submission dates and times, a clear explanation of the task and the standards of performance against which you will be graded when you undertake the task. Following your assessment, you will be provided with a grade (which will have been moderated, i.e. checked by another marker and/or an external examiner) and individualised feedback and developmental feed-forward comments.
Careers
An occupational therapist is trained to work in both health and social care settings, in the private as well as public sector and is equipped for employment globally. As an occupational therapist, you can take on a broad range of roles in the NHS, local authorities, charities, industry, schools, private practice, voluntary sector
and government agencies. You can specialise in working with children, adults or older people across the lifespan, and pursue a career as a practitioner, researcher, manager, lecturer or consultant.
For further information on careers on occupational therapy, please visit the websites of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and NHS Careers
Entry Requirements
- GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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