Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) MSc

Postgraduate

Occupational therapist assists man to pour teapot

As a registered occupational therapist, you will have the privilege to work with people of all ages to help them participate in occupations that hold personal meaning and value to them.

Year of entry

2025-26 2026-27

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

2 years full-time

Course code

SHCT007

Start date

January 2026

How to apply

Book an Open Day

Postgraduate events

At Coventry University, we continuously review the courses we offer to ensure we reflect industry-relevant emerging best practice and technology. As a result, this course is undergoing continuous improvement assessment and will be launched with a renewed curriculum starting in September 2025. Module content and titles will be updated. Course title, learning outcomes and assessments may also change. We expect our new curriculum to be fully updated by May 2025. Please return to this page to see the final course details.

Course overview

Discover how everyday activities can change lives. As an occupational therapist, you’ll help people build confidence, improve wellbeing and achieve the life they want.

During your studies, you’ll strengthen your compassion, curiosity and critical thinking, learning to solve problems creatively and communicate confidently with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Throughout the course, you’ll undertake three professional practice placements in diverse and contemporary settings, tailored to support your individual learning and development^2,5.
After completing this two-year postgraduate course, you’ll be eligible to apply for professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and join the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) (please see Accreditation section for more information)¹. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain an additional qualification (Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice) from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI; subject to registration conditions) on successful completion of the 'Becoming a Professional Practitioner' and 'Leading for the Future as a Health and Care Professional' modules.¹
All eligible home students on this course can apply for a minimum payment from the Government of £5,000 per year, with additional payments for students incurring childcare costs⁶.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 9th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 4th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2025

Why you should study this course

This master’s-level pre-registration course in occupational therapy is designed to help you accelerate your career and develop leadership skills. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain an additional qualification (Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice) from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)1, preparing you to make a real impact on the quality of services.

By the time you complete the course, you should have developed the skills to work in a wide range of areas, from paediatrics and mental health to elderly care, learning disabilities, end-of-life care, forensics, schools and even emergency services.

At Coventry University, you’ll learn in an advanced healthcare training environment. As an occupational therapy student, you’ll have access to two fully equipped community houses, where you can build your clinical skills through realistic practice scenarios and explore the latest assistive and adaptive technologies⁴.

The distinctive features of this course include:

innovative and varied assessment, specifically designed to reflect skills required in occupational therapy practice
collaborative working with service users to simulate real-world environments
collaborative working across multi-professional groups enhancing professional identity, knowledge and behaviours
guided development of an employability portfolio designed to enhance career opportunities
a commitment to working in collaboration with students to continually develop and further enhance the programme
strong links with a wide range of local health trusts, social services, private health, charitable and voluntary organisations that provide practice development activities².

Accreditation and professional recognition

Royal College of Occupational Therapists

The Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) MSc programme is accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) for the 2025/26 intakes.¹

Once enrolled on the course, you may be eligible to become a student member of RCOT (subject to RCOT criteria and any additional costs. See RCOT’s website for full details and application process).

Health and Care Professions Council

The Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) MSc programme is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

On successful completion of the programme, you will be eligible to apply for HCPC registration  (subject to HCPC criteria and any additional costs. See the website for full details).¹

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

The 'Becoming a Professional Practitioner' and 'Leading for the Future as a Health and Care Professional' modules meet the criteria set by the Chartered Management Institute for the The 'Becoming a Professional Practitioner' and 'Leading for the Future as a Health and Care Professional' modules meet the criteria set by the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice. Students who successfully pass these modules will be eligible to gain the award as an additional qualification at no additional cost.¹

What you'll study

The first year aims to introduce you to relevant science and theory of occupational therapy and enable you to begin to apply this during your first two placements. The Chartered Management Institute qualification will also be completed during this year.

Modules

Becoming a Professional Practitioner – 15 credits

Gain the values, behaviours and actions essential for professional practice. Develop your personal and academic skills, while reflecting on your knowledge, skills and values. We will work with you to foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration and valuing diversity to prepare you to work within multi-professional environments.

This module is designed to include the criteria set out by the CMI for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.¹

Compulsory

Occupational Perspectives – 15 credits

Placement 1: Foundations of Professional Practice – 15 credits

Gain hands-on experience in a placement setting^2,5, demonstrating the values and behaviours expected of a health and care professional. Learn the foundations of occupational therapy assessment, intervention and evaluation and reflect on your development through weekly supervision. Clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, Occupational Health and completion of mandatory training are required before placement.

Compulsory

Mind, Body and Occupation – 15 credits

Build essential knowledge of anatomy, physiology and psychology to understand how people perform everyday tasks across the lifespan. Learn how occupational therapists apply this insight in practice and develop the communication skills needed to support collaborative, person-centred care in health and social settings.

Compulsory

Exploring Theoretical Foundations of Occupational Therapy – 15 credits

Critically explore the models and frameworks that shape occupational therapy practice. Learn how occupational therapists use theory to deliver occupation-centred care and evaluate the tools they use — from assessments to outcome measures. The module is informed by experts with lived experience of health and care and incorporates creative approaches designed to enhance your digital fluency, preparing you to deliver inclusive, evidence-informed occupational therapy in diverse and evolving practice settings.

Compulsory

Evaluating Evidence Within Health and Care – 15 credits

Discover how evidence shapes real-world health and care decisions. Critically explore the drivers behind interdisciplinary and profession-specific practice, while building your understanding of evidence-based methodologies. Apply these insights to develop a strong rationale for your own professional project, supporting you to make a meaningful impact in your field.

Compulsory

In your second year, you’ll build on your knowledge and skills in occupational therapy, applying them in greater depth during your final placement. You’ll also focus on research, finishing the year with a service improvement project.

Modules

Placement 2: Developing Professional Identity – 15 credits

Strengthen your professional identity as an occupational therapist through reflective practice, professional reasoning and the application of theory and evidence.^2,5 Take greater responsibility for your learning, engage in interprofessional working and demonstrate cultural awareness in line with professional standards. Clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, Occupational Health and completion of mandatory training are required before placement.

Compulsory

The Dynamics of Occupational Change – 15 credits

Reflect on how occupational therapy evolves in real-world settings. Deepen your understanding of theory, professional reasoning and decision-making as you explore person-centred approaches with individuals and groups. Critically analyse key frameworks to justify and articulate your practice, building confidence in how you support service users and carers through meaningful occupational change.

Compulsory

Leading for the Future as a Health and Care Professional – 15 credits

Our health and care workforce is required to lead the delivery of high-quality care, whilst navigating a complex health and social care ecosystem. Foster confident and accountable leadership through an interprofessional learning experience. You will typically be collaborating with colleagues from different backgrounds, explore fresh perspectives and analyse contemporary theory, practice and evidence to redefine leadership for yourself. The module aims to foster your development as a reflective leader.

This module is designed to include the criteria set out by the CMI for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.¹

Compulsory

Placement 3: Becoming an Autonomous Occupational Therapist – 15 credits

Develop as an autonomous and innovative occupational therapy practitioner through placement-based learning.^2,5 Make informed decisions in complex situations while recognising the boundaries of your professional competence. Demonstrate equitable, lawful and sustainable practice, and engage with supervision and reflective learning. Clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, Occupational Health, and completion of mandatory training are required before placement.

Compulsory

The Evidence-based Practitioner: Professional Project – 15 credits

Tackle real-world challenges through evidence-based thinking. Design and deliver a professional project focused on current or emerging health and care practice. Using recognised techniques, such as audits, evaluations or research — apply critical reflection, ethical considerations, and stakeholder insight to recommend improvements that make a genuine impact.

Compulsory

Preparing for Contemporary Practice - 15 credits

Explore the diverse ways occupational therapy supports communities and populations in the UK and globally. Develop cultural self-awareness and consolidate your understanding of the relationship between occupation and health. Critically examine emerging practice issues, from public health to sustainability, and prepare for professional practice with a clear sense of your role, identity and impact in evolving health and social care settings.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Teaching and learning methods may include: 

lectures
seminars
tutorials
presentations
group projects
workshops
practical lab sessions.

You are encouraged to engage in a variety of discussions, simulation, practical and group-work learning activities and have the opportunity to share your own learning and practice experiences with lecturers and peers.

Service users and carers, special visiting lecturers and representatives from health and social care, work in collaboration with lecturers in delivering the course in order to deliver educationally transformative learning experiences (subject to availability).²

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time student on this course, you will study modules totalling 180 credits across two academic years. A typical 15-credit module requires a total of 150 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average you will have between 4 and 8 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the opportunity to attend optional sessions, including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback.

Practice-based learning

Practice-based learning forms an essential and significant part of your learning experience. Practice hours will differ between placements and different health and care courses. You will have access to university staff, but should expect to spend the majority of your contact time with practice collaborators undertaking placement activity. Overall, the hours you undertake in practice-based learning will need to satisfy the eligibility requirements set by the professional bodies regulating the profession, the HCPC and RCOT. A minimum of 1,000 practice-based hours gained from a combination of placement and simulated learning will need to be completed over the course of your degree.

The University will source the placement on your behalf. You will be required to complete Statutory and Mandatory Clinical Skills training before going on placement. Non-completion of the training could result in a fail or defer for the placement depending on the reason for non-completion.^2,5

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You will be digging deeper into topics, reviewing what you’ve learnt and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress to the end of your studies, you’ll spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

Course assessment has specifically been designed to reflect the skills required in occupational therapy practice and includes:

presentations
critical reflections
reports
essays
case-based oral assessment.

The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Previous relevant degree 2:2 or above – preferably completed within the last 5 years or evidence of recent CPD met, however applicants who do not have recent qualifications or CPD will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You can contact us to find out more.
GCSE in Maths and English at grade 4/grade C or above.
Evidence of experience and understanding of the role of an occupational therapist demonstrated through the face-to-face values-based interview (which can be done online if necessary) or supplementary information submitted following a successful interview.
Enrolment is subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and an Occupational Health assessment, to assess fitness to undertake the clinical component of the degree⁵.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

Previous relevant degree 2:2 or above – preferably completed within the last 5 years or evidence of recent CPD met, however applicants who do not have recent qualifications or CPD will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You can contact us to find out more.
GCSE in Maths and English at grade 4/grade C or above.
Evidence of experience and understanding of the role of an occupational therapist demonstrated through the face-to-face values-based interview (which can be done online if necessary) or supplementary information submitted following a successful interview.
Enrolment is subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and an Occupational Health assessment, to assess fitness to undertake the clinical component of the degree⁵.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

English language requirements

IELTS: 7.0 overall, with no component lower than 6.5.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£9,535 per year	Not available
EU	£9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600 per year	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our teaching facilities⁴ in the Alison Gingell Building include dedicated laboratories for anatomy, electrotherapy and manual skills, hospital wards, critical care settings, community housing and other real-life environments relevant to practice.

Alison Gingell Building

The Alison Gingell Building features mock hospital wards, an operating theatre, critical care settings and other real-life environments.

Students and a tutor with a manikin in the hospital ward

Mock Hospital Wards

Our mock hospital wards and critical care settings give you the chance to experience patient scenarios in a real-world environment.

Community Houses

Our two full-size community homes can be used for sessions simulating working with patients outside of a hospital setting.

Careers and opportunities

Successful completion of this postgraduate course leads to eligibility to apply for professional registration as an occupational therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and membership of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) (please see Accreditation section for more information)¹.

The master’s-level curriculum is designed to support accelerated career opportunities and includes the chance to gain a Chartered Management Institute (CMI)1 leadership qualification (please refer to the accreditation section for more information), helping you make a real impact on service quality. You’ll also build an employability portfolio, reflecting on your skills and learning to enhance your career prospects.

Where our graduates work

Occupational Therapists have a wide range of employment opportunities including the NHS, social care, charities, education, private employers and within independent practice.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online. Please read the entry criteria page before applying.

Start your application

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Please read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degrees view our International hub.

You can also download our international mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

⁵Placements

Satisfactory health clearance and enhanced criminal record disclosure is also required. As part of the health clearance checks, you will be required to provide information about your immunity and vaccination status. The information you provide will be used to determine your eligibility to go on placement(s). Placements are provided at the placement provider’s discretion. The University is, therefore, unable to guarantee the provision of placements or the location and type of placement offered.

⁶NHS payment

The rules may be subject to review by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the future and as a result may change. Please, therefore, check the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website for up-to-date information before applying.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2025/2026 contract is available on the website. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.