Occupational Therapy (BSc) at Cardiff University

Ranked joint 1st in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2019, our Occupational Therapy programme aims to prepare you for your chosen career as an occupational therapist. Once you have successfully completed the programme you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as well as professional membership of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).

With over 50 years of experience in delivering occupational therapy education, our three-year, full-time BSc (Hons) is a stimulating programme that provides the opportunity to engage in both academic study and practice-based placement learning. Our programme is approved by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), which means that your qualification will be recognised in around 60 countries worldwide, enhancing your opportunities for international employment.

As a qualified occupational therapist you will work in partnership with and empower a broad spectrum of people who, for reasons of ill-health, disability, trauma or adverse social circumstances, face barriers and challenges which prevent them from undertaking the activities (or occupations) that matter to them.  Our curriculum emphasises the centrality of occupation in human life, the relationship between occupation, health and wellbeing and the power of occupation to transform the lives of individuals, groups and communities.     

The programme fosters a commitment to lifelong learning among its students and you will actively engage in continuing professional development throughout the three years, reflecting upon and recording your individual learning needs and achievements. 

You will receive close academic support from experienced personal tutors and be taught and supported by experienced staff whilst sharing ideas within a close-knit student group.  An emphasis on academic study also ensures that you enter the profession as a research-capable practitioner equipped with the skills and confidence to contribute to the evidence base which supports and informs current and future occupational therapy practice.

We have close working relationships with a range of service providers across Wales and you will benefit from practice placements facilitated by experienced occupational therapy educators who will help support you in becoming the best occupational therapist you can be. 

A varied profile of placement experience undertaken across the three years of the programme will allow you to integrate academic theory with actual occupational therapy practice and gain insight as to the wide-ranging employment opportunities available to you upon qualification (e.g. within NHS, Local Authority, private and third sector settings). That’s why 95% of our occupational therapy graduates are in professional employment or further study six months after completing the programme (Unistats 2017/18).