Medicine and healthcare
Occupational therapy
BSc approved by the Health and Care Professions Council
Overview
Occupational therapy helps people take part in the everyday activities that matter to them after illness, injury or disability. You study the body, mental health and how homes, schools and workplaces can be adapted so a person can wash, work, study or move more independently. Placements are a required part of the degree, not an optional extra. It is less about exercise programmes than physiotherapy and more about activity, equipment and the environment around a person. A psychology or social science degree does not give you this registration. Students who enjoy it are practical problem-solvers who like talking with people about real routines, not only about a diagnosis.
You want to register as an occupational therapist.
Physiotherapy, social work and psychology overlap in settings but do not share this registration.
People who like creative practical solutions and community as well as hospital work.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Occupation and health
- Anatomy
- First placement
Later years
- Physical and mental health practice
- Environmental adaptation
- Research
Skills
Useful before you start
- Communication
- Practical problem-solving
- Empathy
Developed during the degree
- Activity analysis
- Adaptation
- Interprofessional teamwork
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Workshops, Placements.
Assessment often includes Essays, Practical assessments, Placement reports.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBC–BBB. Biology, psychology or sociology can help. No single subject is universal. |
| IB Diploma | No UCL figure is stored for BBC or BBB. The stored UCL table runs from ABB to A*A*A. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | No Manchester social-sciences AP example is stored for BBC or BBB. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
Biology, psychology or sociology can help. No single subject is universal.
Often recommended: Biology, Psychology.
Useful preparation: Sociology.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Indicative only.
Other ways in
- A conversion master's exists for some existing graduates of relevant subjects.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Occupational therapist
Direct qualifying route
The degree should be HCPC-approved.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.