MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy

• Study on a programme with a long, esteemed history and join the many hundreds of successful graduates from all over the world. You will learn to apply up-to-date knowledge of research and theory to enhance your creativity and flexibility and develop the academic skills needed to work effectively in modern health and social care settings.

• Join an enthusiastic team of occupational therapists and undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students who are pushing forward the boundaries of knowledge on occupational science and occupational therapy.

• Learn within our supportive multi-professional and inter-agency environments on a programme delivered by experts in a setting where innovative thinking regarding advanced professional development is put into practice.

• From 2023, students in Plymouth can train and practice their professional healthcare skills in an inspiring purpose-built environment, InterCity Place.
  

• Become an evidence-based practitioner, equipped to manage and lead in busy and constantly changing settings and able to reflect on and utilise a range of evidence to support your professional occupational therapy practice.

• Tailor your learning to your own workplace through module assignments and the occupational therapy practice: supported study module.

• Choose from one of three different exit awards to suit your own needs – step off the pathway with a postgraduate certificate (three modules) or postgraduate diploma (six modules) if you wish, or you can continue on to a master’s degree where you will carry out your own research project with the support of experienced occupational therapy lecturers and researchers.

• Complete the programme in one year with the full-time study option or balance work and caring commitments by studying part time over a maximum of five years. The full-time route is suitable for international students, who will be supported to choose optional modules with non-clinical assignments.
  

Please note that when you enrol on this programme, you always enrol to study the master degree but we offer three exit awards: PgCert, PgDip and MSc.

• Programme overview

• Postgraduate Certificate
  

  To achieve a postgraduate certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits. This must include one core module, one pathway specific module and one optional module of your choice.

  Core module

  ADV702 Applying Evidence to Practice 20 Credits

  Pathway specific module

  ADV750 Occupational Therapy Practice: Supported Study 20 Credits

  Optional module

  Optional module 20 Credits

  Optional modules can be chosen from the Masters level modules A-Z list. Please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team to discuss your options.

  Postgraduate Diploma

  To achieve a postgraduate diploma, you will have first completed the PgCert and need to obtain an additional 60 credits (to give 120 credits in total). This must include the core module and two optional modules of your choice.

  Core module

  ADV715 Project Design for Research 20 Credits

  Optional modules

  Optional modules can be two 20 credit modules or one 40 credit - 40 Credits

  Optional modules can be chosen from the Masters level modules A-Z list. Please contact the Professional Development Unit Admissions Team to discuss your options.

  MSc

  To achieve a full master degree, you will have first completed the PgDip and need to obtain an additional 60 credits (to give 180 credits in total). This must include the core module.

  Core module

  ADV716 Research Dissertation 60 Credits

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest programme structure and may be subject to change:

MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy Pathway Specification 4466

You’ll normally have a first degree (BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above or European first cycle equivalent) in Occupational Therapy. If you are a non UK-based candidate you must be recognised as a Occupational Therapist within your own country.

You must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice - IELTS requirement is 6.5 average with a minimum of 5.5 in each category. If you need to improve your English language to get onto a degree programme at Plymouth, you can book a pre-sessional academic English course.

You’ll be assessed individually for your ability to study at this level and therefore an interview may be necessary. You’ll normally be required to submit a short piece of writing as part of the admissions process.

AP(E)L

Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)

This programme is equivalent to 90 ECTS credits (second cycle) with 30 ECTS credits at postgraduate certificate, 60 credits at postgraduate diploma and 90 credits at masters degree. Each 20 credit module is the equivalent of 10 ECTS credits and assumes a notional student effort of between 200-300 hours.

Successful completion of this pathway does not lead to eligibility to apply for registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Health and Social Care Professions Council.

We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

Applying for this programme

Applications need to be completed via the PG apply online form.

Any questions please contact: 

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Tel: +44 (0)1752 586951

What happens after I apply?

After your application is received, it will be processed and sent to the Programme Lead for a decision to be made on your suitability to study. You may be asked to provide additional information or to take part in an interview (for overseas students this may be by telephone or video conference). Once this decision has been made, you will be sent an email either confirming your place on the programme, or rejecting your application and giving the reasons for this decision (you may request further feedback in order to improve your chances of selection at a later date).

Please note that you will be enrolled on the full MSc programme. You may choose to exit with the qualification of PgCert upon completion of an appropriate 60 credits, or a PgDip upon completion of an appropriate 120 credits. More information is contained within the programme specification.

For applicants with disabilities

If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by the University of Plymouth, please visit our Disability Services webpage.