Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) MSc

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

Applicants should normally have:

A minimum of a 2:1 honours degree in a subject relevant to Occupational Therapy, and completed within the last five years. Applicants with experience in the field who hold a 2:2 honours degree will be assessed on an individual basis.

GCSE grade C (or equivalent) in English Language, Maths and Science.

Accredited Prior Learning (APL), Accredited Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) and Accredited Work Based Learning (AWBL) may also be considered against University Criteria.

Additional requirements:

All offers of places on this course are subject to a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. You must meet the Health and Care Professions Council's suitability for registration requirements.

International qualifications:

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English language requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7 with 6.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.

Based on your particular interests, you can let us know your preferences regarding the type of placements you are interested in, whether this be a particular clinical area or location that reflects your career aspirations. For example you could undertake a placement in another country in order to gain experience within a fresh culture and healthcare system.

The course curriculum is designed not just to meet academic requirements but also HCPC Standards of Proficiency for occupational therapists. HCPC registration will be essential for you to practise as an occupational therapist in the UK

The importance of people being actively engaged in occupations throughout life and periods of ill-health, transition and change is becoming increasingly recognised on a local, national and international level meaning now is a great time to enter this exciting profession.

On completion of this course you’ll be ready to seek professional registration with HCPC so that you can work as an occupational therapist with the NHS, social services, charities or private sector employers.

Whatever you decide to do, you’ll have the transferable skills that employers expect from a master’s graduate from Northumbria University. These include the ability to tackle complex issues through conceptualisation and undertaking research, the ability to contribute to new processes and knowledge, and the ability to formulate balanced judgements when considering incomplete or ambiguous data.