Occupational Therapy Studies

University of Queensland

About

Occupational therapists assist people of all ages to overcome barriers which affect their ability to engage in everyday activities that are meaningful and important to them.

They use assessment and treatments to develop, recover or maintain the daily living and work skills of people affected by injury or illness, psychological or emotional difficulties, developmental delays or ageing.

Occupational therapists work with clients to identify and eliminate environmental barriers to independence and participation in daily activities.

They do this through a range of treatment strategies designed to enhance the person's ability, such as modifying the task or environment, skill development and/or education.

Study the Master of Occupational Therapy Studies at UQ and you will learn from award-winning teachers, researchers and clinical educators.

This program will give you the theoretical knowledge, professional attributes, and clinical and research skills necessary for a career in occupational therapy.

Structure

This program is conducted full-time over 2.5 years (5 semesters), beginning in July (semester 2) of each year. In the introductory semester, studies relate to foundation occupational therapy knowledge, and integrating earlier learning with the occupational focus. In the first full year of the program, students advance on this knowledge and apply theory to practical scenarios related to occupational therapy. In the second year, students complete full-time practice education placements, examine professional issues and management, and continue to develop skills in research.

Courses

See the course list for courses that can be studied as part of the Master of Occupational Therapy Studies.

Click on the course code to view the Course Profile, for further information including advice of courses with shared teaching activities.

Placement courses

Students undertake over 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice in a range of clinical settings that includes hospitals, educational facilities, other health care organisations, private practices and UQ's internal clinics. During placements, students will have the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge acquired through coursework and research to practice and develop their clinical skills in real life settings. Students will undertake a variety of sessional practical experiences from year one before commencing full-time clinical placement blocks during year three. Students may be required to undertake clinical placements outside of the Brisbane metropolitan area and students are required to fund their travel, accommodation and daily living expenses. This program has pre-placement requirements which must be met prior to commencement of the program or a placement course. Further details can be found on the Placement Ready website.

Research component

The program incorporates advanced training in clinical reasoning and independent research. Students may opt to undertake an individual research project in their final year.

Study options

Graduates will have the opportunity to progress to the following programs:

  • Master of Philosophy
  • Doctor of Philosophy

Entry requirements

To complete the Master of Occupational Therapy Studies

To fulfil the requirements of the Master of Occupational Therapy Studies, a student must complete the requisite number of courses chosen from the course list in accordance with the Program Rules.

For more information on program requirements, please contact the Faculty.

Students should be aware of the University of Queensland policies and rules which govern the conduct of UQ programs. These may be found on the UQ policies and rules page on the my.UQ website.

Institution