MSc Advancing Practice in Occupational Therapy

• Take control of your learning by choosing your own topic for most of the modules on the course.

• You can structure the delivery and duration of this highly flexible course around your own study and work goals.

• You can select specific modules for your continuing professional development studies.

As a student on this programme you will develop your knowledge of the evidence-base for/of practice and deepen your critical thinking, professional reasoning and research skills. We have designed it to suit occupational therapists from a wide range of settings and to give you the support you need to redefine your career as an advanced practitioner in education, research, leadership, policy or practice.

The MSc Advancing Practice in Occupational Therapy is embedded as an integrated pathway on an existing master’s framework for person-centred practice (see page 126), which affords equal attention to both the philosophy of occupation and of person-centredness. This framework offers a student-centred approach to education, fostered through three approaches to learning: experiential and collaborative learning, critical discourse and evidence-based teaching.

Specifically, the MSc programme aims to ensure the centrality of occupation as part of therapists’ postgraduate education and, in so doing, responds to the strategic drivers for change towards advanced and person-centred practice in global health and social care. Educationally, it will address philosophical concepts from occupational science and person- centred practice that will be blended throughout the programme to facilitate learning at master’s level.

MSc (180 credits)/ PgDip (120 credits)/ PgCert (60 credits)

To obtain a specific postgraduate award at QMU you must complete a number of credit-bearing modules. You can opt to study for the MSc, a PgDip, a PgCert, or register as an associate student to undertake one or two modules as part of continuing professional development. On completion of a single module, you can, if you wish, complete further modules and progress your studies to a named award.

The learning experience promotes independent, student-led study, classroom based and distance learning. This encourages students to use library, web and other resources to seek out information. Assessment on this course will be carried out through a variety of strategies, drawing on your own practice experiences. It can include case-based work, presentations, essays, systematic and literature reviews, a research proposal outline and development of a learning contract.

Each module that you study on campus will require you to attend classes and carry out independent work. Your attendance requirements at QMU will depend on the module you are studying and whether you are studying full-time or part-time. Some modules are also available by distance learning.

Normally, there are around 15-20 students undertaking the course each year.

To gain an MSc, you will need 180 credits. You will complete:

• Theory & Practice of Person-centred Health & Wellbeing (20 credits)
• Leading Person-centred Practice for Health & Well-being (20 credits)
• Research Methods (20 credits)
• Critically Engaging with Occupation 1 (20 credits)
• Critically Engaging with Occupation 2 (20 credits)
• Optional module choice (20 credits)

The modules listed are correct at time of posting (Nov 2020) but are subject to change. In the event that modules change, QMU will seek to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on students.

Available. Register as an associate student to study single modules in areas of interest. Contact Dr Fiona Maclean for more information.

There are no placements on this course. 

This course will enable occupational therapists to develop or change career direction to advanced practitioner, education, research or management. The programme does not lead to registration with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC).

There are opportunities to apply your own learning to practice. We also work in partnership with a range of third sector organisations, for example Alzheimer Scotland, with whom we deliver a module connected to allied health professional’s practice that considers a rights-based approach.

Normally, an honours degree or equivalent in occupational therapy.

International: Where your honours degree has not been studied in English, you will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score less than 6.0.

International students registering for the named award will normally have gained their professional qualification from a school recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

None

Framework awards do not lead to UK registration with the HCPC or the right to practice within the UK, but aim to foster an intellectual approach to personal and professional development.

Contact Admissions or Dr Fiona Maclean 

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As part of our management of the Brexit transition, for many of our courses, including this one, we have introduced an EU transitional scholarship for EU full-time postgraduate students commencing their studies on campus in academic years 2021/22 and 2022/23. This provides a 40% discount on international tuition fees. The scholarship is available to EU students for whom the international fee rate applies and covers the courses marked with a # in the Postgraduate Fees – Full-Time Study section of our Fees page. This transitional scholarship is not applicable to students from the Republic of Ireland, who will continue to be eligible for the home fee rate.