Msc Occupational therapy

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice / guidance please!
I already have a BSc in Sport Physical Activity and Health. I'd like to get an OT qualification however i'm stuck between doing a masters or an undergrad. I'm leaning towards an undergrad as I will have more time for a part time job to support my living and can get a maintanence loan as well as tuition fees. Whereas with a masters i'm worried I won't be able to fund myself for 2 years, and I don't want to burn myself out whilst trying to manage studies and some part time work as well.

Has anyone done the Masters and can confirm whether it will be impossible to work and support myself? I'm currently looking at University of Brighton. Which is also a problem because their undergrad course is 4 years and i'd rather be trained up sooner than that.

Any advice is super helpful thankyou!

Reply 1

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by Kathleent97

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice / guidance please!
I already have a BSc in Sport Physical Activity and Health. I'd like to get an OT qualification however i'm stuck between doing a masters or an undergrad. I'm leaning towards an undergrad as I will have more time for a part time job to support my living and can get a maintanence loan as well as tuition fees. Whereas with a masters i'm worried I won't be able to fund myself for 2 years, and I don't want to burn myself out whilst trying to manage studies and some part time work as well.

Has anyone done the Masters and can confirm whether it will be impossible to work and support myself? I'm currently looking at University of Brighton. Which is also a problem because their undergrad course is 4 years and i'd rather be trained up sooner than that.

Any advice is super helpful thankyou!

Hi @Kathleent97

It's great to hear your innterested in occupational therapy!! I'm currently in my 2nd year of the MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) course at the University of Southampton. I had a BSc in Education and Psychology and almost stumbled across occupational therapy, did my research and loved the concept of it - I applied to the MSc course at University of Southampton and here I am now.

I think both routes are great it's just about what feels right for you. Obviously I can only provide experience/insight from the University of Southampton and other universities are likely to do things quite differently.
I'll provide a little bit of comparison between the two courses currently on offer at the University of Southampton.

Similarities:
- Both BSc and MSc have full accreditation from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the HCPC.
- Some modules both MSc and BSc do togteher which is lovely to get to know eachother a bit and learn from eachothers experiences!
- Funding - in my experience and I believe this currently still applies, both BSc and MSc healthsciences/healthcare students are entitled to a tuition and maintenance loan. This means the MSc is unlike how regular masters courses are funded an dis funded like a normal undergraduate course for UK students. UK students on both the BSc and MSc are also eligible for a burasry (known as the learning support fund, currently £5000 a year with additional amounts for different circumstances e.g. childcare) to support students. The learning support fund also helps with travel costs for placements and if additional accomodation is required whilst on placement.

Differences:
- Modules are slightly different with the MSc missing some of the BSc modules
- placements are also structured slightly differently with the BSc having 3 x 6 week placements and a 10 week placement whereas the MSc has 5 x 6 week placements. Personally I found that having 5 placements gave me a really good variety. The advantage however of the BSc final placement being 10 weeks is that your final placment (or final two in MSc) is when you're expected to become more independent and so having 10 weeks allows for more time to really settle into your role and develop. As I say, thats just the structure at University of Southampton and I'm unsure how this compares to other universities.
- The BSc course at University of Southampton is 3 years and the MSc is 2 years and starts in January each year
- MSc students get less time off over summer due to the more intensive programme however we still have had roughly 5 weeks in both years for summer.

They are some key similarities and differences I can think of. Whilst the MSc is a more intensive programme I have found it really manageable and whilst sometimes stressful, that's more the nature of being at university rather than the intensity of the course. I have found when teaching hours are more intense we have less independent work to do which helps with being able to balance everything a little more. I currently work as a student ambasssador with the unviersity which allows me to pick up the hours when I can and I have found that structure really works for me.

An alternative option is the apprenticeship - this allows you to work and study at the same time. I believe it's a 4 year programme so may take longer but is always an option. Unfortunatley, I don't know much about it to be able to provide any further infomation.

Personally, I have found my 2 years have flown by and I'm really excited to get out into the world of OT working soon. It has mostly been very manageable and I'm glad I took the 2 year option however everyone works differently. If you get a chance to visit some university open days (both for undergraduate and masters) that may be really helpful to understand the course differences - you can also look at university courses on their wesbites and compare differences between Bsc and Msc that way. I'll link both the options for University of Southampton below:

undergraduate - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/occupational-therapy-degree-bsc
masters - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/occupational-therapy-pre-registration-masters-msc

I appreciate that that was a lot of infomation but I hope you find at least some of it helpful! If you have any further questions about BSc vs Msc, occupational therapy in general or the University of Southampton please just let me know and I'll do my best to help you out :smile:

Katie
University of Southampton student rep

Reply 2

LL2468

3

I had the exact same thought process as you! I was originally planning to apply for the MSc course, but then I realised that I probably couldn’t afford it without a part time / holiday job, and thought it would be difficult to get one with the course. Interestingly I had an online interview last week with a university and they asked whether I had considered the MSc [- I have a BSc Psychology degree]. I explained that it was primarily financial and the BSc gives me the option of getting work in the holidays etc, and they said they completely understood that and said that you wouldn’t want to spend the shorter masters holidays working.

I’ve ended up applying primarily for BSc OT courses, but have applied to one for a MSc.

Reply 3

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by LL2468

I had the exact same thought process as you! I was originally planning to apply for the MSc course, but then I realised that I probably couldn’t afford it without a part time / holiday job, and thought it would be difficult to get one with the course. Interestingly I had an online interview last week with a university and they asked whether I had considered the MSc [- I have a BSc Psychology degree]. I explained that it was primarily financial and the BSc gives me the option of getting work in the holidays etc, and they said they completely understood that and said that you wouldn’t want to spend the shorter masters holidays working.

I’ve ended up applying primarily for BSc OT courses, but have applied to one for a MSc.

Hi @LL2468

Again it's alwasy great to hear when someone is interested in occupational therapy!!

I wish you the best of luck with your application process and your training to be an OT :smile:

Katie
2nd year MSc occupational therapy student

Reply 4

hollypops5

6

I have been offered a place at Leeds Beckett to study the MSc in Occupational Therapy. I live on the Wirral and can only look for accommodation in November/December as the course starts in January. This is purely based on the off chance that something becomes available.

It’s causing me a lot of anxiety and I’m not sure if financially I can afford to do it, without working one day a week. I’ve done a lot of research on OT but only had two days work experience. I feel it would be a good career for me but I’m still uncertain. My undergraduate is in Fine Art but they have said this is acceptable. However it is a worry that it will be very unfamiliar.

Still very undecided about wether or not I should take the leap, as it’s very out of my own comfort zone and I would be mortified if it’s not what I thought it would be. I can’t study it at Liverpool for example, as I don’t have my Maths GCSE but Leeds Beckett accepted my application without it.

Sorry if this unrelated, just trying to reach out in the hopes that someone may be able to offer some advice.

Reply 5

bulbethaur

7

Original post by hollypops5

I have been offered a place at Leeds Beckett to study the MSc in Occupational Therapy. I live on the Wirral and can only look for accommodation in November/December as the course starts in January. This is purely based on the off chance that something becomes available.

It’s causing me a lot of anxiety and I’m not sure if financially I can afford to do it, without working one day a week. I’ve done a lot of research on OT but only had two days work experience. I feel it would be a good career for me but I’m still uncertain. My undergraduate is in Fine Art but they have said this is acceptable. However it is a worry that it will be very unfamiliar.

Still very undecided about wether or not I should take the leap, as it’s very out of my own comfort zone and I would be mortified if it’s not what I thought it would be. I can’t study it at Liverpool for example, as I don’t have my Maths GCSE but Leeds Beckett accepted my application without it.

Sorry if this unrelated, just trying to reach out in the hopes that someone may be able to offer some advice.

You get undergrad funding for NHS allied health degrees, so you'd receive your tuition fee, your full undergraduate loan (which I assume would be around £9k) and an extra £5k free money which is specifically just for allied health courses and you don't have to pay back. That's £14-15k a year to cover living costs, so unless you go for really expensive housing, living costs shouldn't be too much of a tight squeeze, especially if you save some in year first year. They also allow you to do a second bachelors for allied health courses, so you could get funding for another 3 year undergrad just like you did for your first one. Essentially it's up to you, but if you're still unsure, maybe hold on for another year, work a bit and save some money, and get some more work experience in OT before you make your choice. There are a bunch of different avenues with OT, from paediatrics to eating disorders to mental health to specialising in the use of the hand. Do your research, explore your options, and think about every career you could go down instead. When I was deciding what I wanted to do, I made a list of every avenue I could go down, and after a few months of mulling it over I realised I wanted to work with kids and OT was a really good way for me to do that. Just don't panic and give yourself the time. Big decisions require a lot of thinking and so as long as you're able to keep yourself afloat in the meantime, patience is your best friend.

Reply 6

hollypops5

6

Thank you for your response!

Reply 7

Amina333

1

Original post by hollypops5

I have been offered a place at Leeds Beckett to study the MSc in Occupational Therapy. I live on the Wirral and can only look for accommodation in November/December as the course starts in January. This is purely based on the off chance that something becomes available.

It’s causing me a lot of anxiety and I’m not sure if financially I can afford to do it, without working one day a week. I’ve done a lot of research on OT but only had two days work experience. I feel it would be a good career for me but I’m still uncertain. My undergraduate is in Fine Art but they have said this is acceptable. However it is a worry that it will be very unfamiliar.

Still very undecided about wether or not I should take the leap, as it’s very out of my own comfort zone and I would be mortified if it’s not what I thought it would be. I can’t study it at Liverpool for example, as I don’t have my Maths GCSE but Leeds Beckett accepted my application without it.

Sorry if this unrelated, just trying to reach out in the hopes that someone may be able to offer some advice.

Hi
Can I ask how the interview process was like and what kind of questions were asked. Thank you

Reply 8

hollypops5

6

Original post by Amina333

Hi
Can I ask how the interview process was like and what kind of questions were asked. Thank you

Hi Amina,

I was interviewed by one of the tutors and two volunteers, if I remember correctly. One of which was a stroke patient. The questions were mainly scenario based, which highlighted specific skills. You will find ways to draw on your life experiences in order to answer these. I was asked what I know about OT and what qualities I believe they possess etc. Just be yourself and convey your knowledge and interest in the subject. I hope this helps.

Best of luck on your journey!

Holly x

Reply 9

Amina333

1

Original post by hollypops5

Hi Amina,

I was interviewed by one of the tutors and two volunteers, if I remember correctly. One of which was a stroke patient. The questions were mainly scenario based, which highlighted specific skills. You will find ways to draw on your life experiences in order to answer these. I was asked what I know about OT and what qualities I believe they possess etc. Just be yourself and convey your knowledge and interest in the subject. I hope this helps.

Best of luck on your journey!

Holly x

Thank you so much hun xxx☺️☺️