Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

A student who has successfully completed 220 to 230cp from the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy units excluding the Core Curriculum units and 10 to 20cp from the Core Curriculum units may exit with the following qualification:

• Bachelor of Allied Health

Classes

Class sizes

In 2021 we welcomed 89 new students to our Brisbane campus, 106 to our Melbourne campus, and 112 to our North Sydney campus. You can expect tutorial class sizes of approximately 25 – 30 students.

Contact hours

You can expect to have about 16–20 hours of face-to-face contact each week for 12 weeks of the semester in first, second, third and fourth years (on a full-time load). In addition, you will be required to attend professional practice placements full-time, for example, 40 hours a week for two weeks in first year and two x 5-week placements in third year. See more details under placement.

We understand the need for flexibility when it comes to your studies. For many of our undergraduate programs, lectures and tutorials are delivered face to face. Lectures provide an opportunity to engage with the lecturer and the occasional guest lecturers will provide specialist insights into the course content. Tutorials are where critical exploration of key concepts and development of attributes takes place. This is achieved through activities including group work, debate and role play.

Lectures are recorded and are made available online for students who cannot attend in person. Most tutorials and practical classes are held on campus.

Sample Assessments

Occupational Therapy sample assessment examples: online quiz, written reflective journal, oral presentation, poster, written examination, written assignment.

Sample unit assessment criteria:

OTHY204 Occupational Participation and Disability

• Assessment 1 (20%)

Case-based group presentation: students will, in groups of three, deliver a 15 minute oral presentation to demonstrate skills in gathering and presenting material related to evaluating the impact of the physical, social and technological environment on occupational participation and communication for a client with a disability.

• Assessment 2 (50%): written assignment (2,000 word essay)

Students will write on the National Disability Insurance Scheme to develop skills to synthesise and analyse societal, political, environmental and other factors impacting the community participation and inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

• Assessment 3 (30%): post community engagement critical reflection

Students will write a 1,500 word reflection on their preparation for community engagement and the community engagement experience.

Meritorious students may apply to undertake Honours in the third and fourth years of the course, subject to meeting the admission requirements and achieving a grade point average of 5.5 on the ACU seven point scale.

Determination of students who meet the requirements to enrol in the honours program, and will be offered a place, will be the responsibility of the undergraduate course coordinator in collaboration with the Head of School.

Each year ACU’s Faculty of Health Sciences offers a number of destinations where students can undertake a community engagement unit or professional practice placement abroad as part of their studies. These include in Vietnam, Vanuatu and Timor Leste. These activities are facilitated through our ACU overseas partners. Most of these experiences are offered to students enrolled in their third or final year of study at ACU.

You might also choose to study an Occupational Therapy unit at ACU’s Rome Campus over the June - July or December - January breaks.

To find out more, visit: acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/study-overseas/study-tours-and-short-programs/study-health-sciences-overseas/short-term-international-study-experience    

Please note: overseas travel opportunities are subject to public health restrictions in place at the planned time of travel.

Pathways into the Course for current or recent year 12 students

Students need to have completed a Year 12 science subject to be eligible to apply for entry into the B. Occupational Therapy. Some Australian preparatory and bridging studies would satisfy this requirement including:

Satisfactory completion of Biology, Chemistry or Physics in the Certificate IV of Adult Tertiary Preparation;

UNILEARN – Pass in Biology, Chemistry of Physics;

TAFE Tertiary Preparation Certificates

ACU (Health Sciences) programs that have a science unit – most commonly Biology but a few have Chemistry. Students would then apply to transfer course the following year (on the basis of their GPA which is converted to an ATAR). Entry is competitive and is not guaranteed.

Honours graduates may be eligible to undertake a Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy.

ACU offers a number of postgraduate courses suitable for Bachelor of Occupational Therapy graduates including:

Postgraduate programs in Rehabilitation

Postgraduate programs in Mental Health

You can find out more on postgraduate programs in Health Sciences here – https://www.acu.edu.au/about-acu/faculties-directorates-and-staff/faculty-of-health-sciences/postgraduate-study-in-health-sciences

$10272

You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support.

Explore your options

You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.

Search our scholarships

This is a four year course with an embedded honours program.

Deferment is available for one year. Find out more about deferment: Deferment Information.