Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy enables people to lead active, healthy, and productive lives. Deakin’s accredited Bachelor of Occupational Therapy gives you cutting-edge and practical education. It will prepare you to identify people’s strengths and limitations, environmental and social supports and barriers, and the role these play on people’s ability to participate in occupations that are meaningful to them. You will gain the expertise to develop personalized evidence-based interventions for people who live with a range of health limitations, including those caused by injury, health conditions, developmental or environmental barriers.

Starting in your first year, you will complete eight different placements totaling over 1000 hours in a range of occupational therapy areas. This invaluable practical experience, combined with learning in our state-of-the-art Occupational Therapy Learning Hub, will ensure you graduate career-ready and with confidence.

Passionate about promoting good health and wellbeing and improving people's lives at home and work?

Occupation refers to everything that makes up a person’s life, not just their job. As a qualified occupational therapist, you will work collaboratively with people of all ages to enable them to successfully engage in aspects of daily living.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop throughout your study will allow you to help vulnerable people achieve independence at home, at work, and in the community, enhancing their quality of life as a result. You will also be qualified to work with children with physical or intellectual disabilities, people who have had accidents or are suffering from medical problems, and people in aged care.

Work Integrated Learning

You will undertake a variety of practicum placements throughout the four years of the course, commencing in your first year. Practice Education provides you with the opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience under the supervision of qualified practitioners, which will enable you to practice confidently as an occupational therapist. You will complete a minimum of 1000 hours of practical experience. Practice Education is conducted in a range of settings including schools, hospitals, clinics, community health organizations, and industry, in metropolitan, regional and rural locations. In a host agency, you can play a meaningful role in a variety of activities, including planning programs and events, undertaking needs assessments, developing evaluation tools, counseling, group work, completing literature reviews, and producing promotional materials. Placements begin shortly after you commence your first year of study.

Practice Education

Students are required to undertake practice education placements throughout the course of their degree. A schedule detailing these placements is developed in advance of the commencing academic year.