Masters Degrees (Art Therapy)

-The MA Art Therapy is approved by The Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is situated in the postgraduate area of The School of Creative Arts. The programme places a strong emphasis on developing the student’s artistic identity in tandem with their understanding of the skills and knowledge required for safe therapeutic practice
-Contemporary visual art practices that link to psychodynamic processes are taught across the curriculum. Students learn how research is a cross-discipline mode of enquiry while developing knowledge of how theory underpins and informs art therapy practice with a range of vulnerable people
-Students attend placements throughout the course and develop themselves professionally through supervision, reflection and by articulating their practice in writing, research and presentations
-The programme guides students toward achieving employment in health care, education and/or voluntary organisations. Focusing on the public sector these range from adult and child mental health, palliative care, learning disability, prisons, main stream and special schools etc.

Why choose this course?

MA Art Therapy places particular emphasis on the relationship art therapy has with other art forms such as fine art, ceramics, design, film and digital image making, on a theoretical and practical level. Experiential learning is regarded as a key experience with time and space given to the continuing development of the student's artistic identity.

The aim of the MA Art Therapy course is to train art therapists for employment in the public sector. This includes theoretical and practical knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to a range of client groups and settings. You are offered a broad theoretical foundation in the key principles of psychodynamic and humanistic psychotherapy in relation to current art therapy theory and research. The programme area also offers a range of pre and post qualification opportunities such an Arts Therapy Foundation programme, Introductory and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) short courses and research opportunities up to PhD.

The MA Art Therapy course has links with the Faculty for Health and Human Sciences and European universities and organisations e.g ECArTE. The University is within easy reach of London by rail, road and air.

The core staff team have an excellent reputation in terms of teaching quality and research in their fields. The programme also employs other professionals such as psychotherapists and arts therapies who continue to conduct clinical practice with a range of client groups.

You have access to a state of the art Learning Resources Centre which contains a wealth of material on related disciplines, maintained by specialist staff who provide support and advice when need. Personal Therapy for the duration of the training is a requirement of all students.

Careers

The qualification leads to an award that is recognised for professional registration purposes by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT).

Career opportunities vary from work in the NHS, social services, the voluntary sector and increasingly in main stream education. Art Therapists frequently work on a sessional basis or part time in a range of settings. Students receive workshops on how to market themselves post-qualification.

Structure

Year 1
Core Modules
-Art Therapy Practice 1
-Creative Economies
-Experiential Training 1
-Experiential Training 2
-Research and Enquiry

Optional
-Creative Economies (Online)
-Research and Enquiry (Online)

Year 2
Core Modules
-Art Therapy Practice Part 2
-Discourse and Reflection: Art Therapy
-Experiential Training 3

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Why choose this course:

• This course is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council reflecting its high quality.

• Successfully completing this course will mean that you are eligible to apply for professional registration as an art therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council. You will also be able to register as a full member of the British Association of Art Therapists, the UK's professional organisation for art therapists.

• This course reinforces the centrality of the image and the role of the imagination in the practice of art therapy.

• You will develop the professional skills you'll need to work in clinical environments.

• A major part of the course is the Independent Scholarship, which will help you to integrate your learning from all areas of the course and develop your clinical reasoning and professional identity.

About the course:

This course will give you experience of clinical art therapy practice and supervision, as well as closed group work and current theory. You'll also have the opportunity to improve your technical art skills through studio work and explore your potential for self expression and communication through image making.

You'll have a personal tutor, who will monitor your overall progress. As well as the taught components of the course, you'll take part in clinical placements and personal therapy as this is a requirement for professional registration. This is a private arrangement and the cost is not included in the fees, although individual or group therapy is acceptable.

You'll take part in a closed art therapy group led by a state registered art therapist and deepen your understanding and relationship with your art form through your work. You'll study the nature of human development and health and disability in art therapy as part of your development to relate theory and research to practice. While you're doing your clinical placements you'll be supervised by an appropriate therapist and also attend a reflective practice group, which will be led by a state registered art therapist.

You'll take part in personal therapy, for a minimum of one hour each week throughout the course, to meet the professional registration requirements. This can be either individual or group therapy.

Your assessments will be through written assignments, verbal presentations, production of artwork and reports based on your performance in the clinical settings.

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Taught at our Riverside Campus in Chester, the course aims to enable you to gain the highest level of knowledge, skills and behaviour that will establish you at the forefront of art therapy within a contemporary setting, and is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The use of art therapy is widely recognised as a discipline that enables expression, beyond words, in a variety of settings, and promotes psychological and emotional well-being. Our course is suitable for those working in health, education, counselling, community and social care settings, as well as for promoting individual personal and professional development.

This Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) approved Art Therapy course will enable you, on completion, to practise as an Art Therapist/Art Psychotherapist. The course aims to enable you to gain the highest level of knowledge, skills and behaviour that will establish you at the forefront of art therapy within a contemporary setting.

Art Psychotherapists work with a range of patients and clinical settings. They work with children, adolescents, people with mental illness, people with learning difficulties, the elderly, and people who have experienced trauma – in forensic and community settings.

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Develop the confidence, expertise and practical skills to become a professional art therapist and help change lives for the better.

You will learn how to use art therapy to support people with very different emotional and mental health needs to feel a sense of inclusion and bring about positive changes to their lives. You will also develop your knowledge and experience by studying the theories that lie at the heart of art therapy.

You will enhance your expertise and refine your practical skills through supervised practice in the field. You will take part in a placement organised by course staff and lasting between 100 and 120 days. This will give you first-hand experience in providing art therapy for clients with different needs and in a range of settings. 

Please note, this course will be delivered in Sheffield. 

Research Excellence Framework 2014

Research Excellence Framework 2014: 40% of our research in the Psychology unit was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent.

Course Benefits

You will take part in a placement organised by course staff consisting of 100-120 days. This offers you first-hand experience in providing art therapy for clients in a range of settings so you can achieve a good standard of proficiency in line with the requirements for registration with the Health & Care Professions Council.

Core modules

• Psychotherapeutic & Mental Health Theories for Art Therapy / Art Psychotherapy
• Studio-Based Training Groups, Reflective Practice & Workshops
• Adapting Art Therapy / Art Psychotherapy Practice for Different Contexts
• Synthesis of Art, Psychotherapy & Practice
• Clinical Placements & Supervision Groups
• Dissertation

Job prospects

Having built a portfolio of relevant work experience and gained a qualification that is a legal requirement for practice in the UK, you will be able to register with the Health & Care Professions Council. You will be able to work in a variety of settings, including the NHS, social services, mainstream schools, special schools and community organisations.

• Art Therapist
• Drama Therapist
• Music Therapist

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This programme will provide you with a broad understanding of the theories and practices of art psychotherapy necessary for safe and effective clinical work.

The Masters enables you to practice as an art therapist in the NHS, Social Services, and educational establishments, and to become a practitioner registered with the British Association of Art Therapists.

Your learning is underpinned by the principles and practices of psychodynamic psychotherapy practised within the context of mental health care, and informed by contemporary art practice.

Via theoretical studies, clinical work and experiential learning you will integrate cognitive understanding and practical experience with a developing awareness of self and other. The nature of the therapeutic relationship between client, their art work, and the art therapist is explored, and you have the opportunity to put your learning into practice through two 60-day placements which are supervised and supported in-depth.

You are encouraged to develop your own art practice and to situate your work in relationship to your development as a therapist, to contemporary art practice and to psychoanalytic theories. You must be in personal therapy throughout the programme.

Modules & structure

Modes of study

The MA in Art Psychotherapy is a course that leads to successful applicants becoming eligible to apply for registration as an Arts Therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the body which regulates and monitors standards of practice in the public sector. The programme can be studied in two modes - full-time for 2 years or part-time for 3 years. A clear indication of the mode chosen should be stated on application forms.

Personal therapy

It's a mandatory aspect of the course that all students must be in personal therapy for the duration of their training. It is usual for therapists to expect attendance throughout the calendar year except for usual holiday breaks; this may entail attendance outside term time. 

Therapy may be on a group or individual basis and can be art therapy or verbal psychotherapy. Attendance must be at least once weekly. It must be stressed that it is not acceptable for a student to be in therapy with a trainee; all personal therapists should be qualified and registered with a relevant professional organisation. Students’ therapists will also be expected to register their professional details with the college. Contact is made with students' therapists at various points in the training to ensure that consistent attendance is being maintained.

Modules

• Theory and Practice of Art Psychotherapy
• Experiential Learning
• Clinical Placement
• Theory and Practice of Art Psychotherapy
• Experiential Learning
• Clinical Placement

Assessment

Assessed by assignment, portfolio, case study, presentation, dissertation, reports and logs.

Download the programme specification. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Skills & careers

Skills

The MA will develop skills including:

• the ability to work with a range of client populations
• an understanding of psychodynamic concepts
• development of your own art practice

Careers

Completion of the programme provides eligibility for the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration as an art psychotherapist.

Our graduates are invariably seen as offering a valuable and unique service to their clients and to the multidisciplinary teams in which they work – graduates have gone on to practice as art psychotherapists in the NHS, social services and in the education sector.

We regularly receive positive feedback from organisations that employ art therapists and/or accept trainees on placement.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths. 

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About the course

Occupational Therapy (OT) at Brunel is one of the largest, longest established, and most highly regarded programmes in the world. In fact, we are the original ‘London School of Occupational Therapy.’

The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) provides a Master's level route for graduates to become competent occupational therapists equipped for life-long, safe and effective practice within the global marketplace. This course is for those who are not already qualified as occupational therapists. It is a professional full-time programme, which will prepare you to become a competent occupational therapist in a variety of health and social care settings. It also allows students to be eligible to apply for:

Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapists/College of Occupational Therapists.

In December 2016 our programme was granted “Preaccreditation Status” by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), which confirms that Brunel has successfully completed steps one and two in the three-step accreditation process – see more at AOTA OT Master's-Level Programs - Developing and visit our Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) information page.

The programme will now proceed with step three – the on-site evaluation, scheduled for April 2017, followed by an accreditation decision by mid-2017.

Aims

This programme differs from other Master's programmes in that it is a professional programme at postgraduate level and is full-time. It is not for those who are already qualified occupational therapists. Nevertheless, this course aims to prepare you to become a competent occupational therapist equipped for lifelong, safe and effective practice in a variety of health and social care settings. We provide a high quality educational programme, which ensures that you are properly qualified, prepared and safe to practise.

Occupational therapy students typically choose this career for the following reasons:

variety of work
the challenge
personal and one-to-one contact
client/patient appreciation
its holistic approach
the desire to help disabled people
to work in health settings
job availability
the chance to be creative.

If you are considering studying Occupational Therapy at Brunel University London then you are committed to working jointly with the NHS to demonstrate the values and beliefs of the NHS Constitution.

NHS values
Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

Course Content

Programme Structure

The MSc (pre-registration or pre-reg) occupational therapy programme benefits from being integrated with other programmes within the College of Health and Life Sciences. In their first year of study, MSc (pre-registration) occupational therapy students undertake components from a number of the current BSc modules/study blocks, as well as shared teaching with post-graduate students from the divisions of occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work and community health and nursing studies. In their second year of study, students share modules with other post-graduate students within the division of occupational therapy. Where learning is shared with the undergraduates, the content has been integrated into master's level modules and is assessed at master's level.

The programme comprises two years full time study. Taught modules are within a three-term structure. To provide a balance between academic and practice placements and still meet the minimum of 1,000 hours of practice placements required by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and the College of Occupational Therapists, three of the practice placement modules extend beyond the term boundaries over the summer.

Academic modules are based at Brunel University in Uxbridge and practice placement modules are provided in a range of health and social care setting and increasingly in voluntary and private organisations including non-traditional settings.

Year One: The Skilled Practitioner – the How, What and Why of Occupational Therapy
Year 1 of the programme introduces students to the "how, what and why" of occupational therapy and aims to give them the opportunity to develop, explore and critique the core occupational concepts and skills of the profession in depth. The arrangement of study blocks and the two practice placement modules (that occur prior to the commencement of academic study in year 2), allow for a reciprocal exchange of academic knowledge and professional skills that develop the student’s understanding and knowledge of the profession further. Applying and evaluating research in practice is essential for occupational therapists, who are required to adopt evidence-based practice. Therefore the students are made aware from the onset of the programme of how research impacts on practice through clinical reasoning and decision-making skills gained in study blocks and also an inter-professional module HH5609: Approaches to Research.

Year Two: Mastery of Occupational Therapy – Advancing Practice
Year 2 of the programme aims to provide students with a more advanced exploration of the occupational therapy profession. Students acquire mastery in critical knowledge and evaluation of key issues on professional practice as well as critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation of theoretical concepts central to occupational therapy. In addition, students study one optional module that enables an in-depth consideration of a specialist area of current practice. Students’ research skills are further enhanced in the second year and culminate in the students producing a research thesis, in the form of a detailed research dissertation. There are two practice placements in Year 2, one at the beginning of the year and one at the end.

Core Modules

Year 1

Introduction to Occupational Therapy Theory and Philosophy
Informing Sciences
Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 1
The Process of Occupational Therapy Practice
Preparing for the Work Place 1
Occupational Therapy Practice in Context
Knowledge and Skills for Occupational Therapy 2
Lifestyle Redesign Through Occupation
Preparation for Dissertation

Year 2

Preparing for the Work Place 2
Strategies and Visions for Professional Development
People and Communities
The Art and Science of Occupational Therapy

Optional Modules

Occupational Therapy for Children, Young People and their Families
Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
Occupational Therapy in Neurorehabilitation
Occupational Therapy for Active Ageing

Immunisation requirements for the course

Please be aware that the University does not pay for any of the vaccinations or blood tests required to undertake this course, this is the responsibility of each applicant. The University does not offer a service to provide these and therefore we recommend you go to your GP or local travel clinic and start as early as possible. Until the University has evidence that you have these immunisations we will not be able to allow you to enter the clinical environment on practice placement so it is vital that you meet these requirements, ideally before you commence study. You must obtain immunisation against the following and further information can be found on the NHS website.

Please be aware that as occupational therapy students you will be working in hospitals and therefore in contact with patients who have infections so these immunisations are required for students as outlined in the Green Book by the Department of Health.

Hepatitis B x 3 vaccinations over a 6 month period and a blood test is then taken 6-8 weeks after the third dose, to check that the vaccinations have worked. Please note that the Hep B vaccination programme from the initial first vaccination to blood test upon completion, takes 8 months.
Also required is Polio & Tetanusè Rubella, Measles or MMR x 2 è BCG è Varicella Zoster, and evidence of chicken pox or vaccination x 2, or blood test to confirm immunity.
Blood tests are required for Hepatitis B and also for Measles, Rubella and Chicken Pox if there is no evidence in the students medical records. Immunisations are compulsory and are required for clinical placements.

Teaching

The programme reflects educational developments and encourages reflection, self-reliance and deep learning in the programme - to prepare students for the challenges of employment within a changing health and social care system.

Teaching, learning and assessment are designed to ensure that successful students are able to:

Seek out, appraise critically and use appropriate sources of knowledge and expertise within their academic and practice-related studies.
Utilise intellectual, subject-specific and key transferable skills.
Reflect on their experiences and learn from these.

Students’ learning is also supported by web based resources on Blackboard Learn with all modules having lecture and tutorial material posted on this site. Other features of Blackboard Learn are also utilised, such as on-line tests, virtual blackboards, discussion groups and podcasts.

The teaching and learning approaches are founded on the belief that occupational therapy should be grounded in evidence. This is achieved through the integration of academic and practice education which encourages evidence-based activity.

Programme, study and module block descriptors delineate learning outcomes to ensure clarity and promote the active preparation of students. Placements require students to reflect on their personal strengths and weaknesses and set objectives for their learning.
Completion of student evaluation forms requires students to appraise their own learning experiences.

All study and module blocks are core to the curriculum apart from one optional module in the second year, which must be chosen from four options. All modules are compulsory. This policy was adopted to ensure the programme meets with the professional requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council and the College of Occupational Therapists.

Assessment

The assessment procedures within the programme reflect the learning outcomes of each study and module block. Assessments are carried out in assessment blocks. The University term structure allows the student to have assessments spread across the academic year to assist learning.

In order to promote independent learning, a variety of assessment modes are used such as case studies, essays, practical assessments, placement reports, presentations, written examinations, literature reviews and a research dissertation. These assessments are designed to not only reflect master’s level academic requirements, but also professional skills in preparation for practice.

At the beginning of each year the student is provided with the assessment schedule, including assessment and feedback dates. Each assessment is explained clearly to students, both verbally and in the programme handbook, giving notification of assignment block requirements early in the commencement of the relevant study or module blocks. This information is also provided via Blackboard Learn (BBL). Preparation for assessment blocks is co-ordinated by the relevant year leader and undertaken through identified sessions within study blocks.

Special Features

You will complete an integrated research dissertation as part of the Master’s.

You will have the opportunity to work and learn with international students.

You will have the opportunity to learn in a wide range of practice areas.

The programme is accredited by the College of Occupational Therapists (COT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It is recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapy.

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This course is for people who want to pursue their passion for particular areas of Fine Art, at an advanced level and with professional support.

Course overview

This course is built around your personal interests and aspirations. It allows you to push the boundaries of creativity, within a framework of academic rigour and contextual research.

Given the strong practical element in the course, we invite applicants to share their portfolios and aspirations with us at interview stage. We are eager to explore how to develop each person’s individual interests and passions in Fine Art.

During the course, we encourage you to develop your personal practice through research, critiques, analysis and questioning. We also tackle issues that face Fine Art professionals, from fundraising to self-presentation, as part of boosting your employability.
At Masters level, the specialisms of tutors are an important factor. Sunderland’s research expertise includes painting, printmaking, studio-based drawing and collage, sculpture, collaborative practice, art in architecture, video and digital art.

By the end of the course, you will have prepared and participated in a public exhibition. Your work will form a Masters-level portfolio that excites and impresses potential clients, collaborators and employers.

Graduates from Sunderland have gone on to work throughout the creative industries. A Masters qualification not only opens doors in the workplace but also helps you progress more rapidly once your career is underway.

To find out more about the part time version of this course, please view this web-page: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/courses/artsdesignandmedia/postgraduate/fine-art-part-time/

Course content

The content of the course is shaped by your personal interests with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors. Modules on this course include:
-Fine Art 1 (60 Credits)
-Fine Art 2 (60 Credits)
-Fine Art 3 (60 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working. The course aims to stretch your creativity and maximise your sense of personal fulfilment.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, seminars, critiques, workshops and practical demonstrations. These are supported by a range of guest speakers from diverse academic and industry backgrounds. You will also have high levels of contact with tutors who give regular feedback and support.

We organise field trips and visits to galleries and art events throughout the UK. Destinations include cities such as London, Edinburgh and Liverpool. There are also opportunities to visit international venues in places such as New York, Barcelona, Venice and Berlin.

Facilities & location

The facilities at our Priestman Building include state-of-the-art teaching space, generous studio space and a fantastic Arts and Design Library. Facilities include:
-Workshops for wood, metal and printmaking
-Project spaces
-Student gallery
-Digital studio with video, sound editing and screening facilities
-Digital suites with open-access Apple Macs
-Digital sewing and embroidery facilities

Arts and Design Library
Our Arts and Design Library has a specialist collection of over 120,000 books, CD-ROMs, videos, slides and one of the largest electronic information networks in the sector. The experienced library team provide a high-quality service and are sensitive to the requirements and working methods of Arts and Design students.

Journals and research
We subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date articles. Some of the most important sources for your course include:
-Art Full Text + Art Abstracts, which is a major resource for media and arts information
-Design and Applied Arts Index, which covers journals featuring both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century
-British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC), which provides resources for the production, study and use of film and related media
-JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences
-Lexis, which provides access to legal information as well as full-text newspaper articles
-Screen Online (BFI), which is an online encyclopaedia of British film and television, featuring clips from the vast collections of the BFI National Archive

Employment & careers

Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. On completing this course, you will be equipped for roles throughout the media and cultural industries, for example as a practitioner, curator or educator. Opportunities could include arts development, public arts projects, community art organisations, social and art therapy support units, galleries and festivals.

Recent Sunderland graduates have also set up their own creative businesses, undertaken commissions and exhibited their work regionally and nationally.

During the course we encourage you to gain industry experience which will enhance your skills, build up a valuable network of contacts and boost your employability. Past placements have included exhibition work in a range of public contexts such as galleries, schools and hospitals.

A Masters degree will also enhance career opportunities within Higher Education and prepare you for further postgraduate studies.

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Course content

The MA Fine Art is a broad, studio-based programme with an open and inclusive approach to fine art practice. The programme encourages both specialist and cross-disciplinary approaches enabling students to extend and deepen their knowledge and application of fine art practice.

The curriculum is structured on Practice as Research, through which specialist studio disciplines are developed within cultural, aesthetic and socio-political contexts supporting the creative exploration of ideas through practical skills, research methodologies, theoretical and analytical frameworks. This places individual practice at the centre of the programme. Studio-based modules run throughout the programme and maintain the dynamic interrelation between visual research, concepts and theory. Studio research can be developed within: painting, textiles, sculpture (including ceramics), printmaking and digital media.

Our facilities

Over the past few years, we’ve redeveloped both of our campuses so that you have the best facilities available for your degree. We pride ourselves on the quality of the learning environment we can offer our students.

The Art department are situated in the dedicated artOne building comprising outstanding studio and workshop facilities. It is an exciting place to study, providing a dynamic and supportive learning environment for the production of original new art work.

The well-equipped workshops and studios provide environments for you to create experimental, inventive and ambitious work. The main studio space in the purpose built artOne building provides individual studio spaces for all students as well as bookable spaces for installation, performance and projection work. If you are doing studio practice modules, you will be allocated a personal studio base in which you can carry out your self-directed projects and art work. 

All students also have access to workshop areas and technical support in the key disciplines of the Fine Art programmes. The workshops reflect the range of options across the various degree programmes. A distinctive aspect of the department is that of individualized working areas in the studio space.

Where this can take you

You will become part of a network of artists that will offer support and a challenging context in which to develop your work. Key to this community are fine art staff who, as practising artists, bring their knowledge and experience of a range of professional arts environments to the programme.

The staff team are linked to local, regional and national networks including galleries, museums, regional funding agencies and community based projects. Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes have strong connections with Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Festival Theatre, Goodwood Sculpture Park and galleries in Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and London.

The wider arts community at the University of Chichester includes postgraduate and research students in MA Dance, Performance and Music and you will be able to experience the breadth of these practice based disciplines, and other academic research through research seminar programmes, presentations, theatre events and visiting speakers.

The course provides the opportunity to concentrate on a specific area of research.

Potential Careers

• Professional artist
• Art teacher, educator, or technician
• Art administration and management in galleries and museums
• Art therapy (with extra professional qualification) and art community work
• Art journalism
• Curator

Work placements

Recent students have worked on site-specific commissions, community arts projects, and work placements with local galleries and museums, residencies in schools, and even creating their own virtual gallery. The experience is invaluable in terms of working to time and budgetary constraints, and in dealing with the public.

Indicative modules

Distinctive features of the course:

• Practice-based Fine Art research in Painting, Sculpture (including Ceramic), Textiles, Printmaking and/or New Media and technologies
• Opportunities to work with nationally recognised arts researchers
• Development of professional working practices
• All students may leave with a fully functioning website for their own work (the emphasis being on the development of an existing site rather than building one from scratch)
• Theory and Research Methodologies linked to practical studio work
• Full time students offered studio space
• Use of 'artOne' BA studio facilities for full and part time students in the summer period.

Optional modules:

• The development of fully functioning websites for students' own work
• Share in collaborative work through 'Practising Arts with New Technologies' module.

Teaching and assessment

To gain an MA students need to complete four out of five modules plus the Independent Exhibition. This is an independent research project, and is largely practical, culminating in a professional context exhibition.

All sessions are held at the University of Chichester’s Bishop Otter Campus. Full time students are given a studio space, and full and part time students have access to workshop facilities. All students benefit from access to large studio spaces during the summer months. Study contact sessions take place on Wednesday’s and Thursday’s across Semester 1 and 2 and the summer period.

Full time – 12 months (September to September).

Part time – 24 months (September to September)

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Get professional training in music therapy on our internationally recognised Master’s course. When you graduate, you’ll be qualified to work as a music therapist in the UK and overseas, and eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK.

Overview

If you’re an experienced musician and want to put your skills to use supporting children and adults with additional needs, our emphasis on clinical placements will prepare you for a rewarding career.

Through lectures, practical workshops, case discussions and theoretical studies, we’ll introduce you to the most recent, effective music therapy approaches. You’ll reflect on your own practice in our clinical supervision group discussions, supported by regular individual tutorials.

In the UK there are two central elements of music therapy: the use of improvised and pre-composed music; and the significance given to the relationship between client and therapist. These principles will underpin your training. Our experiential teaching includes: development of your improvisation skills; focused work on your first instrument; keyboard, single line instrument and voice; music therapy theory and links to practice; block clinical placements in at least two fields, including community settings, schools, hospitals and hospices; and experience in multidisciplinary teams.

Your training will take place in our new state-of-the-art Music Therapy Centre and Clinic, where you’ll often study with MA Dramatherapy students. All our students go on supervised clinical placements, preparing you for employment in many different settings.

Throughout the course you'll be supported by our team of qualified music therapists, who have a strong reputation for research. In 2013 we appointed Jörg Fachner as Professor of Music, Mind and the Brain, to further develop our research activities. One of our course tutors, Professor Amelia Oldfield, was recently awarded the first ever Clinical Impact Award by the World Federation of Music Therapists. And in 2014, our music, dramatherapy and performing arts research was acknowledged as 'world-leading' in the UK Government's Research Excellence Framework.

Teaching times: two days a week plus two days on a clinical placement (Year 1). One day a week on campus plus a placement of least one day a week (Year 2).

Careers

As a qualified music therapist you’ll be able to work in many different areas including the NHS, hospices, social services, the education sector and the voluntary sector. The NHS Agenda for Change has led to improved career paths for music therapists at levels similar to, or higher than, those of other allied health professions.

You may also choose to work privately, or on a freelance basis, with a client base including adults and children with learning difficulties, mental health problems, and other special needs.

Successful completion of this course will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council, a legal requirement for music therapists in the UK. Your qualification should also be recognised around the world.

You’ll benefit from our links with the British Association for Music Therapy and other allied health professions; Professor Helen Odell-Miller, for example, advises at government level for the profession. You’ll also be able to forge links with practitioners such as psychotherapists, arts therapists and psychiatrists.

Modules

Year one:
• Music Therapy Practical and Clinical Skills
• Music Therapy and Dramatherapy Multi-Disciplinary Theoretical Studies
• Clinical Placements and Experiential Development (1)

Year two
• Clinical Placements and Experiential Development (2)
• MA Therapies Major Project

Assessment

You’ll demonstrate your learning in a number of ways, including essays, live presentations and practical tasks such as clinical improvisation and composition. You’ll also undertake some self-analysis and reflection with your personal tutor.

Half-way through the course, your progress and process towards becoming a music therapist will be assessed by an examiner. Your final piece of written work will be a Major Project, which involves clinical evaluation. Meanwhile, in your final oral assessment you’ll present a piece of clinical work to two examiners, who will assess your overall clinical skills and readiness to practice.

One of our modules touches on dramatherapy and covers content from our MA Dramatherapy, as well as the Music Therapy course. Where techniques and approaches are specific to each profession you’ll be taught separately but on more generic subjects, such as psychoanalytic studies, psychiatry and psychology, you’ll benefit from working together.

Specialist facilities

You'll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. We have a large range of musical instruments, specifically chosen for clinical work, and high-quality recording and videoing equipment in the therapy rooms.

You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms.

Our Cambridge campus also houses the Mumford Theatre, a full-size venue for professional touring companies.

Research

Our music therapy staff members are internationally renowned researchers and consultants and our research is recognised as world-leading. We hold regular international conferences and support a vigorous community of research students.

***This course has now reached full capacity for September 2016 but we are now accepting applications for September 2017***

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Get professional training in dramatherapy: our emphasis on clinical placements and a range of dramatherapy approaches will prepare you for work in the arts therapies. When you graduate, you’ll be qualified to work as a dramatherapist in the UK and overseas, and eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK.

Overview

Through lectures, practical workshops, case discussions and theoretical studies, our course will introduce you to a range of approaches to dramatherapy. You’ll reflect on your own practice in group discussions, and be supported by an extensive programme of tutorials and supervisions.

Your studies will focus on intercultural practice, attachment/mother-infant observation and the understanding of how past relationships manifest in current client difficulties – and how they can be worked with through the dramatherapeutic relationship. You’ll also work with music therapists in lectures and performance work, such as Playback Theatre.

Our experiential teaching will focus on your own dramatic autobiographical process, dramatherapy theory, links between theory and practice, and bi-weekly experiential dramatherapy groups. In these, you’ll reflect upon your clinical experiences and the process of becoming a dramatherapist.

You’ll take part in clinical placements in two to three fields, under the supervision of qualified dramatherapists. Your placements could be in community settings, schools, hospitals or hospices, giving you valuable experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and great preparation for employment.

Supported by our team of practising and research-active music therapists, you’ll have access to the latest and most effective dramatherapy approaches with both adults and children, as well as to the best advice for your future career.

Careers

As a qualified dramatherapist you’ll be able to work in many different areas, such as the NHS, social services, education, or community projects. You may also choose to work privately or on a freelance basis, with a client base from prisoners to children with learning difficulties.

Successful completion of this course will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council – a legal requirement for practising dramatherapists in the UK.

You’ll also benefit from our links with the British Association of Dramatherapists and other allied health professions and practitioners, such as psychotherapists, arts therapists and psychiatrists.

Modules

Core modules:
Year one:
Clinical Placements and Experiential Development 1
Music Therapy and Dramatherapy Multidisciplinary Theoretical Studies
Dramatherapy Practice and Clinical Skills

Year two:
Clinical Placements and Experiential Development 2
MA Therapies Major Project

Assessment

You’ll demonstrate your learning in a number of ways, including essays, live presentations and practical tasks such as improvisation and performance. You’ll also be asked to undertake some self-analysis and reflection in discussion with your personal tutor.

Half-way through the course, your progress will be assessed by an examiner.

Your final piece of written work will be a Major Project which involves clinical evaluation. In the final oral assessment, you’ll present a piece of clinical work to two examiners, who will assess your overall clinical skills and readiness to practice.

One of our modules includes music therapy, and covers content from our Music Therapy MA course as well as this Dramatherapy MA. On more generic subjects, such as psychoanalytic studies, psychiatry and psychology, you'll work with our music therapy students; where techniques and approaches are specific to each profession you'll be taught separately.

Placements

You’ll spend much of your time on clinical placements in a range of settings.

Specialist facilities

You’ll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms and a full range of specialised dramatherapy props and equipment.

You’ll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms and a full range of specialised dramatherapy props and equipment. Our Cambridge campus also houses the Mumford Theatre, a full-size venue for professional touring companies.

Research

Our dramatherapy staff are internationally renowned researchers and consultants and our music, dramatherapy and performing arts research is recognised as ‘world-leading’ (Research Excellence Framework, 2014). We hold regular international conferences and support a vigorous community of research students.

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Why study at Roehampton

• Build a rewarding career as a professionally-qualified and State registered art psychotherapist. Graduates are able to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC).
• Follow a syllabus informed by Carl G. Jung’s pioneering theories on analytical psychology.
• Benefit from our established network of art psychotherapists and gain work experience in supervised clinical placements. 
• In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, the leading national assessment of quality, 100% of the research we submitted was rated “world leading” or “internationally excellent” for its impact.

Course summary

This course is designed for experienced artists and professionals who have worked within a clinical setting and would like to build a rewarding career as an art psychotherapist.

You will be taught by leading experts who will equip you with the skills, experience, and confidence to work as an art psychotherapist in challenging, yet rewarding environments. Our graduating students are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC). Registered practitioners work in a variety of different settings including psychiatric hospitals, social services departments, special education, prisons and the voluntary sector.

Our comprehensive programme is divided into three areas covering theory, experiential learning and work placement experience. The theoretical aspect covers child developmental and psychodynamic principles alongside art therapy theory and Jungian analytical psychology. This perspective is located within the larger field of analytical psychotherapy and provides you with an in-depth theoretical underpinning that informs clinical practice. 

A vital part of the programme is a supervised clinical placement which allows you to complete one hundred mandatory days of practice during your training. Placements are available in a variety of settings that include mental health (both in the NHS and other psychiatric hospitals and day centres), disabilities services or in hospitals or social services, special education, or a range of other settings. 

Content

The course is divided into three distinct areas; theory, which will develop your understanding as it relates to clinical practice, experiential learning where you will engage in art therapeutic processes to develop an understanding of the discipline from the inside while developing your identity as an artist, and lastly, a work placement. You will also get the opportunity to collaborate with the other students within the arts and play therapies in workshops and shared modules.

Our full-time course starts with an intensive week followed by two taught days, two further days of clinical placement and one day for studio practice per week. The part-time route starts with an intensive week followed by one day per week in University and a minimum of one further day on clinical placement. You will need to complete one hundred days of supervised clinical practice over the duration of the programme. You will also attend weekly personal therapy which is compulsory to become a professional registered practitioner. 

Modules

Here are examples of modules:

• Art Psychotherapy Workshop 1: Placement Preparation
• Art Psychotherapy Workshop 2: Symbols as Language of the Unconscious
•  Human Development and Growth
• Theory 2: The Therapeutic Relationship and its Experience and Expression
• Art Psychotherapy Clinical Placement 1
• Art Psychotherapy Clinical Placement 2

Career options

Graduates go on to work as art therapists within school adult mental health, community, third sector or NHS day service providers. Most art psychotherapists work within institutions as members of multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals.

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Occupational therapy practice is concerned with enhancing the daily lives of individuals with a very broad range of physical, mental health or social needs. As an occupational therapist you will work with clients to improve function and enable them to fulfil the demands of their daily lives with greater satisfaction. You will work with people of all ages from all walks of life, in hospital, in the community, in their place of employment or in their home, and have the opportunity to work in a very wide variety of professional practice areas.

The fundamental aim of the MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) programme is to enable you to graduate with a master’s degree in occupational therapy and be eligible to apply for registration as an occupational therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK. The Degree does not provide eligibility to practice in any other country although the degree is WFOT recognised.

HCPC approved and COT/WFOT accredited

See the website http://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/occupational-therapy-pre-registration/

Why choose this course?

- Graduates from this programme will be fit for purpose, practice, and award in the UK. We enable you to develop a profound understanding of the potential for occupational therapy to promote the health and wellbeing of the population. Skills acquired will be evidenced based, innovative and give you the capacity to make a significant contribution to the profession, specifically contribute to excellence in client care and the professional knowledge base. On successful completion of the degree and 1000 hours of clinical practice education you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a registered Occupational Therapist in the UK.

- Many of our graduates go on to further educational development at PhD/DPhil and professional doctorate level. We are mindful of the anticipated transformation of practice over the next 20 years as well as the changes to demographics and the political innovation resulting in the widening participation agenda. We therefore aim to attract graduate students, who are academically able, demonstrate appropriate values of self-determination, motivation and critical awareness of learning needs and show potential for leading leadership, innovation and research.

- Based in Oxford, the environment for learning is rich with diversity, culture, specialist health and social care resources, academic resources as well as close commuting links to London.

- Our programme is staffed by occupational therapists expert in diverse clinical specialities, and supported by occupational therapy practice educators from all areas of mainstream and specialist practice. Our lecturers are experienced in their specialist practice areas and have reputations for excellence with established links with colleagues, organisations and institutions at national and international level.

- This course benefits from shared and inter-professional education opportunities, in addition to profession specific ones, to develop the professional qualities and attributes for current and future health and social care practice.

- Our ongoing investment in a new technology infrastructure is enabling the teaching team to exploit successful technology-enriched learning throughout the programme. We have a large and dedicated building in Oxford (Marston Road) equipped with state-of-the-art classroom and clinical skills and communication suites and resources. We run a weekly Hand Therapy clinic and a monthly Community Occupational Therapy Assessment Clinic for the public. Students are invited to observe other qualified OT's working in these clinics.

- We have a strong research profile, with experienced researchers working in established areas of cancer care, children and families, drug and alcohol, physical rehabilitation and enablement, inter-professional education and collaborative practice.

- Established in 1938, we are the oldest School of Occupational Therapy in England, and have one of the best occupational therapy library collections in the country.

- We have an excellent track record of high levels of student satisfaction, low student attrition rates and high employability.

Teaching and learning

MSc in Occupational Therapy is taught alongside the well-established and highly-regarded BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy.

Pre-registration Masters students will be taught alongside the undergraduate students in all occupational therapy specific modules. These will be identified with different module numbers and names to those of the undergraduate programme. This dual level teaching in classroom will provide you with the opportunity to learn the core skills and specific attributes of occupational therapy alongside the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy students.

However, the pre-registration Masters students are provided with an enhanced level 7 learning experience with module specific tutorials to explore a more critical and evidence based approach to the subject matter and thus develop professional competence in academic, research and digital literacy, critical thinking and personal self-awareness.

Our approach will require you to actively engage in these Masters level tutorials and become self-directed, innovative, creative and critical learners. Teaching will assist you to construct knowledge through the analysis, synthesis and conceptualisation of your learning experiences, thus developing a lifelong approach to learning. This supports employability in a marketplace that demands adaptability, continuous development and leadership.

You will have the opportunity for face-to-face and virtual learning activities. Our inter-professional module is taken alongside other health and social care pre-registration master's level students, enabling you to prepare for the interdisciplinary work you will encounter in the health and social care environment.

Working at master’s level, you will focus on developing your knowledge in occupational therapy, which is evidence-based and strongly underpinned by research.

This master's degree will:
- Enable you to be a reflective, proactive, innovative and adaptable occupational therapy practitioner, with the ability to critique research and evaluate the effectiveness of evidence in a wide variety of practice settings.

- Develop a critical understanding of the theory of occupation and teach you to challenge existing models and approaches used in occupational therapy from an informed perspective.

- Provide opportunities to develop your ability to work both independently and as part of a team in the context of social, technological, administrative and policy changes.

How this course helps you develop

This course is mapped against the University's postgraduate attributes so that all occupational therapy graduates are equipped with the skills of academic literacy, digital and information literacy, global citizenship, research literacy, critical self awareness and personal literacy. These attributes are in addition to the NHS core values of respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, and aspiring to improve the lives of others where everyone counts and we work together for patients.

Careers

The majority of graduates from the occupational therapy degrees work as qualified and registered occupational therapists, but there are increasing opportunities to work in non-specified professional roles in mental health and community settings. There are also increasing numbers of employment roles that are not explicitly described or advertised as an ‘occupational therapist’ but match the skills specification of an occupational therapist. This is due to the changing nature of health and social care practice and the new and emerging roles and opportunities for occupational therapy.

Free language courses for students - the Open Module

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:
- studying at a Brookes partner college
- studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.

Research highlights

The Centre for Rehabilitation within the Department of Sport and Health Sciences has strong leadership in the director, Professor Helen Dawes. The Centre brings together research, education and care. It is underpinned by a strong, well-published research group, the Movement Science Group, along with clinical expertise, rehabilitation, knowledge and care of adults and children with neurological conditions. Within the Centre, staff, students and alumni across the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences are engaged in a number of research projects.

Examples of ongoing research projects within the faculty:
- Driving rehabilitation - cognitive mechanisms of driving and performance implications for clinical populations

- Fatigue management – Central and peripheral fatigue and mechanisms in clinical populations

- Dual task control in Stroke - influence on community mobility

- Efficacy of Intensive motor learning programmes – Themed (Magic) camps for children with hemiplegia

- Arts in Health Research – collaboration with Breathe Arts Health Research with research opportunities across many arts related activities

- Virtual Reality (VR) technologies – development and implementation of VR technologies in rehabilitation

- Early identification of motor and sensory processing impairments in children

- Sensory processing disorders and impact on function and behaviour in children with autism

- Measurement and monitoring of rehabilitation participation- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Systematic Review of Vocational Rehabilitation for people with TBI

- Therapy for hand writing in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD)

- Monitoring movement in people with neurological conditions – mechanisms and impact e.g. head drop in Parkinson Disorder

- Physical activity impact on sleep, behaviour cognition, health and wellbeing in children with neurodisability

- Falls in people with learning disabilities – an understanding of the impact of anxiety

- A Functional Electrical Stimulation Plantar flexion System for Bone Health Maintenance in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

- Professional development Perspectives of Occupational Therapists working in the NHS and concepts of Occupational Balance, Cultural perspectives and attitude change in professional identity acquisition.

Research areas and clusters

Our staff are involved in research both independently and collaboratively.

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Who is it for?

The MSc in Speech & Language Therapy is designed for students who are committed to a rewarding career in speech and language therapy.

As a graduate with a first degree from a discipline outside healthcare, this course provides you with a fast-track route into health, enabling you to gain a pre-registration health qualification in two years as opposed to the usual three to four.

Ruth is a current Speech and Language Therapy student. Watch her video to find out more about her experiences and thoughts on life as a postgraduate student at City, University of London.

Objectives

City's MSc Speech and Language Therapy has an excellent reputation and is based within the largest, teaching, research and clinical division in the UK for language and communication science.

The MSc will help you:

• Take a fast-track route into speech and language therapy
• Learn a range of subjects to develop your understanding of typical speech, language, communication, swallowing and of pathologies in these areas
• Integrate theoretical and real-world knowledge in considering approaches to the assessment and management of clients with communication and swallowing problems
• Understand how to take a holistic approach to your clients’ needs
• Gain real-world experience by undertaking clinical placements within a range of settings
• Prepare for a career in a challenging and varied field – from working with autistic children and people who stammer to adults who have lost their speech following a stroke.

Accreditation

The MSc in Speech & Language Therapy is accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which is the UK-wide regulatory body for healthcare professions.

On successfully completing the MSc Speech and Language Therapy you are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and practise as a speech and language therapist in the NHS and other settings.

Placements

The MSc Speech and Language Therapy course provides you with many opportunities for clinical practice, including attendance at health centres, schools, departmental clinics, special educational settings and hospitals throughout the London area.

Academic facilities

As an MSc student, you will have access to specialist labs and equipment, such as ultrasound and laryngographs to help you understand speech production and audiological equipment when learning about hearing and deafness.

The Roberta Williams Speech and Language Therapy Centre, opened in January 2016, is our specialist speech and language therapy clinic. The Centre contains state-of-the-art equipment to enable staff within the Division of Language and Communication Science to deliver cutting-edge research and services to patients.

Moodle is an enhanced Virtual Learning Environment which provides you with access to online course materials, resources, interactive activities, assessment and communication tools and is a key element of our blended learning approach, combining face-to-face teaching with online activity.

Teaching and learning

City's MSc Speech & Language Therapy has an excellent reputation and is based within the largest, teaching, research and clinical division in the UK for language and communication science.

You will learn with expert staff who are leaders in the field of speech and language therapy. The innovative and research-informed curriculum is supported by a busy in-house speech and language therapy clinic led by specialist staff. It is considered to be one of the leading educational environments in the world.

We also have close links with speech and language therapy services throughout London, with many practitioners from these services acting as clinical tutors on our courses.

The MSc in Speech & Language Therapy is a very intensive programme which requires full-time study by attending lectures, small-group problem-solving sessions, practical classes and tutorials. You will also have access to the most up-to-date equipment in the Speech Acoustics Laboratory and innovative online learning materials.

During your clinical placements, you will benefit from the supervision of a qualified therapist.

Assessment

Modules are assessed through a diverse range of assignments and examinations. Your clinical progress will also be monitored by supervising clinicians.

Modules

During the MSc Speech and Language Therapy course you will learn about the foundations of speech and language, about how children learn to talk and about disorders that affect communication.

A number of subjects equip you for the analysis of speech, language and hearing difficulties, such as phonetics, linguistics and audiology. You will also develop research skills and the ability to apply evidence based practice. You will undertake weekly and block clinical placements in both years of the course.

Modules

• Articulatory Phonetics, Phonology and Speech Development
• Bio-medical Sciences
• Life Span Psychology and Research Methods
• Speech Disorders, Dysfluency and Augmentative and Alternative
• Dysphagia, Voice, Motor Speech Disorders, Dementia
• Language Sciences: Linguistics and Language Development
• Professional Studies A
• Evidence Based Practice and Data Analysis
• Acoustic Phonetics, Audiology and Deafness
• Acquired and Developmental Language Disorders
• Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disability, Child Mental Health, Cerebral Palsy, Cleft Palate
• Professional Studies B
• Research Project

When you have successfully completed 13 modules totalling 240 credits you will qualify for an MSc Speech and Language Therapy.

Career prospects

On successfully completing the MSc Speech & Language Therapy, you will be able to join a profession that makes a real difference to people’s lives.

On successfully completing the MSc in Speech and Language Therapy, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and practise your profession within the NHS or in a range of other settings, including schools, hospitals, community clinics and charities.

A career in speech and language therapy offers opportunities to work with clients of all ages in settings such as:

• Health centres.
• Hospitals.
• Schools.
• Charities.
• Universities.

Increasingly, many graduates also work in the private sector as independent speech and language therapists.

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Our Inclusive Arts Practice MA is aimed at artists or individuals from related fields who are working in healthcare, education, the arts or the community sector.

It may be a suitable programme if your employer is looking to support relevant training and development opportunities for their staff.

The course aims to equip students with the necessary skills to initiate and manage truly inclusive arts projects with diverse and marginalised groups, for example those with learning difficulties or experiencing social exclusion due to economic or health reasons.

You can choose to study for either a full MA award or a PGCert. There are opportunities to work in diverse settings from schools, galleries, artist studios and design studios to day centres, photographic studios and FE colleges.

Past students have worked with a range of individuals and participant groups including people with learning disabilities, children, young people, elders, those experiencing homelessness, asylum seekers and youth offending teams. They have contributed both locally and to international projects in countries including Romania and Ukraine.

We value and encourage work across a range of art forms, including visual art, design, illustration, performance, film and photography.

Why study with us?

• Truly unique course that enables you to apply your passion for art in a positive community setting
• Focus on practical, vocational work that puts you in direct contact with marginalised groups, as you explore key issues in the inclusive arts debate
• Dedicated professional development module that gives you transferable skills in budget management, health and safety, partnership development and marketing
• Impressive employment rate, with graduates finding work as inclusive arts practitioners with various charities and trusts
• Support from specialist arts practitioners and professionals for collaborative working with diverse groups
• Guest speakers from the arts, health and voluntary sectors

Areas of study

Studies are based around a core of experiential work-related learning, integrated with theory. The course is designed to support participants' development and creativity as art practitioners within the contexts of inclusion, learning disability and marginalised community groups. Students work alongside diverse groups of people in a workshop setting, sharing experiences as partners in the process of learning.

Modules

• Working Together: Introducing Practical Collaboration
• Participatory Practice and Creative Exchange: Inclusive Approaches to Collaboration
• Research in Progress
• Practice as Research
• Looking Ahead: Continuing Professional Development
• Option 

Syllabus

The course is delivered through seven modules, including one related optional module. PGCert students study the Working Together and Issues and Debates modules only.

Assessment takes place through presentations, seminar discussions, practical work and workbooks. The final research project is assessed through an exhibition rather than a dissertation.

Working Together: Introducing Practical Collaboration

This module is a practical introduction to inclusive arts practice that explores processes of collaborative working and art facilitation skills. You undertake a series of supported arts workshops in local artists studios, working alongside the learning disabled Rocket Artist Group. You establish key philosophies and practices of inclusive practice suitable for transference to other community groups later in the course and your future practice. There are also opportunities for you to think about and develop your own work in the context of collaboration.

Participatory Practice and Creative Exchange: Inclusive Approaches to Collaboration

This module introduces and interrogates the ideas and practices of inclusive arts practice through key readings, tutor-facilitated workshops and peer discussion. It includes issues and debates around the similarities and differences between disability arts, art therapy, occupational therapy and inclusive arts practice, and other approaches to collaboration and inclusion. Within this module students will have the opportunity to work in the newly developed Switch House Building at Tate Modern, as part of a short creative exchange project. 

Research in Progress

This module is designed to support students in the development, implementation and completion of their individual research projects. A series of work-in-progress seminars and workshops run alongside the delivery of students’ ongoing practical art projects.

Practice as Research

This runs in parallel with the Research in Progress module, giving you the chance to capture and present your research findings through a public exhibition or performance, and to demonstrate good practice and the impact of inclusive arts.

Looking Ahead: Continuing Professional Development

This module is designed to enhance the professional practice of arts practitioners and equip students with the skills and contacts to manage their future career paths. It covers areas such as working with museums and galleries, funding, public programming, health and safety, budget management, partnership development, and marketing.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

Careers and employability

On completion of the course, students are ideally placed to seek employment in a range of art, disability, community, health and education settings. Recent graduates have gone on to work for various organisations including Project Art Works, The Royal Academy and Kings College Hospital Trust as inclusive arts practitioners and workshop facilitators.

The course would also make a significant contribution to an artist's independent studio practice. Recent alumni have exhibited work at various locations including Phoenix Arts, Brighton Dome and Pallant House. Others have founded organisations such as Red Octopus Sensory Theatre and contributed to a wide range of projects and events including:

• The Otherworld project with SameSky
• Workshop 305
• Heart n Souls' Beautiful Octopus Club
• ActionSpace
• The 20ME12 project
• The Art Out There project with Starburst Arts
• Partners in Art at Pallant House Gallery
• The ArtWorks symposium 2014
• Side by Side: Learning Disability, Art and Collaboration at the Southbank Centre

Students and alumni have successfully secured funding for inclusive arts projects and research through the Springboard Grant scheme, the Santander/Beepurple Social Enterprise Award, Arts Council England and the Winston Churchill Award. Others have progressed to PhD research through scholarship funding.

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This course (previously known as Health Through Occupation) gives you license to register and practice as an occupational therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

It is ideal for graduates of any subject who wish to gain both a professional and academic qualification and start a career in this challenging and highly rewarding field.

You will explore occupational therapy through our innovative problem-based learning approach, with an emphasis on practical application of skills and knowledge. Through this balance of theory and practice experience you will graduate a capable and confident occupational therapist.

Our high quality teaching and research are renowned, and have an applied focus. We have established strong links with specialist practice educators to ensure the provision of support and guidance both within the university and in practice.  

Successful completion of the professional elements of the programme leads to the award of a postgraduate diploma in Occupational Therapy.

Course structure

This intensive programme runs over 45 weeks per year, for two years. Your time on the course will be balanced between campus-based study and clinical practice.

Sessions are held in small groups, they are interactive, integrated, self-directed, and focus on problem-solving, to examine real-life situations. The use of problem-based learning is considered crucial to students' fast attainment of masters-level standards, and for critical evaluation.

Other learning experiences are arranged according to the need of the problem; these may be lectures, practical sessions, skills classes, debates or seminars. Most importantly, all subjects are integrated around the problems.

Our postgraduate programmes are taught by a wide variety of methods – small active learning groups, seminars, action learning sets, PBL, lectures, self-directed literature searches.

Understanding the relationship between occupation and human health and wellbeing is also explored through student participation in a variety of activities such as cooking, craft, horticulture, performing arts and pottery.

Assessments allow for individual feedback in essential professional skills including written critique, report writing, team working, presentation skills, and verbal/written presentation of intervention.

Areas of study

You will examine topics such as:

• theories of occupation and occupational science (causes of occupational problems)
• occupation related to population health
• clinical reasoning
• occupational therapy process (assessment, treatment, and evaluation)
• occupational therapy skills (creative, productive, leisure and daily living)
• research methods and professional issues.

Syllabus

Year 1 modules

• Human Occupation (including two-week beginner practitioner placement)
• Assessing Occupational Capacities
• Novice Practitioner (practice placement)
• Maximising Occupational Capacities
• Intermediate Practitioner (practice placement)
• Evaluating Occupational Therapy

Year 2 modules

• Occupational Therapy: Teams
• Diverse Practice (practice placement)
• Occupational Therapy: Settings
• Competent Student Practitioner (practice placement)
• Occupational Therapy: Consumers
• Achieving Best Practice
• Research project

Facilities

Practical skills rooms and Daily Living Suite

Practical skills rooms are equipped so that students can learn and practise practical skills with each other before working with patients and clients.

As an occupational therapy student, you will make full use of our Daily Living Suite. This room is furnished like a flat with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities, allowing you to practice activities of daily living in a realistic environment. In addition the kitchen area is used for cookery skills and other specialist rooms are equipped for the creative arts and crafts taught as part of the occupational therapy curriculum with its focus on health through occupation.

Human Movement Laboratory

The high-tech Human Movement Laboratory is used widely in teaching and research for students in the school of health professions studying physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry, and is also used for commercial consultancy. 

In the lab you will use the latest technology to measure and assess all aspects of human movement, joints, muscles, soft tissue structure and nerves. The laboratory has state-of-the-art equipment for conducting cardio-pulmonary investigations including Cosmed metabolic system and spirometry.

Exchange

The student exchange programme is for occupational therapy students registered on the Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) MSc at the University of Brighton, Occupational Therapy MSc students at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWC) and Occupational Therapy BSc students at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (RGU).

There are two options:

• Host option (year one)
• Travel option (year two)

First year students host visiting students during their Maximising Occupational Capacities module which runs from February to April each year. During the second year students have the option of visiting either UWC or RGU during their spring break.

The programme offers students the opportunity to see firsthand similarities and differences in occupational therapy practice and experience life in the USA, if taking this travel option. Exchange experiences will also enhance your CV and give you a wider experience base to refer to and draw upon in your future practice.

Students participate in various learning activities while in the USA or Scotland including attending classes with the occupational therapy students, completing job shadowing in the community and participating in cultural events such as visiting castles, museums and socialising with their host students.

While in either the USA or Scotland, Brighton students are hosted by UWC or RGU students which provide an insight into the daily life of a university student. First year University of Brighton students can choose to host a UWC or RGU occupational therapy student. These students travel to the University of Brighton during their spring break and join in classes, as well as completing job shadowing and participating in cultural activities.

Careers and Employability

After professional registration with the HCPC graduates are eligible to take up opportunities in health and social care, in the NHS, social services, and the private sector. There are now many new and exciting possibilities for occupational therapists nationally and worldwide.

Occupational therapists work in an ever-widening range of mental health and physical disability settings including acute hospitals, long-term rehabilitation, social care, local communities, schools, factories, residential homes, institutions for older or more profoundly disabled people, voluntary organisations and prisons.

Completion of the Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) MSc will also prepare you for further study at MPhil and PhD level if you wish to continue pursuing an academic path.

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