Through the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, you will receive a cutting-edge and practical education that provides you with over 1000 hours of real-world experience. This course will prepare you to improve people’s quality of life, and to educate them on how best to transition back into the occupations that are meaningful to them. We will give you the expertise to provide personalised strategies to work collaboratively with people who have a range of health limitations including those caused by injury, health conditions, delayed development or the effects of ageing. Take the next step towards a rewarding career helping people from all walks of life.

Want to promote good health and wellbeing and improve 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 who have a range of health limitations, including those caused by injury, health conditions, delayed development or the effects of aging.

This course will enable you to assist people of all ages to engage in aspects of daily living. You will help them achieve independence at home, at work and in the community, and help them enhance their quality of life. You could also work with children with physical or intellectual disabilities, with people who have had accidents or are suffering from medical problems, or people in aged care.

Starting in your first year, you will take part in a series of supervised placements, giving you over 1000 hours of practice education placement in a range of occupational therapy practices. You will gain insight into what it means to be an occupational therapist from day one. All-up, you will engage in eight different placement opportunities, more than any other occupational therapy course in Victoria. Deakin’s Bachelor of Occupational Therapy is the only course in Victoria to provide extra placement hours over the 1000 minimum standard.

Make the most of our new world-class facilities, such as our on campus clinical skills laboratory, which simulates real-life settings to prepare you for your work placements and beyond.

You will be learning from our expert occupational therapy staff who are leaders in their fields of research and have extensive experience in a diverse range of occupational therapy specialisations.

During this course, you have the option to complete a study tour to countries including Denmark, India, Sri Lanka and Sweden, to put your acquired skills into practice and learn about the occupational therapy profession from different perspectives.

Occupational therapy has experienced one of the strongest growth rates in the health industry over the past 10 years, with available jobs increasing from 8100 in 2007 to 16,700 in 2017.*

Through this course, you could find employment in areas as diverse as:

• acute, psychiatric or rehabilitation hospitals
• community health organisations
• government departments or agencies
• mental health services
• private practices
• research institutes
• primary and secondary schools
• workplace wellbeing, occupational health and safety, and rehabilitation services.

Our graduates have found employment with the following organisations, as well as many more:

• Alfred Health
• Barwon Health
• Bellarine Community Health
• Department of Education
• genU
• private occupational therapy practices
• primary and secondary schools
• Western District Health.

*Australian Government Job Outlook 2017