The Bachelor's degree programme in occupational therapy

The health campus offers you a comprehensive and practice-oriented course of study in occupational therapy. It includes the Bachelor of Science as an academic degree and the state examination according to the relevant professional laws.

This dual qualification is something very special at a state university in Germany.
The modular teaching and learning content supports the development of reflective skills and self-organised learning. An important didactic method is case-based learning, which is used to reflect on practice as scientifically as possible.
We offer our students interprofessional learning as well as intensive theoretical and practical orientation and student support. As a student at the health campus, you will attend both interdisciplinary and subject-specific events throughout your studies. You will also have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the close links between teaching, practice and research.

Programme Content

The course is characterised by holistic approaches to activity orientation, client-centredness, environmental orientation and evidence-based practice.

The central guiding principles are:

• A systemic-transactional approach to the human being.
• The fundamental value of activities in people's lives.
• The necessity of critically examining people's living conditions and one's own professional actions.
• Appreciation of diversity and multicultural perspectives.

To ensure the transfer between theory and practice in the degree programme, the modules are composed of differently weighted proportions of lectures, seminars and practical exercises (including in the skills labs), depending on the thematic focus. In addition to the modules at the university, the practical study phases take place in the facilities of the cooperation partners. There is also the opportunity to complete a practical study phase abroad.

Why this degree programme?

The Bachelor's degree programme in Occupational Therapy at the University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions includes theoretical and practical study phases: the programme alternates between the university and external health facilities. In this way, you will be prepared from the very beginning for the specific work with clients in the various facilities, which, thanks to the high level of practical orientation, enables you to work in a science-based, disciplinary and interdisciplinary manner.
During your studies, you can choose between different content focuses. For the practical parts of your studies, there are cooperations with health care facilities in the region. This means that the course of study takes place at the university from day one, but also allows you to acquire health insurance accreditation for your future career.
The HS Bochum Health Campus is thus the first state university in Germany to offer both degrees at a high scientific level.

Why should I study Occupational Therapy? And what makes the Occupational Therapy degree programme at the HS Gesundheit unique?

• In the Occupational Therapy degree programme at the HS Gesundheit, you will acquire two degrees in one: the academic degree of Bachelor of Science and the professional licence to practice as a state-recognised occupational therapist. This dual qualification equips you for the present and also for the future, as the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) is calling for the full academisation of occupational therapy.
• The course offers small learning groups with a personal atmosphere and a close integration of practice and science. It includes exactly the same practical component as a vocational training programme, but also links the practical content with the latest findings from science and research.
• In preparation for the practical phases, you can deepen your practical skills on our premises with excellent equipment and modern skills labs with simulation clients.
• Internationally experienced practitioners and scientists teach you the latest effective methods and approaches for holistic occupational therapy, in which people and their occupational concerns are the focus.
• Exciting and varied internship opportunities in Germany and abroad are supported, as is participation in national and international congresses.
• The bachelor's degree is internationally compatible, as an academic degree in Occupational Therapy is a legal standard in most countries. This offers you new perspectives on the job market.
• The course of study opens up further qualification opportunities for interested alumnuses, such as a master's degree and a doctorate, PhD.
• You will acquire practical skills for holistic and effective therapeutic work with people and excellent career prospects in both established and innovative new fields of work.
• You will learn to perceive people's strengths and resources in the midst of challenging situations and to develop individual solutions for their lives together with them.
• In joint courses with students of Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy, you will learn interprofessional work from the very beginning, which is important for your later practice.

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