UCT – MS (Health & Rehabilitation Sciences) -Occupational Therapy
UCT – MS (Health & Rehabilitation Sciences) -Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists refer to both familiar and extraordinary things people do every day as occupations. Occupations are named as such because they require people’s resources of time, personal capacities, and ability to manage within diverse contexts. Occupational therapists believe that occupation or what people do every day has an important link with health and well-being. It is through occupation that people can draw meaning from life. Yet not everyone can do all they aspire to do in life. Illness or injury often disrupts people’s ability to engage meaningfully in everyday occupations. Sometimes people may not be able to pursue personal aspirations due to contextual barriers, even in the absence of illness or injury.
Occupational therapists enable people to overcome barriers within themselves or their environment by reducing functional limitations in the body system or addressing barriers within contexts where people live, work, attend school, play, or pursue leisure. Occupational therapists are trained to assess the person holistically, looking at all aspects of function, and analyzing the environments where people perform activities so that they can understand how to improve function or adapt to the environment in order to foster successful performance.
Occupational therapy has developed various treatment modalities which help enable or enhance function. Occupational therapists also use familiar and meaningful occupations during treatment in order to help people who have been ill, injured, or disabled recover their skills or develop new ones. People of all ages with a wide range of diagnoses and conditions, or those restricted from meaningful occupations by their environments, can benefit from occupational therapy services.
The UCT OT Division undergraduate program exposes students to various domains of practice but specifically Child Learning Development and Play, Work Practice, Physical, Mental Health, and Community Development Practice.
Occupational Therapy Undergraduate Programme
You must have a matriculation exemption and have passed either physical science or biology with at least an E sign (40%) on higher grades or a D symbol (50%) on standard grades (or the equivalent with the OBE classification) in order to be eligible for enrollment. Please get in touch with our admissions office if you have any questions about the requirements or if you are taking any other exams.
An applicant’s academic success as well as other accomplishments and activities, as listed in a personal report questionnaire, are taken into consideration when making a decision. You may also be considered for admission if you are currently enrolled in university coursework for another degree or if you already hold a degree or diploma. Your evaluation is based on your academic performance in high school and college as well as your performance on the aforementioned placement tests. You must submit an official transcript of your academic record along with your admissions application.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Many students who are unable to pay the tuition fees are given financial aid by the university. A few exceptional candidates may also be eligible for an admission scholarship, which is automatically given to qualified school leavers. (You don’t make an application.) The application packet contains instructions on how to submit a financial aid application.
The University Handbook chapter on “Financial Assistance for Undergraduate Students” is also available upon request from the Undergraduate Funding Office.
Call (271) 650-2125 or (271) 650-3545.
Occupational Therapy Postgraduate Programmes
The occupational therapy division at UCT is dedicated to creating leaders and sharp minds in the industry. The available postgraduate degrees are created to best support intellectual interaction with current practice and societal challenges. All degrees permit investigation of the various realities and analysis of pertinent African practices, policies, and research.
Occupational therapy postgraduate degrees can be pursued at the Masters’s or Doctoral levels.
The following program options are currently available:
- MSc in Occupational Therapy by coursework and dissertation (MM018);
- MSc in Occupational Therapy by dissertation (MM005);
- Individual courses for non-degree purposes: a maximum of two courses may be taken without registering for the degree; See Coursework courses.
- Ph.D. in Occupational Therapy, click here for more information.
Both part-time and full-time master’s programs are available, and the maximum time to complete one is three years. The Ph.D. should not take longer than five years to complete, whether it is pursued full- or part-time.
Selection for all programs is based primarily on academic ability, although appropriate experience in occupational therapy practice, leadership, research, and teaching experience are also taken into account.
Occupational Therapy Qualification Verification
APPLICATION FOR VERIFICATION OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AT UCT
Send an email to fhs-dhrs-qvot@uct.ac.za if you need a Verification of Qualifications for the Degree in Occupational Therapy.
You will then receive information about the required fee as well as the application forms. The process normally starts after receiving documentation of fee payment and lasts for 10 to 12 weeks.
The applicant can make arrangements with and pay for a courier service to pick up the verified documents from the Department of Health and Rehabilitation office (F45, Old Main Building Groote Schuur Hospital). Please take note that the aforementioned email address should be used for all correspondence relating to occupational therapy qualification verifications (QVs).
Application forms and further information
More information on the profession and the study courses may be obtained from:
The Division of Occupational Therapy, Groote Schuur Hospital F45
Telephone: +27 21 406-6401
Fax: at +27 21 4066323
If you have questions about the selection process or admission criteria please call:
The Admissions Officer in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Barnard Fuller Building, Anzio Road, Observatory 7925.
Telephone +27 21 406-6328/406-6347.
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