EPN

Master Programme in Occupational Therapy Programme description

Programme name, Norwegian
Masterstudium i ergoterapi
Valid from
2018 FALL
ECTS credits
120 ECTS credits
Duration
8 semesters
Schedule
Here you can find an example schedule for first year students.
Programme history

Introduction

Candidates who pass the programme will be awarded a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy in accordance with Section 3 of the Regulations concerning Requirements for the Master's Degrees, adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research. The programme builds on a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy or equivalent.

The programme has a scope of 120 credits and is taken as a part-time course of study over four years. The teaching is organised into modules.

National health and welfare arrangements place emphasis on health promoting interventions that promote activity and participation in society in everyday activities and working life for the whole population throughout life. An increasing heterogeneous and multicultural population where more people live to an old age with various illnesses, creates new competence requirements for health care and social workers (Report No 13 to the Storting (2011-2012)). Occupational therapists will develop special competence to meet these challenges in society through the Master's Programme in Occupational Therapy.

There are several challenges in society concerning increasing inequality in health, education and work. For instance, about 700,000 people of working age are excluded from the labour market, according to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV, 2017). Increasing sickness absence is a challenge both for the individual and society as a whole. Furthermore, the number of young people who do not complete upper secondary school is on the increase. This could create a situation where certain groups in society are not given the opportunity to participate in society through work or higher education.

Different needs for assistance relating to the health and welfare of children, adolescents, adults and elderly people appear to be on the increase. At the same time, there is a shortage of competent health care and social workers.

The Master's Programme in Occupational Therapy is designed to meet society's needs for occupational therapists who have specialised expertise in analysis, development and adaptation of interventions. Users of occupational therapy services are in need of tailored, comprehensive and purposeful measures, which enable them to participate in everyday activities and working life in spite of illness or social, mental or physical functional impairments. Interventions are aimed at the individual or at groups in society. Important tasks for occupational therapists, who contribute to a more inclusive society, is facilitation in kindergartens, schools, in the workplace and at home. Furthermore, measures in line with universal design are key in occupational therapy.

New technological solutions are in rapid development and create both opportunities and challenges. The application of new technology can promote activity and participation. At the same time, the demands to use new technology could be a hindrance for vulnerable groups who, because of a reduced cognitive capacity or advanced age, have limited abilities to master these technologies.

Efficient interventions require that the gap between research and practice be reduced. They must not be separate activities, but linked together. The scientific subject areas knowledge translation and implementation science focus on how to reduce this gap. Research is fundamental to practice, but also emerges from practice. Research results must be consequential for practice in order for the work to be based on systematic experience and documented effect. Practice can, on the other hand, form the basis for research in order for new knowledge to result in new or changed practice.

After completing and passing the programme, the candidates can find work in:

  • professional development and planning at all levels of the health, welfare and care services

  • clinical work that is based on specialised expertise

  • teaching and supervision in the field of occupational therapy at universities, university colleges and institutions

  • coordination of major clinical research projects

  • teaching and supervising colleagues, co-workers and partners

 A completed master's degree qualifies candidates to apply for admission to PhD programmes.

Target group

The target group for the master's programme is occupational therapists who wish to work with professional development and/or take part in research relating to everyday activities and working life.

Admission requirements

Admission to the programme is in accordance with the Regulations relating to Admission to Master's Degree Programmes at HiOA.

Admission to the programme requires a bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree in occupational therapy.

Applicants who do not meet the entrance requirements may apply for an assessment of prior learning and work experience based on education and practice, which can compensate for the requirement for formal education.

Fifty per cent of the places on the programme are reserved for applicants holding a bachelor's degree or equivalent. If there are not enough qualified applicants in this group, available places will be given to other qualified applicants.

Additional points are awarded for relevant education over and above the minimum admission requirement, see Section 13 of the Regulations. By relevant education is meant education in health and social care subjects at university or university college level.

Additional points are also awarded for work experience as an occupational therapist, see Section 13 of the Regulations.

Learning outcomes

After completing the programme, the candidate is expected to have achieved the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

  • has specialised knowledge about interventions that make participation in everyday activities possible

  • has specialised knowledge about interventions that make participation in the labour market possible

  • has advanced knowledge about philosophy of science and research methods with particular relevance to the health sciences

  • has knowledge about knowledge translation traditions: its theories, strategies and interventions

  • is capable of analysing occupational therapy problems on the basis of the discipline's history, traditions, distinctive nature and place in society

Skills

The candidate is capable of

  • analysing and applying theories, models and strategies for interventions

  • developing, analysing and evaluating interventions for everyday activities and working life

  • translating scientific knowledge between research and practice and implementing it

  • applying in-depth knowledge about different research designs and methods to elucidate different issues and research questions in occupational therapy

  • carrying out an independent and limited research work under supervision, in accordance with the applicable methodological and ethical standards for research in health and social sciences

Competence

The candidate is capable of

  • analysing relevant academic and research ethics issues

  • reflecting on the relationship between knowledge, professional practice and ethics

  • communicating research-based analysis, results and conclusions to specialists and to the general public

  • contributing to improved decisions in practice, policy and society

  • contributing to innovation processes in research, working life, practice and society

The total learning outcomes are specified in the course descriptions.

Content and structure

The main content of the course comprises the analysis, development and facilitation of interventions in occupational therapy. Emphasis is placed on interventions that facilitate the user's participation and inclusion in everyday activities and working life. The aim of knowledge translation is to reduce the gap between research and practice. The course Knowledge Translation comprises methods which can increase the possibility of using research based and efficient interventions in practice.

The master's degree provides an opportunity for an in-depth study of the field.

Three of the courses are common to the Master's Programme in Physical Therapy, the Master's Programme in Rehabilitation and Habilitation and the Master's Programme in Occupational Therapy. These are MAERGD4200 Philosophy of Science and Research Ethics, MAERGD4300 Quantitative Methodology, and MAERGD4400 Qualitative Methodology. All students follow the same plan and have common lectures.

The master's degree programme is a part-time programme over four years. Students can complete the programme in a shorter time and submit their master's thesis for assessment earlier.

All the courses are compulsory. Students are advised to take the courses in the order in which they are listed, but this is not a requirement.

The figure below shows the courses' position and order in the programme.

Progress requirements

All courses in the first and second years must be passed before the student is assigned a supervisor for his/her master's thesis.

Optional course Spans multiple semesters

1st year of study

1. semester

2. semester

2nd year of study

3. semester

4. semester

3rd year of study

5. semester

6. semester

4th year of study

7. semester

8. semester

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is organised as a combination of lectures and student-active work forms such as seminars, group work, written assignments, presentations, evaluation of fellow students¿ work and self-study.

The work methods are intended to stimulate personal effort, independence, reflection and innovation. They are also intended to stimulate a critical approach to analysing theoretical concepts and research results, and to questions derived from clinical experience. Critical reflection on the relationship between theoretical perspectives and professional practice is also key.

The course MAERGD4100 Knowledge Translation is partly web-based; see the course overview for a more detailed description of work and teaching methods.

Lectures are primarily used to introduce important subject matter, provide an overview, highlight important elements and communicate relevant issues and challenges in the field.

Seminars emphasise dialogue and discussion between students and lecturer(s). It is key to the seminars that students prepare and present issues, analyses, strategies and results for discussion. Through active participation at the seminars, the students receive continuous supervision and feedback during the programme in the form of assessment by fellow students and lecturers.

Student cooperation is an important part of learning. In addition to traditional group work, the students are also encouraged to cooperate online by posting issues and questions for discussion through the university's electronic learning system. Lecturers will give assignments intended to stimulate both individual and group work. All parts of the programme focus on practising academic writing.

As mentioned above, supervision is part of the seminars and takes place in the form of group supervision. The course MAERGD4000 provides the students with guidance in their exam work through group supervision. The students will be given individual supervision during the writing of the master's thesis, MAERGD5900.

Self-study; The learning outcomes demand a considerable amount of individual initiative and self-study if the student is to achieve satisfactory results. Self-study entails both individual work and cooperation with fellow students.

Further information about the work and teaching methods used in each course is provided in the respective course descriptions.

Internationalisation

OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University has agreements with educational institutions and research institutes in several countries. Interested students may take courses abroad. The best way of doing this is by writing the master's thesis at educational institutions or research institutions with which OsloMet has established a cooperation. Another option is to study abroad during the last part of the first year when MAERGD4100 and MAERGD4400 are taught.

The student group can include international students if students from OsloMet's partner institutions abroad write their master's thesis at the university.

The courses MAERGD4000, MAERGD4100 and MAERGD5900 will be taught in English if students who do not speak a Scandinavian language are accepted to these courses. MAERGD4200, MAERGD4300 and MAERGD4400 are taught in Norwegian.

Work requirements

Coursework requirements are all types of work and compulsory attendance that are requirements for being permitted to take the exam.

The master's programme has two coursework requirements in the form of compulsory attendance. Both coursework requirements apply to the course MAERGD5900 Master's Thesis, see the programme description.

Assessment

Assessment is carried out in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet, and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

The assessment arrangements are intended to promote learning as well as providing the students with information about study progress and results. All courses conclude in an exam.

All individual exams can be written in Norwegian or English. Students can choose to take the oral master's thesis exam in Norwegian or English, regardless of which language the thesis is written in.

Resits/rescheduled exams are subject to the same provisions as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description.

Examiners

MAERGD4000, MAERGD4100 and MAERGD5900:

One external and one internal examiner will assess all the papers.

MAERGD4200, MAERGD4300 and MAERGD4400:

An external examiner takes part in preparing the exam questions and assessment criteria and assesses a minimum of 20% of the papers together with an internal examiner. Two internal examiners assess the remaining students. The external examiner's assessment shall benefit all students. Therefore, the grading starts by 20% of the exam papers being assessed by one external and one internal examiner. The internal examiner then continues grading the rest of the papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments of the two internal examiners.