Study Guide

Descriptions

Study objectives:
Master's Degree Programme in Occupational Therapy Expertise Programme will equip you to plan, coordinate and manage occupational therapy services and to use your expertise to develop both services and the profession.

The aim of the programme is to learn how to produce, evaluate and use occupational therapy and occupational science research to inform your practice. You will be able to identify the challenges and future environments for the development of your field and to take into account sustainability and responsibility in the background. You will acquire the skills to work in a goal-oriented manner in expert positions in multidisciplinary networks in rehabilitation and health promotion. The aim is also to strengthen students' ability to work in international occupational therapy communities.

The programme will enable you to develop and renew your working life and create new networks, and will give you the confidence to apply for more challenging jobs in the social, health and well-being sector. You will acquire the skills to work in demanding management, expert and development roles.

More about the language of instruction:

The main tuition language Finnish, but parts of the teaching can be in English.

Structure and contents of studies:

The extent of the study programme is 90 ECTS. The structure of the studies:

The studies are composed of:
- compulsory core competences 40 ECTS
- elective complementary competences 20 ECTS
- thesis work 30 ECTS.

Studies in core competence consist of 5 credits courses (5 ECTS is the computational equivalent of 135 hours of work).
The core competences of the programme are related to the knowledge base of occupational therapy, the challenges of developing the field and future environments, with the main themes being the occupational therapist as a future expert and the occupational therapist as a developer and researcher of well-being and health. The core competence studies will also cover future awareness, foresight, sustainable development and research and development methods.
Elective complementary competence is built on elective studies (20 ECTS) in which the student expands his/her competence by including studies from his/her own or other education or from the offerings of other higher education institutions. Elective studies are also offered as a completely virtual implementation.

Master´s thesis:

The Master's thesis (30 ECTS) solves a topical issue or problem related to working life. The topic of the thesis may be related to the development of a new product, service or process, for example. The thesis is carried out as a commission in research, development and innovation projects (RDI) of working life or Turku University of Applied Sciences. You can also acquire the topic from a variety of professional networks, third sector, wellbeing services counties or national research institutes. The thesis is done individually or in pairs. The completion of the thesis requires the ability to work independently and in expert work. In accordance with the tripartite model, the work is carried out in cooperation between the student, the teacher tutor and the working life mentor/contact person throughout the education. As a rule, the guidance is implemented as group guidance in ways agreed with the supervisor/teacher tutor of the thesis.

Career opportunities:

The graduate can work in various national or international expert, development and management positions.
Tasks may include various demanding management, expert and development tasks in the private and public sectors of the social and health care sector or in non-governmental organizations. The degree also provides an opportunity to work in teaching positions in the social welfare and health care sector, if you also complete pedagogical studies.

It is a good idea to start your own career planning right at the beginning of your studies and continue it throughout your studies. A personal study plan (ISP) lays the foundation for this. During your studies, you can evaluate and refine your own goals and the knowledge and skills you need by updating your study plan, for example with regard to elective studies.

Qualification:

An upper university degree produces the same eligibility for a public post or post as a university degree at a university. Training provides general competence in management and development tasks. In the social and health sector, besides the general eligibility conditions, there is also sector-specific regulation for management. Extensive development and substance expertise enables national and international mobility. The training follows the European Qualification Framework (EQF) proficiency level descriptions and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) proficiency descriptions. The level corresponding to the higher polytechnic degree is 7.

Possible jobtitles after graduation:

Nurse Manager, Service Manager, Project Manager, Development Manager, Designer, Director

Internationalisation:

Students have the opportunity to complete part of their studies outside Finland at the higher education institutions with which Turku University of Applied Sciences has signed a cooperation agreement. In addition, students can integrate internationalization in their studies e.g. by participating in the intensive weeks organized by the international networks as well as by participating in international conferences and projects.

Co-operation with other parties:

Cooperation with various working life organizations and networking are part of the studies. In research, development and innovation projects, cooperation can also extend to international higher education institutions and international working life partners.

During studies students can apply for courses at other higher education institutions and include these in a degree. Students can take advantage of CampusOnline's joint online study offer at the polytechnics of Finland. You can find CampusOnline's offer in your study record system Peppi (cross-institutional studies).

Research focus:

The focus of applied research, development and innovation activities is on project and group work related to the students' work tasks and the development of the employer organization, as well as in the thesis. Students have the opportunity to do some of the studies in the University of Applied Sciences' own projects.

Check out the research groups and projects on the Turku University of Applied Sciences website > Research and Development and innovations > Research Groups

Postgraduate study opportunities:

A Master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides eligibility for further academic studies as well as for applying for professional teacher education. Universities may set conditions on granting rights for further studies in the form of e.g. supplementary studies.

Objective

After completing the programme, the student is able to:

- lead and develop client-centered occupational therapy services, taking into account the principles of sustainable development
- analyse and develop yourself as an expert, taking into account the needs of a changing world of work
- assess and develop the quality and effectiveness of occupational therapy services
- use the perspectives and knowledge base of occupational therapy in future expertise and in the development and research of well-being and health
- apply different research, development and innovation methods in the reform of social, health and well-being work

Development

The pedagogical approach applied in the studies is Innovation pedagogy that refers to an approach of constructivist and problem-based learning. Master´s students study alongside their work and want to broaden and deepen their theoretical knowledge and get models to apply theory in their own work.

At the beginning of each semester there is one day of contact teaching on the campus of Turku University of Applied Sciences and mainly studying takes place online. Studying is practice-oriented distance learning that includes contact teaching, guidance, independent work, group and project work and development tasks. There is little traditional lecture-oriented study. On average, there are two days of contact teaching per month via remote connections, and students should reserve time not only for self-study but also for group work between students. The workload of studies corresponds to full-time studies (20 ECTS per semester corresponds to 540 hours of work).

The student creates an individual study plan (ISP) at the beginning of his/her studies. According to the plan, the student selects elective studies related to, among other things, the implementation of the thesis and their own career plans. An important part of the education is the thesis, which combines theory, practice, and the production and application of new knowledge.

Further information

The objectives for skills levels in a Master’s Degree are based on the legislation on universities of applied sciences and the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The level corresponding to a Master’s Degree is level 7. The assessment criteria for each course are described in its implementation plan. Performance requirements vary depending on objectives, content and the method of implementation. The courses and the thesis are mainly assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. Assessment focuses on competence and its development. The course assessment methods vary according to the objectives of the study module. Assessment may focus on the outcome (for instance, a report or a seminar presentation), on the process (the student’s own activity and actions during the course) or on both. Students receive regular feedback on their performance from their teachers. Peer- and self-assessment as well as client company feedback on performance are also utilized. The degree assessment framework is used as the basis for the assessment. The Degree Programme will be developed according to the principles of continuous improvement. In the development work, feedback from the students and working life as well as their initiatives have a key role. Feedback is collected with, for instance, student questionnaires and group-specific development discussions.