Occupational Therapy - Master of Occupational Therapy - MOT - Postgraduate / Graduate Program - UBC Grad School

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Overview

The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is a twenty four month professional master's degree program, and the only occupational therapy degree program in British Columbia. It is a professional degree program with no thesis requirement and the curriculum is based on a combination of coursework and fieldwork placement. Our program is fully accredited by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and graduates are eligible to write the national licensing exam upon graduation.

Occupational therapists provide specialized rehabilitation services to maintain, restore, or improve the ability of children and adults to perform the occupations of daily life, which may be impaired as a result of illness, injury, congenital or acquired disabilities, or social disadvantage. Occupational therapists focus on adapting the environment or improving the person's skills, to enhance performance in the areas of self-care (eating, dressing, personal hygiene), productivity (household work, employment, school), and leisure activities, thereby improving overall health and quality of life.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

Over the course of 2 years, there are 5 fieldwork placements of 5-7 weeks each.

This program is one of the smallest MOT programs in Canada; our students enjoy small class sizes and more individual attention. With a modular based structure, we engage over 50 clinicians a year to teach our students the skills and theory required for practice, supplementing our core program. Our teaching team believes not only in creating an environment that is open and exciting, but also recognizes that they are educating and working with their colleagues of tomorrow. We are currently the only Occupational Therapy program in Canada to offer designated seats for international students

The UBC Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program has three geographically distinct sites:

Vancouver cohort, located at the UBC Point Grey campus
North cohort, located in Prince George
Fraser cohort, located across from Surrey Memorial Hospital

This distributed model of learning uses technology to allow instructors and students to interact in real-time at multiple locations. It is a well-established model with benefits from accessing expertise across the province, learning through both an urban and rural lens, smaller class sizes, and unique placement opportunities in northern and rural regions with special populations.

All MOT students complete the same curriculum at the same time, in the same sequence, with the same points of evaluation, regardless of site.

All sites are well-connected with the latest technology. Larger lectures are broadcast across all sites simultaneously, with smaller group tutorials and lab skills classes taught by lead instructors at each site.

The program offers field placement opportunities for student occupational therapists to have intensive practical experiences in 5 different clinical fields. I found this helpful to appreciate the depth of this career and explore my interests and passions.

Chihori Tsukura

Quick Facts

Faculty Faculty of Medicine

Mode of delivery In person at UBC Vancouver

Program Components

Coursework + Practicum

Academic Unit Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy

Specialization Occupational Therapy

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: $8,336.04 | International: $56,063.60

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Program Enquiries

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement: 100

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement: 7.5

Reading

7.0

Writing

7.0

Speaking

7.0

Listening

7.0

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

Completion of a recognized baccalaureate degree in any field. Your degree must be academically equivalent to a UBC 4-year Bachelor’s degree in any field, from any accredited post-secondary institution. Your degree can be in progress at the time of the application deadline, but all courses required for the completion of your degree must end by April 30 of the application year. Students with undergraduate degrees in progress during the Summer term (ie. May-August) cannot apply for the September intake.

Course Requirements

Successful completion of the following prerequisite courses. The prerequisite courses can be in progress at the time of the application deadline, but must be completed by April 30 of the application year.

Accepted Human Anatomy Course (1 course of 3 credits or equivalent): focus on gross human anatomy of the upper and lower limbs and trunk. To view the lists of accepted and declined courses (to fulfill this requirement), or for information on submitting a course for review, please visit the Human Anatomy Requirement page.

Social Science Course (1 course of 3 credits or equivalent): any course, at any level from an accredited post-secondary institution in Sociology, Anthropology or Human Geography. If you have taken any sociology, anthropology or human geography course, at any level at a post-secondary institution, you do not need to confirm if the course will fulfill the requirement. If you have taken a course outside of this discipline and you feel it may fulfill the requirement, it can be assessed on a case-by-case basis by providing the course syllabus to mot.admissions@ubc.ca. The intent of the social science pre-requisite is to provide students with a broad background at personal/body, group/family and societal levels.

Behavioural Science Course (1 course of 3 credits or equivalent): any course, at any level from an accredited post-secondary institution in Psychology. If you have taken any psychology course, at any level at a post-secondary institution, you do not need to confirm if the course will fulfill the requirement. If you have taken a course outside of this discipline and you feel it may fulfill the requirement, it can be assessed on a case-by-case basis by providing the course syllabus to mot.admissions@ubc.ca.

Document Requirements

All admitted MOT students are required to undergo an immunization review with university health services at their MOT program site location, to ensure they are up-to-date on all immunizations required by the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the Provincial Health Authorities. Once immunization records are reviewed, students may be required to book additional vaccination appointments with health services to complete necessary vaccination and/or lab tests. Students are responsible for obtaining their immunization records before booking an appointment with their MOT program site health services provider.

The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and all MOT students, are required to follow guidelines and mandates for health care workers, including immunization and vaccination requirements, set by both the Provincial Health Officer and the Provincial Health Authorities. These may change during the course of the program. Health care workers include MOT students on placements. In order to participate in any activities with patients, MOT students must meet all immunization requirements. Students who are unable to complete the required clinical hours during the program due to missing immunization requirements will not be able to graduate from the Master of Occupational Therapy program.

The University of British Columbia is subject to the requirements of the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA); meaning all students, who are enrolled in programs that include a practicum component involving work with children or vulnerable adults, will have to undergo a criminal record check before they will be permitted to register in the practicum.
If you are found to present a risk of physical or sexual abuse to children, or physical, sexual, or financial abuse to vulnerable adults, as a result of the CRRA check, you will not be permitted to register in the practicum. If the practicum is required for your program, this means that you may not be able to complete the program and you may not graduate. Please consider this requirement carefully before applying to, or continuing in, this program.

Other Requirements

Successful completion of a minimum of 70 hours of interactive volunteer or work experience with individuals with disabilities at the time of the application deadline. This experience can be paid or unpaid and must include direct in-person contact and interaction with individuals with cognitive, emotional or physical disabilities. Your experience must be completed at no more than two facilities/organizations. You must have a direct supervisor, in an official role, who can act as your reference, and comment on your abilities and verify the number of hours you completed. In order for your experience to be counted, you must have been hired directly by an organization as an employee or volunteer. You must provide a reference from an individual employed by the organization who acted as your direct supervisor. The individual(s) submitting the Volunteer/Work Experience Reference, to verify and validate your experience, cannot be a family member under any circumstances.

2) Meet Deadlines

3) Prepare Application

4) Apply Online

Research Information

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$116.25	$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year	3	3
Tuition per installment	$2,778.68	$18,687.86
Program Fee	$16,672.08	$112,127.16
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible)		Not applicable
Other Fees and Costs
Supplementary fees (once)	$1350.50 $132.75 Supplemental application fee, $740.5 Program fee (year 1), $477.25 program fee (year 2)
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,144.10 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.
Deposit to accept offer (if admitted)
Deposit requirement	$1000.00	$1000.00

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options.

Employer support

Organizations may provide their employees with tuition benefits as part of an employment package to support lifelong learning of their workforce.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Professional / course-based programs usually do not provide merit-based funding. Some programs may offer bursaries.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Options

Alumni on Success

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Applications	353	373	424	340	322
Offers	96	77	73	72	57
New Registrations	90	74	64	59	51
Total Enrolment	164	138	124	112	109

Further Information

Program Website

Program Enquiries

If you have reviewed the information on this program page and understand the requirements for this program, you may

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Canadian Immigration Updates

Overview

What makes the program unique?

Quick Facts

Program Enquiries

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

English Language Test

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Other Test Scores

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Document Requirements

Other Requirements

2) Meet Deadlines

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

Letters of Reference

Statement of Interest

Supervision

Criminal Record Check

Citizenship Verification

4) Apply Online

Research Information

Program Components

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Financial Support

Employer support

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Foreign government scholarships

Working while studying

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Cost Estimator

Career Options

Alumni on Success

Ali Zwicker

Jaqueline Brower

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates & Times

Disclaimer

Further Information

Specialization

UBC Calendar

Program Website

Faculty Overview

Academic Unit

Program Identifier

Classification

Program Enquiries

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