BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

About the course

A four-year honours degree run from the Department of Occupational Therapy at Mater Dei Hospital. Year 1 covers anatomy, physiology, psychology, OT foundations and an orientation placement. Year 2 adds pathology, pharmacology, neuroanatomy and clinical skills, with a block placement. Year 3 focuses on mental health, neurology, orthopaedics, paediatrics and older people, plus research methods. Year 4 has a dissertation, advanced skills labs, assistive technology and a final placement. Placements take place in hospitals, schools, clinics and community settings. Graduates can register in Malta and the EU, and the course is recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• The University of Malta treats the Irish Leaving Cert as comparable to its Matriculation Certificate. You need six Higher Level subjects: two at H2, two at H3 and two at H6, including a language, a science and a humanities subject.
• Course rule: a grade C in Biology at Advanced Matriculation level. For Leaving Cert students, the university says an H2 meets an Advanced-level C, so you need at least H2 in Higher Level Biology.
• English: you need an approved English test (SELT), but the university says an Ordinary Level grade 4 or better in Leaving Cert English may be accepted instead. Check with admissions.
• No Maltese is required in the course rules, and the university says its language of teaching is English. You must pass an occupational health check in Year 1 and provide a police certificate of conduct.
• The university can cap places in health science courses, so meeting the grades may not guarantee a place. Places for 2027 are not yet published.

How to apply

1. Check your subjectsMake sure you are taking Higher Level Biology and aiming for H2 or above, plus the general six-subject rule.
2. Apply onlineApply on the University of Malta online system. Applications usually open the November before entry (so around November 2026 for October 2027).
3. Watch the deadlineThe 2027 deadline is not yet published. For 2026 the late deadline was 15 September 2026, but apply well before that.
4. Send your resultsUpload your Leaving Cert results and English evidence when you have them.
5. Health checkOnce accepted, complete the Year 1 occupational health assessment and police conduct certificate.

Costs

• Tuition: EU students on full-time undergraduate courses at the University of Malta pay no tuition fees (non-EU fee is €10,800 a year).
• Any application fee for 2027 is not stated on the course page.
• You still need to budget for rent and living costs in Malta.

At a glance