Operating Department Practice, BSc (Hons)

Modules are structured around the four pillars, which vary in their amount of coverage from year to year. 

A-Level: Minimum BCC. Health or science-related courses are desirable.

Access to Higher Education Diploma: Minimum of 24 Distinctions, 6 Merits, 15 Passes or other combination to provide 102-106 UCAS points 

BTEC: DMM

Welsh BACC: Grade C and BC at A level or DM at BTEC

IELTS: Level 7 with no component less that 6.5 (For applicants who have gained their entry qualifications outside the UK)

GCSE: A minimum of five GCSEs at A-C grade, these must include Welsh/English Language, Mathematics and a Physical Science or Double Award Science.

For non-standard applicants: It is recognised that individuals without formal qualifications may have relevant experience and knowledge. Applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Any offer of a place will also require:

• A satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Applications from potential learners who have a criminal conviction will be considered on an individual basis with reference to the most current HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.  We have an established mechanism for dealing with such situations through Fitness to Practise processes. Applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check.
• An Occupational Health assessment confirming that applicants are fit to undertake the programme.
• Learners also need to meet Department of Health Guidelines (March 2007) ‘Health clearance for, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV: New healthcare workers’.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. 

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, revise for assessments, and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides, and quizzes enabling further flexible study.  

This course offers some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

No Provision

Unfortunately, there is currently no formal Welsh-medium provision on this course. If you would like to let us know that you are interested in pursuing an element of your course through the medium of Welsh, please email astudio@abertawe.ac.uk to indicate your interest along with your year of entry and we will do our best to see what is possible.

Whilst this course does not offer academic content delivered in Welsh, the University can provide you with the following, and Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you:

• An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
• The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
• The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
• A Welsh-speaking Academic Mentor.
• One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
• An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
• Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

This programme is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.

The teaching team consists of highly qualified perioperative lecturers alongside other specialist lecturers who have been delivering clinical programmes for many years.

The team’s experience of delivering perioperative care within the operating theatre and beyond provides learners with an excellent resource to develop an understanding of the relationship between theory and practice.

The team are experts in their field and are committed to the enhancement of perioperative care at local and national level through involvement with national associations, journal publication and information sharing in the wider healthcare environment.

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

If you can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduating, you could get your tuition fees covered in full through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, as well as maintenance funding and a reduced rate loan from Student Finance.

Please see our NHS Funding webpage to check your eligibility for funding before applying.

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal academic mentor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

• Academic writing
• Maths and statistics
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Digital skills
• Presentation skills
• Note taking
• Revision, memory and exam techniques
• English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all colleges. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.