Overview
Play an essential role in the perioperative team as an operating department practitioner as you care for patients before, during, and after surgery. Accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), you’ll be able to apply for registration as an operating department practitioner upon completion of the course.
An Operating Department Practice (ODP) degree will kickstart your career in the operating theatre. With CCCU, you’ll be a part of a long-established team; we are the first university in the UK to develop a BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice approved by the HCPC.
Undertaking an ODP university course will enable you to become a competent, confident, and capable operating department practitioner with this hands-on ODP course. You’ll learn how to take responsibility for managing all aspects of patient care within the operating department. You will develop your practical skills in our state-of-the-art simulation suites, which come fully equipped with a simulated operating theatre and scrub room.
You’ll collaboratively work alongside students from other courses so you can gain a deeper awareness of the health needs of people and the role that other healthcare professionals play as part of the wider team.
Operating Department Practice accreditations
Health & Care Professions Council
95%
of students were satisfied with the teaching in the subject area of Health Sciences.
National Student Survey 2025An inclusive approach
At CCCU, we appreciate that you bring your own unique combination of achievements, experiences, and aspirations. We believe in recognising your full potential – not just your qualifications.
Each application is considered on its overall merits, including relevant work, voluntary, or professional experience. We are committed to fair, supportive, and inclusive decision-making.
If you have your results, you can apply now. You can also call us on 01227 926000 to discuss your options or register for a priority callback, and we’ll get in touch.
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Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
All staff involved in the teaching of this course are registered professionals and are experienced lecturers, either currently involved in research, or delivering research-informed teaching. You'll also learn from other expert practitioners, such as consultant anaesthetists, surgical care practitioners, surgeons, nurses, and paramedics.
You'll be taught through lectures, seminars, group discussions, and reflection, where you'll use your experiences from clinical practice. You will also develop your practical skills in the safe environment of our simulations suite.
You'll be supported during tutorials and seminars, which include focused discussions that encourage you to link theory to practice.
For each module, you'll typically have 50 hours contact and will be required to undertake self-directed study as set out by your lecturers.
All courses are informed by the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2015-2022.
Approximately 50% of your time will be spent on clinical placement, where you will be working a 37.5-hour week as per NHS working patterns. This will be mainly within an operating department where you will experience a wide range of anaesthetic, surgical, and post-anaesthetic interventions. In addition, you will develop a wider understanding of healthcare and the needs of patients through clinical placements in other settings such as the ward area, A&E, ITU, or HDU.
All practice hours must be completed before being able to progress to the next year / level of study. By the end of the course you must have completed all of your clinical practice hours in order to meet the College of Operating Department Practitioners requirement of 50% of the course in placement. Any practice hours that are missed will need to be made up at an agreed later date which may mean an extension to your course.
You will also be required to complete a declaration of suitability each year to say you are of good health and good character.
Throughout the course you will complete a range of directed study exercises and will be encouraged to appraise and manage your development by producing a personal development plan.
We encourage interactive learning for all our ODP students and self-directed study can involve peer and tutor feedback. This cohesive, interactive way of learning encourages you and your peers to share your knowledge and experiences so that you develop the interpersonal skills that you'll need throughout your career. Ultimately, you will become self-directed in your studies and take responsibility for being an independent learner.
Our lecturing team consists of highly experienced perioperative practitioners (both nurses and operating department practitioners), as well as medical staff from a variety of anaesthetic and surgical backgrounds who support the course as sessional lecturers. Every student is allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) who is a member of the academic team who fulfils a key role in engaging in continuous ‘whole-person’ developmental support, as well as reflective clinical supervision with students for the full duration of the course.
We pride ourselves on supporting and helping you to achieve your ambitions. We will help you build your expertise for your career as an Operating Department Practitioner.Alan MountProfessional lead, Operating Department Practice
How you’ll be assessed
To meet the varying learning styles our students present with, and to align this with the module content, a variety of assessment methods are used within the modules for each year of the course. Your understanding of theory will be assessed in a variety of ways including:
- objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
- essays
- case studies
- exams
- reflective pieces of study
- online assessments
- student lead presentations.
The practice elements of modules are assessed in clinical practice by Practice Placement Mentors and other mentors with a relevant professional background. Practice elements of the modules are assessed on a pass/fail basis and are detailed in the Practice Assessment Document (PAD). You will need to pass every module to pass each year and the course.
Your future career
You will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) upon successful completion of the course. Newly qualified operating department practitioners typically start their careers on a band 5 (NHS) before progressing to higher bands following professional development and experience over a period of time.
Several of our students have gone on to roles in major teaching hospitals nationwide. Others have gained employment locally with the NHS and the private/independent sector, whilst others are working further afield in Australia and New Zealand.
With experience, additional education, and training, you could go on to any number of roles in the UK and abroad. These may include anaesthesia associate, physicians associate, surgical care practitioner, resuscitation training officer, transplant teams, critical care practitioner, theatre management, education, or research.
Studying ODP at CCCU has been the best decision of my life. I am developing valuable skills that will lead me to an excellent and challenging career.Victoria
Fees
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for this course are:
| UK | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £9,535 | £15,500 |
Tuition fees for all courses are payable on an annual basis, except where stated. The fees represented here are for study with Canterbury Christ Church University. If you are looking to study at a partner institution, please visit their website for fees information.
Please read the 2025/26 Tuition Fee Statement for further information regarding tuition fees and year on year fee increases.
Home (UK) Fees
The Government has announced that it will increase the tuition fee cap by 3.1%, in line with inflation, for the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to parliamentary approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 our undergraduate home tuition fees are expected to be £9,535.
Overseas/International Fees
Undergraduate / PGCE tuition fees for international students are not set by the UK Government.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Extra funding for health students
NHS Learning Support Fund
Students on a nursing, midwifery and many allied health courses will be eligible to apply for an NHS Learning Support Fund of at least £5,000 a year to help with living costs. Eligible students may also be awarded additional funding up to £3,000 a year. This money will not need to be repaid.
In addition to this, health students can apply and may be eligible for other University awards. Please visit our scholarships, bursaries and financial support page to find out what's available.
CCCU Advantage Package
For courses that qualify, the CCCU Advantage Package currently includes:
- Uniforms
- Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check
- Occupational Health costs, including immunisation
Uniform (appropriate to the course) and a placement badge are provided free of charge at the start of the course. If you wish to replace any item of uniform or secure additional items of uniform during the course (e.g. because it has been damaged or no longer fits) then you must order and pay for this directly with the supplier. There are certain exceptions to this, for example if you become pregnant and require a maternity uniform. You will need to purchase suitable footwear for practice. NHS Trusts require shoes (not trainers) that meet health and safety requirements. Advice will be given by the lecturers on what to purchase after you have enrolled on your course. Please see our uniform page for more details.
We reserve the right to withdraw this package in the event of a student not successfully completing the enrolment process.
Industry links
We work very closely with the NHS and the private and independent healthcare sector, and your practice learning will be in these settings.
Professional accreditation
The course meets the requirements of the College of Operating Department Practitioners curriculum and is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
On completion of the course and in preparation for registration, the Programme Director must be satisfied that you meet the relevant statutory regulatory body fitness to practise criteria. You will be required to sign an annual declaration of ongoing fitness to practise at regular intervals during the course. The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Social Care has a fitness to practise policy and procedures which may be instigated should you demonstrate behaviour or conduct that falls short of that expected by the University and/or statutory regulatory body. For more details, visit www.canterbury.ac.uk/policies-procedures
To be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council you must demonstrate good health and good character throughout your studies and on completion. Applications for professional registration will be subject to satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and Occupational Health clearance.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.
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