Sports Therapy
Entry requirements
A level
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Grade 4 or above in Maths and English are required. We will consider equivalent qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
A typical offer will require a UCAS Tariff score between 104 - 128. A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
In today’s world, work experience is becoming more and more essential to getting a job, so as part of our multi million pound investment into our human performance, exercise and wellbeing centre, we created our very own working sports therapy clinic here at BNU. This facility is open to the public and is staffed by students with the support of lecturers so you can get the experience you need while studying.
Learning will be encouraged through practical sessions, debates, observation, field trips, formal lectures and interactive seminars. At the core of each module in practical delivery is the Human performance and exercise wellbeing centre, the sports therapy teaching room and the Sports & Wellbeing Clinic. At BNU, we have strong links with local sports organisations like the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey (home to several governing bodies of sport) and Stoke Mandeville Hospital (the birthplace of the Paralympics). Our placement opportunities are a great way for you to learn and network locally and nationally.
We also have close relationships with Wycombe Wanderers FC, Wycombe Hospital, Norwich City FC, Reading Ladies Football Club, and The FA. You could have the opportunity to attend national events like the London Marathon and provide hands-on care for athletes before and after their competition. BNU offers you the chance to get all the skills, qualifications and experience you need within a 30-minute commute to London, surrounded by a friendly student community.
**What facilities can I use**
As part of your studies, you’ll use the Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre, a professional and inspiring facility for our sport courses and contains industry standard equipment. The Sports and Wellbeing Clinic is a real working clinic within the University and puts you directly in your workplace from day one. Members of the public pay for appointments in this student run clinic as well as professional athletes and sports teams, which gives you the opportunity to experience working in a clinic first hand.
Our Human Performance Lab is an additional facility which is designed to test and research the human body. It has been designed to enhance athletes through scientific analysis and develop the most effective strength and conditioning regime for their body types.
**What will I study?**
Our course will take you through the processes of injury prevention, assessment, therapeutic treatment, and exercise rehabilitation in order to return the patient back to work, full muscular functionality and their previous sport or exercise level. We will also explore various sports science disciplines.
You'll be taking part in many practical classes with the emphasis of hands-on skills and experience, and will also be able to put theory into practice by completing placements and gaining experience of various settings. Explore the biomechanics of human movement, physiology and functional anatomy as we teach you our holistic approach to sports therapy which covers the practice from multiple disciplines.
You will also learn about human anatomy, health and exercise physiology, therapeutic interventions and scientific research and how they influence sports therapy, graduating with an understanding of current knowledge but also its limitations. In your final year, you’ll work closely with your personal tutor to deliver your final dissertation project on a subject of your choice.
**Career Prospects**
You’ll be qualified to work as a sports therapist for professional teams, clubs and private clinics. You’ll be able to pursue a career in exercise management and rehabilitation, or as a physiotherapy assistant. We will help you gain the skills and experience to help you get established in a competitive industry and have the confidence that you need to succeed.
Modules
**Year one**
**Core**
Human Anatomy and Movement Analysis
Health and Human Physiology
Fundamentals of Strength and Conditioning
Foundations of Sports Therapy
Introduction to Research in Sport
**Opportunity**
2 x 10 credit year one Opportunity modules
**Year two**
**Core**
Research Methods
Applied Exercise Physiology
Principles and Applications of Biomechanics in Sport
Exercise Instruction and Special Populations
Principles of Sports Therapy 1
Principles of Sports Therapy 2
**Year three**
**Core**
Extended Independent Work
Professional Practice
Advanced Sports Therapy
**Optional**
Skills Acquisition
Sports Nutrition
Approaches to Applied Sport and Performance Psychology
Skills in Leadership, Enterprise and Small Business
Applied Strength and Conditioning
Performance Analysis
Assessment methods
We adopt a varied method of assessment. These will include practical assessments, presentations, vivas, reports/essays, case studies, and work-related assessments with evidence of achievement in practice. You'll have the opportunity to access a variety of electronic resources including journal articles, on-line books, electronic databases, internet sources and material from the library.
You will be expected to consult academic journals more widely in the second and third year as you develop your academic study and writing skills. As per the teaching and learning strategy, the specific assessment methods are determined at modular level, but are designed to reflect the course aims and learning outcomes, to equip learners with industry knowledge and experience.
While there is a varied diet of assessment at all three levels, it is predominantly based on coursework and practical assessments and, where possible, is designed to mirror ‘real world’ being more authentic in nature to that of Sports Therapy practice.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships
The Uni
Buckinghamshire New University
School of Human and Social Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sport and exercise sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sport and exercise sciences
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sport and exercise sciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£22k
£24k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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