BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy University of Winchester

*Subject to revalidation

• Enjoy high-quality teaching in a friendly learning environment on a compact campus with a community feel
• Gain hands-on experience in the Sports Therapy profession on clinical placements
• This programme is accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists.

This dynamic degree prepares you for a career in the growing field of Sports Therapy where you will be enabled to empower athletes and sportspeople of all abilities to get the best out of their potential and performance. Our aim is to shape confident learners by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here as well as in further studies or the employment market.

Over the duration of your course, you will gradually, and progressively, build your knowledge, practical and clinical skills, confidence and expertise under the tuition of our expert staff. By the end of the programme, through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis and the guidance of staff, you will become independent and critical Sports Therapy professionals.

On graduation, you will be able to employ the principles of sport and exercise science to the prevention of injuries, and to evaluate and rehabilitate injured athletes, both at professional and amateur levels.

Centred around our state-of-the-art sports and exercise facilities at the King Alfred campus, this innovative programme allows you to blend science and hands-on practice along with placements in sports clinics and clubs to inspire you further.

Expert teaching combined with bespoke amenities, such as biomechanics, physiology and psychology laboratories, ensure you have the knowledge base to critically evaluate, and engage with, contemporary sport and exercise research and practice.

On your way to becoming an injury, rehabilitation and fitness specialist you will learn how to use sport and exercise principles to optimise performance, preparation and injury prevention programmes; provide the immediate care of injuries and basic life support in a recreational, training, occupational and competitive environment; assess, treat, rehabilitate and, where and if appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention; provide appropriate soft-tissue and manual therapy interventions in a sport and exercise context; and plan and implement appropriate rehabilitation and return to training/work programmes.

You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical workshops allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. In addition to the formally scheduled contact time, you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team, and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

It is a requirement that 200 hours of work placement must be undertaken between the end of the second year and the end of the third year of study. This placement may take place post-semester 2 study period.

Once the programme is accredited, successful completion of the programme will enable you to be eligible to apply for membership in the Society of Sports Therapists (SST). While studying you will have student membership which provides you with access to the online British Journal of Sports Medicine Schemes, and eligibility to attend the AGM and associated seminars. Student members also have access to restricted membership areas on the SST website as well as the society’s jobs board where current professional vacancies and volunteering opportunities are posted regularly. As support, the library's electronic resources supply access to a large number of sports and rehabilitation journals and books.

This degree is taught alongside our various sports degrees as well as physiotherapy, nursing and dietetics, providing opportunities for interprofessional learning and practice.

Accreditation

This course is accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists.

*This course is subject to revalidation. 'Revalidation' is the process by which the University refreshes its existing provision. Revalidation assesses the quality and standards of the programme to ensure it continues to provide a distinct, high-quality academic experience for students, enabling them to acquire the necessary academic knowledge, understanding, and general and subject-specific skills required to pursue a graduate-level career.

Year 1: Level 4

• Anatomy, Physiology and Clinical Sciences 1 15
• Essential Biomechanics 15
• Personal and Professional Development 15
• Introduction to Scientific Research 15
• Anatomy, Physiology and Clinical Sciences 2 15
• Introduction to Sports Therapy Practice 30
• Assessing Sports Injuries and Soft Tissue Interventions 15

Year 2: Level 5

• Data Analysis in Sport 15
• Developing Sports Therapy Assessment and Practice (Peripheral) 15
• Designing Exercise Interventions 15
• Developing Communication Skills in Sports Therapy 15
• Developing Sports Therapy Assessment and Practice (Spinal) 15
• Sports Performance and Clinical Physiology 15
• Functional and Applied Rehabilitation 15
• Nutrition in Sport and Exercise 15

Year 3: Level 6

• Dissertation 30
• Dealing with Complexity in Sports Injury Management 15
• Personal and Professional Development 2 15
• Professional Placement 30
• Extending Sports Therapy Practice 15
• Strength and Conditioning Coaching 15

Graduates can find employment as Sports Therapists in a range of areas including working in a sports therapy clinic, with all levels of sports teams in injury prevention and rehabilitation, in the health and fitness/leisure industry, and in health services. Graduates may also choose to go on to study for a Masters's degree and enter research careers.

The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA.

Pre-approved for a Master's

If you study for a Bachelor's Honours Degree with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Master's degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Master's degree.