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What makes Sports Therapy at Worcester special?

Our Sports Therapy Degree is about more than injury treatment and prevention. You'll develop your skills and experience across a broad base of sports science disciplines, for a wide range of sports therapy careers.

Top sports people constantly operate on the edge of injury as they push themselves to the limit. A skilled sports therapist can help keep an athlete on track.

Throughout the course, you'll gain the confidence and expertise to plan, prepare and deliver maximum performance when it counts.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists, preparing you for a role as a graduate sports therapist
  • Work-based learning gives you a wealth of positive experience
  • Excellent industry links, including Worcester Warriors Rugby Club, Kidderminster Harriers Football Club and Worcester City Football Club
  • Top-class facilities such as our human performance labs, clinical teaching suite, strength and conditioning labs and the award-winning University of Worcester Arena
  • Opportunities to gain invaluable experience working with elite athletes participating in national and international competitions at the University

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Join us this September

It's not too late to apply for a September 2021 start. We have places available through clearing on a range of courses.

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"The course content of integrating work placement within the three years of academic study appealed to me, allowing continual practical application of course theory. I had an overriding feeling of 'belonging' from day one to the end of the course."

Georgina King, Sports Therapy graduate

Student clinics at the Sports Centre and the McClelland exercise suite

Sports Therapy degree students working at a clinic Sports Therapy degree student working on a patient's leg Two Sports Therapy degree students and patients Two Sports Therapy degree students at a clinic Sports Therapy degree student massaging Four Sports Therapy degree students at a clinic
Entry requirements

What qualifications will you need?

112
UCAS tariff points

Entry requirements

112 UCAS Tariff points to include an A2 in either PE or Human Biology; or a BTEC in Sport or a Sports Related area such as Health that include Anatomy and Physiology units, plus GCSE (C/4) in English and Mathematics.

Access to Higher Education Diploma accepted - please contact us for further details.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), formerly known as CRB, is required for this course. Successful candidates will also be required to complete a medical questionnaire.

Shortlisted applicants may be invited for interview.

Other information

Your personal statement on the UCAS application form will also be looked at as a key part of your application. You should include the following items in your personal statement, if possible, to show the admissions staff that you are serious in your application to undertake a degree in Sports Therapy:

  • Evidence that you have done some research into the profession of Sports Therapy; you understand what the profession of Sports Therapist involves; how the job of a Sports Therapist may differ from other, similar jobs; you are clear that this is what you want to do in future.
  • You participate in sport or regular exercise. The level you play at is not particularly important.
  • You have some work experience in sport, for example coaching, or therapy, for example observing a therapist working in sport.
  • A sports coaching and / or sports first aid qualification will be a very favourable addition to your academic qualifications.
  • You can show the admissions staff that you understand the effort which will be required to complete this degree programme.
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Course content

What will you study?

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Year 1

Mandatory

  • Functional Anatomy
  • The Exercising Human for Sports Therapists
  • Sports Massage, Examination and Assessment
  • Study Skills for Sports Therapists
  • First Aid and Thermotherapies

Year 2

Mandatory

  • Peripheral Joint Assessment
  • Sports Rehabilitation
  • Manual Therapy
  • Research Process for Sports Therapists
  • Psychology and Nutrition for Sports Therapists
  • Electrotherapy and Taping

Year 3

Mandatory

  • Sports Therapy Dissertation
  • Advanced Sports Therapy
  • Sports Therapy in Action
  • Clinical Practice
  • Professional Development and Employability for Sports Therapists

You will gain a solid working knowledge of all areas of sports therapy, including anatomy, human movement and biomechanics, physiology, exercise programme prescription, nutrition and sports psychology.

Work based learning is integral to the course and you will gain experience throughout your time with us in massage clinics, sports injury clinics, at external events, working alongside University sports teams, first aiding at various events and throughout a double module of clinical placement running across the final year. The wealth of practical experience alongside the theory and skills you will gain throughout the course will help to develop you into a competent and professional Graduate Sports Therapist ready for membership of the Society of Sports Therapy and employment.

Teaching and assessment

How will you be taught?

Teaching and Learning

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of traditional and online lectures, theoretical and applied seminars and practical sessions in clinical and applied settings. You will learn the therapeutic skills of detailed anatomy, examination and assessment, joint mobilisations, massage, sports rehabilitation and other electrotherapy modalities. The course will also develop academic skills such as of scientific writing, researching, critical thinking and clinical reasoning utilising the current evidence base.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on four occasions in each year of a course.

You have an opportunity to consolidate your practical skills and communication skills in clinics, at external events and placements throughout the course. Links have been forged with a number of local professional and amateur football, rugby, cricket and basketball teams - other sports also provide placement opportunities. Students in previous years have also undertaken placements abroad with a range of sports teams.

Contact time

In a typical week at levels 4 and 5 you will have around 12-16 contact hours of teaching. In your final year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study and your placement.

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

  • 2 hour lecture and a 2 hour practical

Or

  • 2 x 2 hour practicals

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 24-28 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve using textbooks, journal articles and video or web-based resources to learn the theoretical aspects of the course and independently directed consolidation of practical skills involving handling, palpation and movements.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Teaching staff

Students will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics with research and consultancy experience, postgraduate students, laboratory technical staff and demonstrators. In addition, you can expect to receive sessions with guest lecturers who are currently engaged in Sport and Exercise science activities outside of the university.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and the majority of lecturers on the course have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles. 

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods include traditional laboratory reports and literature reviews through to practical examinations and video based assessments.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1

Laboratory reports, practical examinations, online examinations, an anatomy spotter exam, a video based submission, a presentation and an exercise based portfolio.

Year 2

Online examinations, practical examinations, leaflets designed to inform athletes, a video based submission, a literature review, completion of a research based ethics form, scientific report and a workbook.

Year 3

Dissertation, practical examination, trauma examination, professional practice and reflective portfolios, business plan, presentations and a skills based competency account.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate. We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. 

david-hickman

David Hickman

David joined the University in 2012 on an internship following his graduation from the Sports Therapy programme at Worcester. Since then David has enjoyed a number of roles at the University including delivering exercise rehabilitation programmes and classes to a variety of population groups, as a Sessional Lecturer in the Institute of Health and supervising sports therapy students in massage and injury clinics. He soon realised that he had a passion for teaching and joined the sports therapy team full time as a University Tutor at the start of 2017.

David has worked with the Worcester Wolves Basketball Club, England Basketball and Team GB Wheelchair Basketball alongside clinical work. David's areas of interest are sports injury and rehabilitation through exercise, specifically within a musculoskeletal and neurological population.

christopher-holland

Christopher Holland

Christopher is a graduate Sports Therapist and joined the University of Worcester in April 2016. He has been teaching in Higher Education since 2005 across all areas of Sports Science, and has taught on Sports Therapy programmes at both degree and Masters levels.

Christopher has a background as a professional footballer with Bournemouth, Bristol City and Exeter City, as well as playing semi-professionally for a number of regional conference clubs. He has significant experience as both a Sports Therapist and Strength and Conditioning Coach within semi-professional football. He has also worked with athletes from sports including distance running, mixed martial arts, golf, fitness competitions and cyclists. Christopher is co-lead Sports Therapist for the Worcester Wolves basketball team, and was the medical lead for Wales under 20 and under 18 squads. He also runs his own successful private Sports Therapy practice.

dr-darren-cooper

Dr Darren Cooper

Darren has worked with athletes professionally since 2003 ranging from dedicated amateurs to Olympians. His areas of expertise are Sports Therapy, Elite Sports Performance, Sports Biomechanics and Learning and Teaching.

He enjoys teaching on many modules, including the Functional Anatomy and the Advances and Developments in Sports Therapy modules.

Darren is a member of the Society of Sports Therapists (MSST) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

chris-bonell

Chris Bonell

Chris is a graduate Sports Therapist and joined the University of Worcester in 2012 working in partnership with the Fire Service as an Exercise Physiologist. Previously and during this time Chris has worked with a broad range of services users in a health, fitness and sports therapy capacity. Now having completed his MSc in the area of Nutrition, Chris is excited and interested how all these areas can complement each other to provide holistic approach to therapy.

Qualifications:

  • Currently studying a Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
  • MSc Nutritional Therapy, University of Worcester
  • BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy, University of Birmingham
  • Reps Level 4 BACPR Cardiac Rehab Specialist
  • Reps Level 3 Diploma in Exercise Referral
  • Reps Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Personal Training
james-grant

James Grant

James graduated from the University of Worcester with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy and has since joined the team and now working as a Sports Therapy Technician.

James started out his career as a Royal Marines Commando which saw him on operations around the globe.  After leaving HM forces James worked as a private security consultant, working in and around the Middle East for many years before deciding on a career change.  Subsequently, this led James into the health and fitness industry as a Personal Trainer and massage therapist.  Throughout James’s career he has gained a significant amount of experience in coaching boxing, running, football and fitness classes.  In addition to representing the Royal Marines in competitive boxing and cross country running.  James continues to keep in good health and is currently competing as an elite obstacle racer.

Upon completion of his degree, James set up is own private injury and rehabilitation clinic and now helps provide joint medical cover for the Worcester Wolves basketball team.

Zac Read

Zac Read

Zac graduated as a Sports Therapist from the University of Worcester before staying on in the team in a technician role. He committed himself to gaining as much experience as possible during his studies, finishing with three times the required placement hours logged. Zac took placement opportunities in professional rugby and cricket (Worcester Warriors RFC and Somerset CCC), semi-professional rugby and football, and amateur and youth rugby and football. Zac also took an opportunity to work in disability sport during 2018, with placements with the England Visually Impaired and England Learning Difficulties cricket teams. This wide variety in experience gained whilst studying has enabled Zac to become a well-rounded and knowledgeable graduate.

Shortly after graduating Zac, set up his own sports therapy clinic and provided pre-season cover for a variety of local semi professional football teams and rugby 7s matches. Zac currently mainly works with kickboxers, martial artists and rugby players.

naomi-huggins

Naomi Huggins

Naomi is a graduate Sports Therapist who joined the University as an Associate Lecturer in 2019 for both Healthcare and Sports Therapy; then subsequently joined the full-time Sports Therapy lecturing team in 2021.

Naomi’s professional background is in clinical practice and international sport.  She has run a successful private practice since 2013 working with Great Britain boxers, gymnasts and sailors along with international netball, rugby, wheelchair rugby, weightlifting, cyclocross, crossfit and canicross athletes.  She spent 8 years working with Great Britain american football as Lead Sports Therapist across the globe (and club level), whilst also taking up the role of Anti-Doping Co-ordinator for the British American Football Association.  Naomi has also worked in rugby both local and international, notably a tour with Tonga rugby in 2015.  Naomi has had experience within Special Educational Needs (SEN) since 2006 which has led into her interest in the biopsychosocial approach to injuries.

Inclusive exercise clinic

Careers

Where could it take you?

Graduates from our Sports Therapy degree can follow a number of career paths including:

  • Graduate Sports Therapist at a sports club or with a team
  • Working in private practice as a therapist within fitness and leisure complexes
  • Sports rehabilitation
  • Further study to progress your career in sports therapy

The course also provides a sound basis for a variety of postgraduate courses in sports science, sports medicine or PGCE teaching qualification.

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Costs

How much will it cost?

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time UK and EU students registering in the academic year 2021/22 is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students registering in the academic year 2021/22 is £13,100 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

There will be the opportunity to go on a variety of trips, these are optional and you will be expected to meet any costs.

You will be expected to cover any travel expenses related to placements. We estimate the cost of specialist clothing to be around £100.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Hall' at £108 per week to 'En-suite Extra' at £184 per week (2021/22 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
How to apply

How do you apply?

Applying through UCAS

Sport Therapy BSc (Hons) C603 BSc/SpTh

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

C603

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

Christopher Holland

Course leader
c.holland@worc.ac.uk
01905 542857

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