BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy with Foundation Year

Why study this subject?

Working in Sports Therapy, you’ll be concerned with preventing injuries and rehabilitating injured patients to return them to peak fitness. A Sports Therapist also has an in-depth knowledge of the body, human movement, physiology and functional anatomy.

You could find yourself working with individual athletes and teams as part of a big organisation, with local and national sports teams and clubs or running your own private practice – whatever you choose, our Sports Therapy course will help prepare you to succeed in your future career.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

We understand that in today’s world, work experience is essential. We even have our very own working sports therapy clinic here at BNU. We don’t just teach from you from a textbook, we also take you to our workplace to share in our experience.  

You will have the opportunity for high quality placements in all levels of your course at Buckinghamshire New University via our preferred providers, as well as in our Sports & Wellbeing Clinic under the supervision of university staff.

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.

These facilities are unique to BNU and were developed to help students develop technical competence and skills, team working and problem-solving abilities. You will apply knowledge and skills on real patients and observe other therapists in the field from a multidisciplinary perspective.

At BNU, we have strong links with 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).

We also have close relationships with Wycombe Wanderers FC, Wycombe Hospital, Norwich City FC, Reading Ladies Football Club, and The FA, meaning you’ll never be short on opportunities for learning.

You’ll also have the opportunity to attend national events like The London Marathon and provide hands-on care for athletes before and after their competition.

Our BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy is accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists, the professional body for Sports Therapy, and is a recognised qualification by employers throughout the country. It also means our teaching content is vetted by an external body.

As a student of BNU, you’ll have student membership to the society, paid for by the University. Membership will bring you added benefits as you study. For example access to the student members area of the websites and free access to the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Following graduation, you’ll be eligible for a professional registration with The Society of Sports Therapists, which will help boost your desirable profile to new clients and employers.

What facilities can I use?

As part of your course you are required to complete increasing hours of placement activities within a Sports Therapy setting, with increasing levels of responsibility and application as your knowledge increases. To enable this, we invested in creating a professional range of state-of-the-art facilities for use over the entirety of the course at all levels.

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 which is a part of your degree.

The Sports and Wellbeing Clinic is a real working clinic within the University and puts you directly in your workplace from day one. Much of your time can be spent here learning first-hand in a real professional setting. Members of the public pay for appointments in this clinic as well as professional athletes and sports teams.

Our Human Performance Lab is a facility which is packed with all the latest technology you need to study Sports Therapy. This facility will help you understand injury prevention and rehabilitation to a professional level. It has been designed to enhance athletes through scientific analysis and develop the most effective strength and conditioning regime.

We also have our gateway gym where you can get personalised help and advice from personal trainers and use a range of fitness equipment yourself, Heavily discounted for students.

In addition, our library is open 24/7 and packed with all the information you need for your assessments – you’ll have access to hundreds of specialist books, scientific research, articles and online journals. Not to mention there’s plenty of room to knuckle down for some quiet study time.

We’ll also sign you up to our Virtual Learning Environment which means you’ll have access to lots of online resources wherever you are! This is not a replacement for your course content, this is additional content that comes free to you.

What will I study?

Throughout this sports therapy course you will be given the chance to demonstrate competence in the field of sports therapy through the application of theory to practice. Integral to the teaching content is honing you into a sports therapist using information our lecturers have experienced in their professional careers.

For each level, you will complete increasing hours of placement activities within the Sports Therapy setting with increasing levels of responsibility and application.

Although there is written content for modules that will be followed during the teaching weeks, you will be encouraged to develop independent learning through guided activities in a practical setting.

This course is ideal for you if you’re interested in the areas of sports medicine and sports therapy. You’ll learn how to diagnose injured athletes and treat them effectively. You’ll also explore the biomechanics of human movement, physiology and functional anatomy.

We will teach you a holistic approach to sports therapy which covers the practice from a multidisciplinary approach. Modules will range from core scientific principles of exercise to injury assessment, treatment and rehabilitation.

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 dive more deeply into an area you’re passionate about and deliver your final dissertation project on a subject of your choice.

Most Sports Therapists work as self-employed practitioners, so this course has been designed to combine therapy and business skills to give you the confidence and entrepreneurship you’ll need to start a small business.

You will learn the skills needed to help you become a confident and proficient self-employed sports therapist, with the option to be registered with the Sports Therapist Society.

How will I be taught and assessed?

On our BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy course, you’ll learn through a combination of theoretical and practical methods. The course will help prepare you for a career in sports therapy through a practical application-based approach.

Our expert academic staff will teach you through lectures, seminars, practical/lab sessions and tutorials, and importantly you’ll also participate in work placements and independent study.

We also offer our students, where possible, the opportunity to learn from external industry partners so you can hear from the professionals currently working on the ‘front line’ of sports therapy.

Assessments will also be carried out in our Sports and wellbeing clinic.

Each module will have its own assessment criteria but typically consist of the following:

• presentations
• vivas
• reports and essays
• case studies
• work-related practical assessments

Placements Plus

BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student, to increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.