Sports and Exercise Therapy BSc (Hons)

Study level: Undergraduate
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Learn to assess and treat sports injuries by combining exercise physiology with rehabilitation, and develop practical skills through hands-on experience in our on-campus sports therapy clinic.

Course option

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

UCAS codes

BC96

Start date

September 2026

The information on this page is for 2025-26 entry and should be used as guidance for 2026-27 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.


Course overview

Develop the skills and confidence to become an independent sports therapy practitioner, equipped to work in healthcare, sport or private practice. Learn how to support a wide range of clients, from children to older adults, and from beginners to elite athletes.

  • Injury prevention and athlete welfare: become proficient in designing, implementing and evaluating injury prevention programmes.
  • Clinical examination and assessment: develop knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and pathology to assess musculoskeletal conditions, diagnose injuries and determine treatment pathways.
  • Therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation: gain hands-on experience in manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation and evidence-based therapeutic interventions for effective injury management.
  • Emergency and acute care: develop the skills needed for pre-hospital emergency care, including trauma assessment, concussion management and emergency action planning.
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Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

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5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

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Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2026

Why you should study this course

  • Study in our multi-million-pound Alison Gingell building with a specialist sports therapy suite, physiology and biomechanics laboratories and industry-standard equipment4.
  • Our dedicated lecturers bring experience from working with international, national and local athletes, and within successful private practices. They are committed to support your development as a future sports and exercise therapist (staff subject to change).
  • Previous students have provided support at the World and British Transplant Games and have worked with a variety of elite sports teams including Birmingham City FC, Coventry City Football Club and Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Team.
  • Graduates of this course go on to pursue careers in areas such as elite sports teams, rehabilitation, healthcare and research. This course is designed to help you prepare for opportunities across the sports therapy and health industries.
  • This course aims to build a strong base in key scientific disciplines such as anatomy, biomechanics and exercise physiology. This equips you with the knowledge to understand human movement and recovery and to apply it effectively in injury prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation.

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The squad of 24 players visited the university’s Alison Gingell building for midseason strength testing.

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What you'll study

Modules

Modules

There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

Modules

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.


How you'll learn

Teaching and learning methods may include: 

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • presentations
  • group projects
  • workshops
  • clinical practice
  • practical workshop sessions
  • practical lab sessions.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. You will normally study one 30-credit module at a time. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary depending on your year of study and selected modules. During your first year, you can expect 12-15 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend additional sessions, including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.


Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module. The assessment methods may include:

  • tests
  • essays
  • group work
  • presentations
  • reports
  • projects
  • coursework
  • independent research project.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.


International experience opportunities

Our sandwich degree option allows a full-year work placement, which can be taken abroad, or you can undertake a study-year abroad2. Past students in our college have been successful in securing places in Spain, France, Canada and the US. The Society of Sports Therapists (SST) also runs a travelling scholarship scheme for student members, which enables successful applicants to work abroad in various clinics or educational establishments. (Subject to additional costs. For further requirements and eligibility please visit the SST website.)

We also try to ensure there is an international perspective to course content and have previously visited the World Transplant Games in Argentina and participated in collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects with places such as Hong Kong.

Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability, and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements, and are therefore not guaranteed2.


Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Requirement What we're looking for
UCAS points 112
A level BBC to include Biology or PE. Excludes General Studies
GCSE GCSE maths, English and two sciences at grade 4 / C or Functional Skills Level 2, or other equivalent Level 2 awards.
BTEC DMM in a Biological or Sport Science based subject. Excludes Health and Social Care
IB Diploma 30 points to include 5 points in Biology at Higher level
Access to HE The Access to HE Diploma to include 30 Level 3 credits above Merit of which 15 must be at Distinction in Biology or Sport Science related units. Plus GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 / C or above

Additional information

The course will include working with children and vulnerable adults. You will be asked to declare any convictions on your application. Having a criminal conviction may not exclude you from joining the course but we may not be able to facilitate placements for applicants who have convictions for violent offences or offences against children or vulnerable adults. A criminal conviction may also mean that full professional membership to The SST is not possible. Guidance on Criminal Convictions and DBS Processes 1 If you have any concerns regarding a criminal record, please contact the course leader before applying for the course.

Other qualifications and experience

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a unique story. We recognise a breadth of qualifications. If your qualifications differ from the above, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to discuss your qualifications and routes into your chosen course.

Contextual offers and Fair Access Scheme

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme, you could automatically receive a contextual offer that may be up to 24 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:


You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with an international foundation course. Upon successful completion this should provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress onto this undergraduate degree.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.0 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Not got the required grades? We offer this degree with an integrated foundation year.


Fees and funding

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year
Not available
EU 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary**
2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £18,300 per year without EU Support Bursary**
Not available
International 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £18,300 per year
Not available

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement2 or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee3 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year. Students commencing their professional placement in the academic year 2027/28 will pay £1,500 if they are paying UK fees, or £1,800 if they are paying international fees.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the university may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement, the University will charge the tuition fees stated above for those on a placement during Academic Year 2027/28. The University will review professional placement tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study, but such that it will be no more than 5% above inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Facilities

This course is delivered at Coventry University main campus, primarily in the Alison Gingell building4.

You will benefit from the outstanding facilities for sport and exercise sciences in the purpose-built Alison Gingell building, including sports and exercise therapy clinic, extensive sport and exercise science laboratories, gait analysis track and 3D motion capture software.

Two male students checking a female students arm

Sports Therapy Clinic

The Sports Therapy Clinic is run by final year Sports Therapy students under the supervision of qualified staff with second year students providing a supervised massage clinic twice a week.

female running on a treadmill with a mask wired up to a machine

Strength and Conditioning Suite

Our multi-purpose suite is equipped with multiple Olympic lifting platforms, a 20m gait analysis track, an anti-gravity treadmill and a 3D motion capture system.

 

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.


Careers and opportunities

Accreditation from the Society of Sports Therapists means that on graduation you will be qualified to work as a sports therapist with professional teams, clubs or private clinics. Alternatively, you can access appropriate additional training to support professional football and rugby (additional costs, competitive application, availability and meeting any applicable visa requirements may apply).

The course includes a substantial amount of sport science, which can allow you the opportunity to move into other career options upon graduation, such as management or service delivery in sport and leisure centres. If you are more interested in the medical and health applications of exercise science, you could go on to work within cardiac and other rehabilitation teams within the NHS, or with local councils within sports development or exercise for health schemes.

Past graduates from this course have gone on to work at high levels of professional and semi-professional sports such as football, rugby and transplant sport. Other graduates have gone on to lead successful careers within private practice, both owning and working within a range of therapy clinics nationwide and internationally.

A proportion of past graduates have also utilised their skills within the NHS in rehabilitation departments.

Graduates have also continued with postgraduate study on courses, including our:

The graduate destinations listed above illustrate potential career paths. You may need to gain additional qualifications or practical experience, pass professional examinations, complete training, cover associated costs and meet specific visa or immigration requirements to secure employment in these fields.

Where our graduates work

Graduates have also gone to work as clinicians with practices such as Swan Physio Ltd, Body Logic Health, and as sports therapists for teams such as Wasps, Watford FC and Aston Villa FC, Nottingham Forest FC, Kidderminster FC, Peterborough United FC, Coventry United Ladies FC, QPR FC.

 

Further study

We have a range of postgraduate courses that graduates would be well prepared to progress onto, enabling them to gain specialist skills relating to development of teaching, sporting potential or lifelong physical activity. Our PGCE courses allow entry to teaching careers and our more specialist MSc programmes in sport provide opportunities for graduates to develop skills in a more specific area of study.

You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

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