Sports and Exercise Therapy BSc (Hons) with foundation year

A strong foundation in anatomical knowledge is essential for the effective assessment and management of musculoskeletal injuries in sports and exercise therapy. Develop your understanding of upper limb musculoskeletal anatomy, covering key bony landmarks, muscles, tendons, ligaments and neurovascular structures as a basis for clinical assessment.

Building on this anatomical knowledge, you should also develop palpation skills to accurately identify and examine musculoskeletal structures. Apply this understanding to assessment techniques, including range of motion (ROM) testing, muscle function evaluation, and ligament integrity testing, enabling them to recognise normal and altered movement patterns.

Explore common upper limb injuries and develop essential underpinning knowledge to support injury recognition and management. With a strong emphasis on practical application, this module underpins the foundational skills necessary for future study in advanced clinical assessment, injury management and rehabilitation.

Compulsory

This module introduces key principles of subjective assessment, enabling you to establish treatment goals and implement safe, effective interventions. Through the study of soft tissue therapy, thermotherapy, and cryotherapy, gain practical skills in therapeutic modalities, assessing their physiological effects and evidence-based efficacy. Consideration of red flags, serious non-musculoskeletal pathology, and referral pathways will be integrated to promote safe and informed clinical decision-making.

Learn what it means to be a professional sports therapist, focusing on your legal, ethical and practical responsibilities. Explore the job opportunities available and understand what’s expected in clinical practice, including confidentiality, GDPR and professional behaviour.

Build strong communication skills to support person-centred care, showing empathy and working effectively with people from different backgrounds. Learn how to carry out a subjective assessment, set treatment goals and apply safe, effective treatments.

Develop hands-on skills in soft tissue therapy, thermotherapy and cryotherapy. Explore how and when to use them based on evidence. Learn to spot serious conditions, understand referral pathways, and make safe clinical decisions. By the end of this module, you should be confident applying core therapeutic skills in a professional and responsible way.

Compulsory

Build a strong understanding of lower limb anatomy, which is essential for assessing and treating musculoskeletal injuries. Learn about bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves, and how to find and examine these structures through palpation.

Use this knowledge to practise key assessment techniques like range of motion (ROM) testing, muscle strength checks and ligament testing, helping you identify both normal and abnormal movement patterns. Explore common lower limb injuries and how to recognise and manage them.

With extensive hands-on learning, this module aims to give you the essential skills needed for future training in injury assessment, injury management and rehabilitation.

Compulsory

Understand how physical activity can support the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Explore the causes of common health conditions and learn how both active lifestyles and physical inactivity affect health.

Examine the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to the development of chronic disease considering factors involved in different life stages, including older adults and pregnant women. Explore how to prevent illness and injury through exercise and apply UK health and activity guidelines to support your practice.

Develop practical skills in health assessment—such as measuring blood pressure, heart rate, BMI and blood glucose—to monitor people’s health. Design and deliver exercise programmes using the FITT principle to support a range of people, from those with chronic conditions to those looking to stay healthy.

Compulsory

Take a deep dive into the structure and function of the spine and learn the importance of this in sports and exercise therapy. Build a strong understanding of how the spine works and how to identify key parts through hands-on palpation.

Learn how to carry out thorough spinal assessments and use safe, effective manual therapy techniques to manage spinal issues. Explore common spinal injuries, what causes them, and how to treat them in a clinical setting.

Compulsory

Build the knowledge and practical skills needed to support people recovering from musculoskeletal injuries. Learn how to assess injuries and design safe, effective rehabilitation programmes using proven methods.

Explore different treatment approaches such as manual therapy, electrotherapy and exercise prescription, learning when and how to use them. Focus on progressing rehabilitation in a way that supports recovery and reduces the risk of further injury.

Practise how to monitor recovery, assess progress and adjust plans when needed. Consider the emotional and social effects of injury, ethical decisions and how to work with people from different backgrounds, helping you prepare for real-world work in sports and exercise therapy.

Compulsory

Learn how to assess peripheral musculoskeletal injuries using a structured, step-by-step approach. Combine your understanding of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and pathology with practical clinical skills to carry out thorough assessments.

Develop your clinical reasoning by learning how to interpret what you find, explore possible diagnoses and know when to refer someone for further checks. Practise both verbal (subjective) and hands-on (objective) assessment techniques, including special tests, movement screening and neurological checks.

Learn how to spot serious warning signs (red flags) and movement issues that could lead to further problems. By putting theory into practice, this module helps build your confidence and decision-making skills for injury assessment in real sports and exercise therapy settings.

Compulsory

Learn how to respond quickly and safely to injuries and medical emergencies in both sports and everyday settings. Combine theory with hands-on practice using real-life case scenarios to help you make confident decisions under pressure.

Explore how the body responds to trauma and learn to recognise the signs and symptoms of common sport-related injuries and medical conditions. Practise on-field assessments, develop action plan strategies and understand how to manage injuries and emergencies that sports therapists may face.

Learn how to carry out risk assessments, create emergency action plans (EAPs) and reflect on your experiences to improve your professional skills and readiness for future situations.

Compulsory

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

Design and deliver advanced rehabilitation programmes for athletes recovering from musculoskeletal injuries. Learn about field-based exercises, return-to-play (RTP) protocols and athlete profiling using evidence-based methods to support safe, effective recovery.

Focus on training techniques, musculoskeletal adaptation and sport-specific re-conditioning to help athletes return to competition. Practical workshops will help build your skills in screening, functional assessment and performance monitoring using tools like force plates, GPS, and biomechanical testing.

This module also covers the role of psychology, nutrition, and teamwork with coaches and medical staff. By the end, you should be able to create personalised rehabilitation plans, make smart return-to –play decisions, and collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams to support athlete recovery.

Compulsory

Explore and solve complex challenges that you'll face as a sports and exercise therapist. Learn how psychosocial factors and individual differences affect rehabilitation success for both individuals and teams.

Develop a deep understanding of readiness and return-to-play (RTP), considering the professional environments you’ll work in. This module also covers new technologies used in injury rehabilitation, encouraging you to evaluate their benefits critically.

Gain appreciation for working with multidisciplinary teams and engage in real-life case studies and problem-solving activities to prepare you for professional practice.

Compulsory

Build the clinical skills and confidence you need to assess, manage and treat musculoskeletal injuries using evidence-based practice. Develop strong decision-making and communication skills to deliver safe, person-centred care and work effectively with other professionals.

This module offers the opportunity for supervised clinical placements within our own inhouse clinic where you’ll apply your learning in real-world settings and meet key graduate competencies for future employment within this field. Develop expertise in injury prevention, clinical assessment, treatment techniques, rehabilitation planning and return-to-play decisions.

Compulsory

Carry out your own research project in a specialist area within your discipline. With support from a supervisor, take the lead in designing, conducting, analysing, and presenting your investigation. 
You’ll write up your findings as a scientific paper and deliver an oral presentation. You’re expected to show strong professionalism throughout, as well as organisation, independence, technical skills, and an understanding of research ethics and health and safety. 

Compulsory