A student massaging a patient under the guidance of a lecturer.

BSc(Hons) Sport Rehabilitation

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
BC96
Application
UCAS
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Health and Social Wellbeing
Tariff points
120
Campus
Glenside and Frenchay
Duration
Three years
Delivery
Full-time
Programme leader
Steve Lock

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 13 February 2024

Introduction

Hit the ground running as a sport rehabilitator, on this British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers-accredited course.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study sport rehabilitation?

Sport rehabilitation focuses on understanding, preventing and treating sports and exercise-related injuries and musculoskeletal conditions.

As a sport rehabilitator, you'll play a vital role in supporting athletes, players and sports participants of all abilities.

Having up-to-date skills and knowledge will put you in a strong position for securing work in this varied and dynamic field.

Why UWE Bristol?

During the course, British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT) student members may apply for malpractice insurance upon successful completion of the Sport Rehabilitation Practice 1 module for a small fee. The policy allows students to practice the soft tissue massage techniques gained on the module autonomously. Progressively, soft tissue competencies developed in modules Sport Rehabilitation Practice 2 and 3 can be added to the policy.

Combining university-based experience with extensive placement experience, you'll learn how to provide safe and effective care to people suffering injury, illness or disease related to sports and musculoskeletal conditions.

Explore good professional practice and study the academic subjects that underpin it.

Gain first-hand experience of providing injury assessment and management services to patients in both clinical and sports-based environments.

Provide services to local sports teams and clubs, and UWE Bristol's elite athletes in our Glenside injury clinic.

Learn to use the latest resistance equipment for rehabilitation and performance enhancement.

Engage with practising graduate sport rehabilitators, sport dietitians, strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and academic tutors working at the forefront of sport rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

Complete a pitch-side first-aid qualification, as a valuable extra certification for working with sports teams.

Spend at least 400 hours on placements, working with elite sports medical teams, sports injury clinics, sports clubs, fitness centres and rehabilitation units, putting you in a strong position for future employment.

We are committed to providing our students with a diverse range of learning opportunities, including this intensive rehabilitation day we spent at St George's Park. Please note that external learning experiences may vary.

Where can it take me?

Graduate sport rehabilitators are in demand across the UK.

You could work in sports injury clinics, health clubs, professional sports clubs and fitness centres, with the military or as part of a GP referral scheme.

Some graduates set up in private practice, or go on to postgraduate study.

Structure

Content

Year one

You will study:

  • Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Clinical Anatomy and Kinesiology for Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation
  • Sport Rehabilitation Practice 1
  • Foundations of Exercise Prescription
  • Epidemiology and Aetiology of Sports Injuries.

Year two

You will study:

  • Supporting Healthy Lifestyles with Physical Activity
  • Sport Rehabilitation Practice 2
  • Informing Practice Through Research and Inquiry
  • Applied Athlete Conditioning and Sports Nutrition
  • Athletic Therapy and Functional Rehabilitation.

Final year

You will study:

  • Research and Evidence in Practice
  • Exercise Prescription for Special Populations
  • Advanced Practice of Sport Rehabilitation
  • Healthy Futures
  • Sport Rehabilitation Practice 3.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

Starting with a foundation of basic anatomy, biomechanics and human physiology and exercise prescription, you'll learn about pathology, assessment and management related to sport rehabilitation.

Practise your professional skills, using fellow students as models, to get ready for your placements.

Explore areas such as clinical assessment and evidence-based practice and develop as a reflective, autonomous practitioner.

You'll learn how to support government initiatives that encourage a healthy lifestyle, and broaden your knowledge of sport rehabilitation beyond clinical practice.

Contribute to the body of research relating to sport and exercise medicine. Promote the development of the sport rehabilitation profession. Attend workshops with high profile and world class athletes.

Share best practice and build your network at student conferences and events, through our links with other universities.

Get regular opportunities to practise your skills through a service we run on campus for local sports clubs and teams to help with athlete rehabilitation and performance enhancement. 

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Percentage of time spend in different learning activities, per year.

YearScheduled learning and teaching studyIndependent studyPlacement study% check
128%66%6%100%
220%68%12%100%
316%68%16%100%

Assessment

You'll be assessed using coursework, professional practice assessments, presentations, practical and written examinations and research.

Learn more about assessments.

Percentage of time spend in different assessment methods, per year.

YearWritten exam assessmentCoursework assessmentPractical exam assessment% check
112%25%63%100%
20%37%63%100%
30%37%63%100%

Features

Professional accreditation

BSc(Hons) Sport Rehabilitation is accredited by the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT). BASRaT is the UK regulator and professional association for Sport Rehabilitators and its register of Sport Rehabilitators is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). It forms part of the requirement needed to be eligible to become a registered member.

All students must apply for their BASRaT student membership upon starting their studies, which is subsidised by BASRaT.

Placements

Students who gain work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. Experience also hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you a sought-after graduate.

UWE Bristol's geographical area for placement provision covers the whole of the South, South West and West of England. Placements across this region help support and provide a wealth of clinical experience across many areas within the NHS healthcare service and the Private Voluntary and Independent sector. These placements are vital to meet the professional regulatory body standards in practice for our affiliated health and social care courses. 

To access this variety of opportunities within the health and social care courses, there's  an expectation that all students at times will have to travel across large areas. In some cases this can be more than 50 miles away and may be outside of normal working hours due to the nature of shift work on some courses. 

When considering your application to these courses, you must ensure you have means to travel to your placement location at unsociable hours, and/or funds available to secure short-term accommodation options to participate in your placement, if required.  

You'll spend at least 400 hours on placements as part of your degree, applying your knowledge and building your skills in real-world environments. Placements build from 50 hours in your first year to 200 hours in your final year.

You'll decide what area of sport rehabilitation you want to get into, putting you in a strong position for future employment. We have close links with a range of sports injury clinics, sports clubs, fitness centres and rehabilitation units in the region.

You'll get to work with elite sports teams including Bath Rugby, Bristol City FC, Bristol Rovers and Gloucestershire Cricket. Placements are also available with UWE Bristol's sports teams and athletes through our Centre for Sport.

Get help to find a placement and support throughout from College staff and our award-winning careers service.

Study facilities

The course takes place at the Glenside Campus and at our Centre for Sport at Frenchay.

You'll have practical sessions and provide services to clients in our onsite clinic at Glenside, equipped with hydraulic couches and teaching aids, such as skeletons and anatomical models.

Practise manual and electrophysical therapy, and use the latest resistance equipment for rehabilitation.

Get experience of using specialist equipment for diagnostic ultrasound, fitness testing and analysis.

Demonstrate and practise your professional skills in our inter-professional simulation suite.

Glenside campus library is one of the best healthcare libraries in the country, with a huge range of books, journals, audio-visual materials and specialist healthcare software packages.

You'll also have access to the latest online interactive learning tools.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Sport Rehabilitation facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

As a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator, you can put yourself forward for jobs with sports injury clinics, health clubs, fitness centres, rehabilitation units and professional sports clubs.

Recent graduates are working as Graduate Sport Rehabilitators with clubs such as Gloucester Rugby, Oxford United FC and Coventry City FC.

You could also work in the public sector, where there is an increasing demand for graduates in rehabilitation roles and for GP referral schemes. Or, you could set up your own clinical practice serving your local sporting community or working in strength and conditioning.

Some graduates also go into teaching or research, or do postgraduate studies.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Fees

Supplementary fee information

Additional costs are for items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.

Learn more about costs.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 120
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 or above in English, Mathematics and Double Science, or equivalent.
  • English Language Requirement: International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

    *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page.

  • A-level subjects: Grade C in Biology, Human Biology or PE.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: You will need a minimum of five units in Biology, Human Biology or PE. You may be asked to do more based on the size of your units.

    Examples of BTEC units that meet our Biology/PE requirement include: Fitness Testing for Sport and Exercise Science, Sports Nutrition, Sports Injuries, Sports and Exercise Massage, Fitness Training and Programming, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology in Sport, The Physiology of Fitness, Psychology of Sports Performance and Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology.

    Please list the units you are studying in your application. For further advice on acceptable units, please email admissions (contact details below).

    For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.

  • Access: 15 Level 3 credits at Merit in Biology, Human Biology or PE or a related subject.
  • Baccalaureate IB: A minimum Grade 5 in Higher Level Biology, Human Biology or PE.
  • Irish Highers: H2 in Biology, Human Biology or PE or a related subject.
  • T Levels: Science and Healthcare Science.

    If you partially achieve your T Level, you can meet our subject requirements if you have at least a C in your Core Section. For further advice on acceptable subjects please email admissions (contact details below).

Entry requirements

Please note that due to early clinical contact on this course applicants must turn 18 before the start of placement. Applicants who do not turn 18 by the commencement of the placement will be advised to defer or reapply as appropriate. Please see our admissions policy for further information.

We require evidence of recent assessed academic study within the last three years.

If you don't meet the entry requirements of this course, you may be eligible for the Health Professions Foundation Year.

Additional requirements

All applicants are required to complete:

  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check*
  • Health Checks*.

*All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.

About your Health Checks

UWE Bristol prides itself on being disabilityfriendly and supportive of physical and mental wellbeing, therefore disclosing any needs you might have through the Occupational Health Assessment will enable us to create reasonable adjustments to suit your needs. As part of the assessment you will be required to complete a questionnaire and must be prepared to undergo a medical examination if required. Offers of places are subject to Occupational Health Clearance and students are expected to disclose pre-existing and historical health conditions. You must be in good health and up-to-date with all routine immunisations that are required for working in health and social care settings. You will also be required to confirm your status in respect of a number of infectious diseases (tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, varicella, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV antibodies) and be prepared to have all required vaccinations. Please note that the list of required vaccinations may change, in response to advice from the Department of Health. If your vaccinations are not up-to-date, this will affect your ability to continue on your course. If you have any concerns with regards to vaccinations please raise this at the point of application.

International applicants

For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country Information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

Deferred entry

We do not accept deferred entry applications for this course.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus

Full Time