Curious about studying Sports Therapy (Including Placement Year) - BSc (Hons)at University of Essex? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
University of Essex
Full Time
Oct 2026
4 Year
Our BSc Sports Therapy course is designed to shape the next generation of sports therapists poised to make a difference. It gives you the applied knowledge and skills to become a sports therapist with the confidence and competence to thrive in any professional setting. Our course has a significant practical component, blended with classroom and experiential learning. You study topics such as: - injury prevention - injury assessment - injury treatment and management - injury rehabilitation - underpinning principles in physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition - clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice You will gain between 200 and 250 hours of hands-on experience through our Sports Therapy Clinic and extensive network of external placements at various sports clubs, teams, and multidisciplinary clinics. This will help you hone your craft, develop your (inter)personal skills, apply your academic knowledge and boost your professional prospects. You can gain more real-world experience at our renowned Human Performance Unit, where you can work with performance scholars, students, staff and members of the public. Sports Therapy students have access to a £250 bursary for external placement travel expenses. Being part of our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences you join a community focused on sports and exercise science, sports therapy, sports performance and coaching, sport and exercise psychology and physiotherapy. Our interdisciplinary team of scientists and practitioners help you understand the role of physiology, psychology, biomechanics, and nutrition in sports therapy. We bring together our internationally-recognised research, share knowledge, and enhance placement and vocational opportunities for our students and graduates.
The aim of this module is to develop your academic, scientific and professional abilities relevant to the study of and professions related to sport, rehabilitation and exercise sciences. There are four key focuses of this module: professional skills; research design and ethics; data analysis, presentation and interpretation; and employability.
This module will help you to understand the physical and mechanical principles that determine how we, and the objects with which we interact during exercise and in sporting events, move. You will learn the meaning of concepts such as force, mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, momentum and we will explore how they enable us to describe and understand movement in sport and exercise.
Is it all in the mind? The margin between victory and defeat is thin, but can an athlete’s psychology really give them an edge? Why do some people find exercise difficult and other find exercise essential? Understanding how involvement in sport, exercise and physical activity affects a person's health and wellbeing is important in creating better interventions. The aim of this module is to introduce you to the fundamental principles underpinning the psychology of sport and exercise.
What is sports therapy? Explore the ethics and obligations behind the practice and the fundamental skills required to be a sports therapist in this fast-growing profession. You will also be introduced to remedial sports massage techniques and the concept of reflective practice.
Students will gain a basic knowledge of nutrition and metabolism underpinning Sports Science. On completion of the module, students will be able to describe the flow of nutrient intake and energy production supporting not only training and performance but optimal health. This module will give students a firm foundation from which to study exercise physiology and the specific nutritional requirements of athletes including legal and illegal substances, in later modules.
This module aims to provide you with knowledge of the fundamental concepts of human anatomy and physiology that underpin the biological sciences. It will provide you with an understanding of the structure, function, and regulation of the major body systems involved in human movement and exercise, and enable you to develop a foundational knowledge of the mechanisms controlling and regulating physiological systems, forming a basis for further study in exercise physiology and related disciplines.
Building on knowledge gained in the anatomy module, this module teaches you skills in assessment, evaluation and diagnosis of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions relating to peripheral and spinal joints. This module also includes 20 hours of first aid where you will support the University BUC’s teams.
Investigate the role of functional rehabilitation within the practice of sports therapy. Exercise is an essential component of injury management, and you pay close attention to injury prevention and performance enhancement. You develop your abilities to prescribe and deliver progressive exercise programmes, and learn to make reasoned decisions in the selection of exercise, basing choices on factors such as flexibility, endurance, strength, skill and co-ordination. You also explore the topics of return to sport, warm-up and cool down, the participation of specific populations in exercise and sport, and the role of exercise and mental health.
This module develops the students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in treatments available to sports therapists in their practice including soft tissue techniques and other manual techniques such as spinal and peripheral mobilisations.
A good strength and conditioning (S&C) coach can take someone from where they are to where they want to be. This module aims to develop your understanding and application of how strength and conditioning can be used in the development process. You will explore different approaches to planning training over a season, look at how to vary and monitor training volume, as well as the indicators of and consequences of overtraining. In addition, you will explore the concept of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), administer and take part in a variety of hands on practical sessions.
This module will build upon your knowledge and skills to understand, appraise and plan research in sport and exercise. You will develop your understanding of different methodologies, research designs, and data analytical techniques, including their strengths, limitations and applications. You will develop your skills in using library and online resources for scientific research, and your ability to critically appraise published work and how it can be used to inform applied practice in sport and exercise. You will also gain practical experience in participating in research, planning your own study, and analysing and interpreting data. Overall, the module will equip you with knowledge and skills required for your final year research project.
This module offers you the opportunity to undertake an in-depth piece of work focused on a Sports Therapy topic of your choice. The Research Project may take various forms of empirical research, employing different kinds of methods and methodologies such as testing, surveys, interviewing or processing secondary data. The project provides an opportunity to apply the research methods covered during your course. You will be allocated a supervisor from the Sports Therapy team to provide support and guidance for your project.
This module provides you with the opportunity to integrate your sports therapy skills and knowledge, learn how to use various electrotherapy modalities (including shockwave, ultrasound, interferential and TENS), consolidate your clinical reasoning abilities and develop your ability to assess and treat more complex cases.
Using an evidence-based approach, you will explore contemporary issues in sports therapy and evaluate the evidence behind commonly used assessment and management strategies. You will also further expand your rehabilitation skills, building on previous knowledge and learning to develop long-term rehabilitation strategies for various sports with appropriate exit and return to play criteria.
This module builds on the knowledge you'll have developed throughout your course. Clinical supervision is provided to enable you to gain your 200 hours of clinical practice. This clinical supervision takes the form of lectures and teaching support as well as work in the University clinic and any external placement that you secure. This module allows you to explore more complex cases and supports you with the tools that you will need when you graduate in this field.
Placement Year
4.3
