Within the first year your studies will be split across two semesters, each with three academic modules. In the first semester you will develop your knowledge and skills in exercise physiology and sports biomechanics. This will be studied alongside an Evidence Based Practice module aimed at exploring the principles of clinical decision making that support the provision of optimal sports physiotherapy. The third module within semester one will be Sports Injury Prevention, which will take a contemporary and evidence based perspective on current research and practice related to this evolving area of practice.
Semester two modules in the first year will include Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete, which will explore in depth the use of effective exercise prescription to optimise rehabilitation and plan a successful return to athletic activity. The principles of health promotion and behavioural change will also be explored within semester two and you will develop a perspective of the global health challenges in this area. You will also at this stage begin to develop your research skills with taught sessions in the Designing Research Projects module and will submit your research proposal.
In the second year your work-based internship enables you to practice within a sports physiotherapy environment using the skills developed from the first year of study. Face-to-face sessions prior to this internship will explore topics such as professionalism, ethical decision making and effective reflective practice. You will start your research project at the start of the second year which will be submitted at the end of semester two.
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Developing research projects
You focus on the concepts of research methods and data collection which will result in the submission of a written proposal for your research project.
Evidence Based Practice
This multi-professional module sets the scene for the level of criticality to which all future modules will be subject to. It is common within sports physiotherapy for interventions to be guided by athlete preference or the sports physiotherapist’s personal experience without alignment to the evidence base. The level of enquiry and criticality developed within this module should assist you with the transition to master’s level study.
Exercise Physiology and Sports Clinical Biomechanics
You develop exercise physiological knowledge establishing the dynamic relationships of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Sporting biomechanical principles underpinning sporting movement tasks will be presented and applied in the context of injury prevention and performance enhancement.
Health Promotion and Behavioural Change
You take a global perspective of health and identify the global challenges to healthy populations focussing primarily on physical activity and the role of the sports physiotherapist in addressing these issues with evidence-based behavioural change approaches.
Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete
This highly practical module draws upon existing expertise, and challenges you to integrate strategies of exercise therapy suitable for multi-sport injuries. Elements of data collection and program design will be experienced to prepare you for later data collection associated with your major project.
Sports Injury Prevention
You focus on the wider issues a sports physiotherapist may face related to the primary prevention of injury. The theoretical basis of this module will be supplemented with demonstration and practice of the physical strategies used to prevent injury in athletic individuals.
Year 2 core modules
Dissertation
Year two will see the students embark on a 60 credit ‘Dissertation’ module which will span across two semesters. The taught elements of this will be delivered in semester one and it is expected that students will be progressing with data collection and write up within semester two with support from their project supervisor.
Sports Physiotherapy Internship
An internship has been included in the programme in order to build upon the practical skills developed in year one. Depending on the needs of the internship provider the number of hours per week and duration of the internship will vary but will not exceed 12 weeks. This module aims to develop students’ employability attributes by providing an experiential learning opportunity to further develop and apply their sports physiotherapy knowledge within a workplace environment.
