Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is the largest allied health profession. Physiotherapists work with people with a variety of disabilities and their families/carers and use physical means to promote health, optimal rehabilitation and, where possible, recovery. The wide scope of physiotherapy is one of its assets, making it an exciting and varied career. Physiotherapists practice as autonomous professionals, when acting as the first point of contact for clients/patients, or as part of a health or social care team.

The aim of the Physiotherapy BSc programme is to produce physiotherapists who are scientifically-oriented clinicians with transferable intellectual and practical skills. This will allow them to be lifelong learners in response to the dynamic nature of the healthcare professions. The programme confers eligibility for state registration to practice physiotherapy and full membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

The curriculum has been redeveloped recently with the aim of making more explicit NHS priorities and the professional skills required to address them in contemporary physiotherapy practice.

The Physiotherapy Division has a strong research profile, gaining the highest research rating in the UK for physiotherapy in all the Research Assessment Exercises (RAE) undertaken so far. The role of research in physiotherapy and the importance of evidence-based practice is emphasised throughout the programme and students gain experience of a wide range of research methods.

In order to receive a licence to practice, students have to complete a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours. Therefore at the end of each of the first two years, and during the third year, the theoretical content is consolidated by practice-based education at placement sites. These placements are within a variety of environments, ranging from large teaching hospitals to small special schools within the community. The majority of placements are in Greater London, but students may be placed throughout south-east England.

The BSc programme normally has approximately 36 NHS sponsored places available for UK and EU residents. For UK/EU students, the tuition fees for this programme are covered by the Department of Health. UK students can apply for a means-tested NHS bursary towards living expenses, and are also eligible to apply for a reduced student loan through their local education authority. Other EU nationals will have their tuition fees paid by the NHS, but will not normally be eligible for NHS bursaries or student loans. We have a limited number of places for overseas applicants. For more information on fee classification, please contact us.

Re-sit policy
AS/A level results must be achieved over the normal two year period (eg year 12 and 13). Re-sit applicants (ie those who take longer to achieve the appropriate grades) will be at a disadvantage. This policy is flexible if extenuating circumstances are reported.

Qualification lifespan
We generally consider qualifications to have a lifespan of five years. We recommend that applicants with qualifications that meet the entry criteria but which were achieved more than five years ago provide evidence of recent study. This is typically an A-level grade A in a related subject such as Human Biology. These criteria may be relaxed for applicants with work-related qualifications or who work in a science-related field.