Details
Physiotherapists play a significant part in most health care teams, being involved in the maintenance and/or restoration of movement and function in a range of client groups.
First year
Modules are centred on the practice of physiotherapy with the relevant theoretical aspects underpinning these. Practical skills are developed through practice on your peer group. Exploration of various topics relevant to your development as a health professional, such as study skills, professional codes of conduct, cultural competence, ethics and research, will be shared with students on the Bachelor of Nursing programme. A four-week block of clinical experience will take place mid-way through the year, helping to integrate theory and practice.
Second year
This year introduces you to social aspects of health and illness, and continues your studies in professional development. You will build upon your first year modules, developing knowledge and skills in cardio-respiratory, neurological and musculo-skeletal physiotherapy. Three six-week clinical modules towards the end of the year enhance your clinical reasoning skills.
Third year
Your third year focuses on issues related to the context of health care. Research skills are refined in your dissertation. One module offers a choice of topics such as sports medicine and physiotherapy with children. Academic modules surround the two six-week clinical modules.
Placements
Practice education modules occur across all three years of the programme and assessment of your practice education is continuous.
Learning within the clinical arena is an important and compulsory part of the course. All students have to successfully complete a minimum of 1000 hours of practice education during the programme.
You will be seconded to a range of diverse and exciting placements, where you will gain a variety of experiences with a wide range of client groups, under the guidance of skilled clinicians.
Placements vary as to the experience offered; you may work within the hospital environment, in community-based environments such as clinics or schools, and within the independent and voluntary sectors. You may experience a variety of working practices including extended hours and seven-day working.
Where are our placements?
Please see our placement map for details of where our placement boundaries are.
Why study this course
This extremely popular programme is modular and comprises both University and clinically-based modules. A variety of teaching and learning methods are used within a supportive environment, with an emphasis on developing professionalism, team working and independent learning skills. Throughout all three years you will study certain aspects of the programme with students from the Bachelor of Nursing programme. This shared learning will facilitate your ability to work collaboratively with other professionals in clinical settings.
Successful completion of this popular three-year programme awards you an honours degree that is recognised by the professional body of physiotherapists - the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and the regulatory body - the Health Professions Council.
Modules
Year 1
The following must be taken:
Movement Science 1 (20 credits)
Movement Science 2 (10 credits)
Musculoskeletal Practice 1 (10 credits)
Patient Management (10 credits)
Patient-Centred Practice 1 (20 credits)
Patient Centred Practice (20 credits)
Practice Placement 1 (10 credits)
Research 1 (10 credits)
Year 2
The following must be taken:
Practice Placement 3 (10 credits)
Practice Placement 4 (10 credits)
Cardio-respiratory Practice (20 credits)
Musculoskeletal Practice 2 (10 credits)
Neurological Practice (20 credits)
Practice Placement 2 (10 credits)
Professional Development (20 credits)
Research 2 (10 credits)
Society, Health and Healthcare (10 credits)
Year 3
The following must be taken:
Practice Placement 6 (20 credits)
Advanced Integrated Physiotherapy Practice (AIPP) (20 credits)
Physiotherapy Research Dissertation (40 credits)
Practice Evaluation and Service Development (10 credits)
Practice Placement 5 (20 credits)
Select one module from the following list:
Exercise in health promotion and rehabilitation (10 credits)
Physiotherapy with Children (10 credits)
This is the module list for 2012, but the programme continues to evolve and you should check the website regularly for any changes for next year.
Fees and funding
Entry requirements
Number of A levels required: 3
Typical offer: AAB with A in Biology, Human Biology or PE
Required subjects and grades: A level Biology/Human Biology or PE at grade A
General Studies: not accepted
Edexcel/BTEC Diploma: Sport and Exercise Science or Health Studies at a minimum level of DDD. Other subjects at minimum DDM may be considered with A level Biology grade A.
GCSE requirements: a minimum of seven GCSEs are required at grades A*, A and B, including English, Mathematics and Science.
Access to Higher Education (Health or Science preferred): to include study of Anatomy/Physiology/Biology: 60 credits (45 at level 3 and 15 at level 2). Level 3 credits must include 30 at distinction (including Anatomy/Physiology/Biology) and 15 at merit. If you do not hold Maths and English at GCSE grade A or B you will need 12 credits at level 2 in both Maths and English in order to meet minimum University requirements.
International Baccalaureate Diploma: 35-36 points with Biology grade 6 at Higher Level
Graduate Entry Requirements: A relevant degree at 2.1 plus minimum BBB at A level or an unrelated degree at 2.1 plus minimum BBB to include Biology at A level.
Non-academic conditions of entry:
A satisfactory health declaration, including evidence of appropriate immunisations, and other regulatory checks (such as DBS - see below) are required from accepted candidates before registration for the programme.
Students will be required to complete a successful Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before admission to the programme.
For healthcare profession courses no convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings are considered “spent”, this includes those that may have been received when a minor (i.e. under the age of 18).
Declaring any matter likely to be recorded on your enhanced CRB disclosure does not automatically rule you out from becoming a physiotherapist. However, you will have to provide information about this to enable us to make a decision about any offer made.
All students will be required to sign the subject-specific Fitness to Practise Code of Conduct on entry, details of which will be forwarded with an offer letter.
Additional information:
We are influenced in our selection for the physiotherapy programme by a number of different factors, over and above your academic record. We like, for example to see evidence of your motivation for a career in physiotherapy, and your outside interests too are a pointer to whether you are the sort of person likely to make the most of the degree.
Achieving the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an interview.
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Applicants must gain insight into the breadth of work of the physiotherapist prior to application to ensure informed decision making regarding choice of programme and future profession. This should include shadowing (observing) a physiotherapist and visiting websites related to physiotherapy such as that of the CSP, HPC and NHS. The University open days also provide opportunities to explore the scope of physiotherapy practice meet current physiotherapy students and gain an outline of the physiotherapy degree programme.
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Applicants will have been in education within the last 3 years.
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Evidence of IT and interpersonal skills development are required.
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All candidates offered a place will have been interviewed.
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Transfer applicants - we do not consider applicants who have studied, or are studying, physiotherapy elsewhere.
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Foundation degrees are usually not accepted.
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We take a positive view of what candidates with disabilities can achieve as future healthcare professionals and take seriously our obligation to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all students with disabilities can successfully complete their studies. All applicants will be assessed up to and including the interview on the basis of the criteria outlined here regardless of any disability. If you declare a disability we will invite you to work with us together with the disability team, clinical colleagues and specialist services (RNIB, for example) to explore how best we can support your studies.
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Please contact us to discuss other qualifications not listed.
International students:
We have a limited number of places for International applicants each year. Applicants must achieve an IELTS qualification of 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in each band.
Learn more about international entry requirements
Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in the Birmingham Foundation Academy, a specially structured programme for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on the foundation academy web pages.
How to apply
Key Information Set (KIS)
Key Information Sets (KIS) are comparable sets of information about full or part time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students.
From September 2012 all KIS information will be published on the Unistats website and can also be accessed via the small advert, or ‘widget’, below. On the Unistats website you will be able to compare all the KIS data for each course with data for other courses.
The development of Key Information Sets (KIS) forms part of HEFCE’s work to enhance the information that is available about higher education. It will give you access to robust, reliable and comparable information in order to help you make informed decisions about what and where to study.
The KIS contains information which prospective students have identified as useful, such as student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, learning and teaching activities, assessment methods, tuition fees and student finance, accommodation and professional accreditation.