Course summary
Physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham is based in the world-leading School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. You will study at a research-intensive university (member of the Russell Group) that offers teaching excellence and a long tradition of physiotherapy education. Our four-year MSci Physiotherapy programme provides the time and space to ensure students optimally develop their clinical skills and experience alongside academic excellence. Birmingham is a cosmopolitan and vibrant city with many cultural and social opportunities. It is also home to some outstanding healthcare facilities (e.g. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital) that provide many practice-based placement opportunities for our students. We take a patient-centred approach to preparing students for placements, with time for reflection on these experiences, ensuring our graduates are prepared for a career as a physiotherapist in a range of contemporary and culturally-diverse healthcare settings. As you might expect from a university like ours, the programme has a strong emphasis on science and research, and the school has many subject experts in physiotherapy, exercise and rehabilitation-related fields. In the final two years of the programme, you will have the opportunity to study some optional modules, allowing you to follow your specific interests, broaden your perspectives and study alongside other students in the school, including intercalating medical students. We believe that university life is about the overall experience and there is a range of support to ensure students get the most out of their studies. You will have a Personal Tutor from your first day and the school has Wellbeing Tutors and Welfare Officers as part of a wide network of support around student wellbeing tailored to your personal circumstances. On completion of the programme, our graduates are eligible to apply for full membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and registration as a physiotherapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Modules
Year One of the programme provides an introductory year for students transitioning to higher education. The year is shared with BSc Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. You will have weekly tutorials with a personal tutor to support the development of your academic and professional skills while also studying the basic and applied sciences underpinning physiotherapy (anatomy and movement, human physiology and exercise, exercise and health psychology). In Year Two, there is a strong emphasis on developing your clinical knowledge and related physiotherapy skills. Physiotherapists work in diverse settings (e.g. hospital-based acute care and rehabilitation, community-based rehabilitation for long term conditions, clinic-based physiotherapy for musculo-skeletal disorders) and you will be prepared for practice-based placements in each of these areas. As part of the programme, students undertake six practice-based placements in total; the first of these takes place towards the end of Year Two. In Year Three, you will complete two practice-based placements and further develop your clinical reasoning. University-based study will focus on more complex clinical cases and other specialist areas where physiotherapists practice. You will continue to develop your academic and research skills, completing a literature review in an area of interest and studying a module focusing on research design and service evaluation. You will also select and study two optional modules. Current options include (but are not limited to) Analysis of Motor Performance, Exercise as Medicine, Athletic Training and Conditioning, Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Mental Health and Sport. In the summer period/holidays between Years Three and Four, you will complete an elective placement. Students arrange these placements themselves (with support) and often travel to different countries, providing a unique opportunity to experience healthcare in an unfamiliar setting. Elective placements also provide an opportunity for students to gain experience in a specialist clinical area of particular interest. In Year Four you will complete your final two practice-based placements, developing your critical thinking and clinical reasoning based on these experiences. This work will prepare you for employment as a physiotherapist and your continuing professional development post-registration. Another major focus in your final year will be your research project. Options here are varied, reflecting the diversity of research in the school with many opportunities to undertake laboratory or field-based studies exploring contemporary issues relating to exercise, health and rehabilitation.
How to apply
You can no longer submit a new application for courses starting in 2024.
If you already have a 2024 application and are in Clearing, you can add this course as a Clearing choice – contact the university or college first to check they have places.
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- B160
- Institution code:
- B32
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - AAB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - D*D*D*
Access to HE Diploma - D: 45 credits
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 32 points
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/sportex/physiotherapy.aspx#EntryRequirementsTab
Additional entry requirements
Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)
Health checks
Interview
Student Outcomes
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
England | £9250 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Provider information
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT