Triangle

This course is no longer accepting applications for 2023 entry.

Course overview

Humans are intricate beings, but what happens when injury or disease stops your body from working the way it should? Through clinical placements, case-based and simulated practice learning our newly accredited Physiotherapy BSc enables you to master the knowledge, clinical skills and confidence to become a qualified physiotherapist.

We’re leading the way in physiotherapy teaching and will ensure your skills are of the highest standard for your future career. Through real-life case studies, you’ll study each area of the body in relation to a simulated patient problem. This approach to teaching corresponds to clinical practice, meaning you’re gaining knowledge of anatomy and relevant experience of patient care. Additionally, all our modules are year-long, meaning you’ll gain a thorough understanding of each aspect of the human body.

As well as practical teaching, you’ll also complete a series of diverse supervised placements. Our placements are undertaken in six blocks of five weeks, giving you extended time in each clinical setting to really deepen your learning and skill set. Areas you can work in include: cardio-respiratory, intensive-care, neurology, musculoskeletal departments, community settings, as well as leadership and research placements. These placements build your confidence and abilities so that by the time you graduate, you’re able to embark on a career as a physiotherapist.

At Nottingham, you’ll gain the lasting knowledge, hands-on skills, and adaptability to navigate the future challenges of healthcare.

Why choose this course?

Trailblazing

We’re the first and only physiotherapy course in the UK to align fully with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's vision of the future of physiotherapy.

4th in the UK

Our BSc Physiotherapy course is ranked 4th in the UK by subject area (physiotherapy) in The Guardian University Guide 2023

The Guardian University Guide 2023, subject rankings: physiotherapy 

Diverse placements

Broaden your experience of the profession with the opportunity to undertake wide range of clinical, research, and leadership placements across the East Midlands region 

Strong support network

Be part of a small division with a strong support network of staff and students

Innovative learning

Use the latest technology, learning styles, and patient simulation to develop your clinical skills

Become a leader

Our specific focus on leadership throughout the course will develop the critical skills needed for leadership in the field 

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2023 entry.

UK entry requirements
A level AAB

Please note: Applicants whose backgrounds or personal circumstances have impacted their academic performance may receive a reduced offer. Please see our contextual admissions policy for more information.
Required subjects

A levels must include biology or physical education, or an acceptable biological science (for example human biology).

A pass is required in science practical tests, where these are assessed separately. However, we will make allowances where covid has been the reason for practical test results being unavailable. General studies is not accepted.

Plus a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 9-5 (A*-B), taken in one sitting, which include maths, English language and either biology or integrated/combined sciences.

Please note: you must have achieved the GCSEs at the point of application and not at the point of entry.
IB score 34 (minimum of three subjects at Higher Level, including 6 in biology at Higher Level)

Interview

Please note that an interview is a mandatory requirement in line with our professional and regulatory body requirements.

Work experience

Physiotherapy is a vocational degree and applicants need to be enthusiastic about the profession and sure in their own minds that they really want to be a physiotherapist.

We usually require you to undertake as much physiotherapy work experience as possible primarily within the NHS hospital and community settings before applying. Experience in other areas, such as special schools, private practice, sports clinics, and centres for the elderly will strengthen your application.

It is desirable to gain work experience before applying, to demonstrate that you understand the role of a physiotherapist and the demands and challenges of working in a NHS environment.

Please note, we are not expecting any work experience to have taken place or be ongoing after March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Your application for 2023 entry will not be negatively affected if you’ve been unable to complete work experience you had planned. 

Health and Criminal Records screening

All applicants are subject to a health screening by Occupational Health, and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks before they can commence the course.

Minimum age requirement

We do not consider your application if you will be under 17 years and 9 months on the 1 September of the year you start your course.

Elite Athletes

We can make a contextual offer if you're an athlete competing at a high level and are offered a Sports Scholarship. We recommend that you complete the expression of interest form as soon as possible so that your elite athlete status can be confirmed before an offer is made. More information and how to apply can be found on the UoN Sport pages.

Part-time working alongside University studies

As a student on a full-time professional training course, it is expected that your primary focus would be your full-time university studies. If you're considering part-time paid employment alongside your university studies it is advised that you discuss your position with your personal tutor before committing.

Previous applicants

Regretfully, we will not consider a second application from applicants who have been unsuccessful in a Physiotherapy interview with us previously.

Foundation progression options

If you don't meet the requirements for this course and you are a UK or EU student, you might want to consider our one-year Health Sciences with Foundation course.

Mature Students

At the University of Nottingham, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

Teaching methods

  • Case-based learning
  • Clinical relevance sessions
  • Clinical skills sessions
  • eLearning
  • Lectures
  • Placements
  • Practical classes
  • Problem-based learning
  • Self-study
  • Seminars
  • Small group learning
  • Tutorials

How you will be assessed

Assessment methods

  • Case studies
  • Coursework
  • Dissertation
  • Formative assessments
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Poster presentation
  • Practical exams
  • Presentation
  • Workplace-based assessment

Contact time and study hours

You can expect between 12 to 24 hours of contact time per week, with 12 to 24 hours of independent self-guided study each week.

You will also complete 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice throughout your degree, in order to comply with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's requirements. For each week that you are on placement, you'll work for approximately 36 hours, although the times for each placement may vary slightly. Some placements may require you to work longer days or weekends but you will be notified of this in advance.

Placements

In years two and three you'll undertake six bocks of five-week placements, where you'll gain a variety of practical experience. 

You'll complete 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice throughout your degree, in order to comply with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's requirements. Placements will take place during normal working hours (9am to 5pm), five days a week.

These are designed to reinforce what you have learned on the course, meaning that you will be well-prepared for practice in the workplace with a whole range of skills that you have developed.

We work with a number of hospital trusts offering expertise across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

Placement locations and areas of practice could include:

  • musculoskeletal outpatients (clinic or gym based)
  • neurology (may include stroke rehabilitation)
  • cardiorespiratory (experience in intensive or high dependency units, community cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation)
  • paediatrics
  • oncology
  • community
  • health care of the older person
  • trauma and orthopaedics (either elective, trauma, or spinal)
  • clinical research
  • project-based placements
  • sports clubs/clinic

We have a clinical placements team who organises all placements. A member of our academic staff will provide support for you while you're on placement. 

Modules

Your first year will see you gain the foundational knowledge of physiotherapy. Through real-life and simulated case studies, you'll build not only your clinical skills but also the anatomy and theory behind the principles of physiotherapy. Each module last the entire year. Enabling you to gain a thorough understanding of each area, and ensure you are prepared for placements in year two. 

Human Functioning

How does the human body work? This module develops your foundational knowledge of all aspects of Physiotherapy, using case studies and simulated learning to work out how humans work. You’ll focus on:

  • anatomy
  • physiology
  • movement
  • disease
  • the biopsychosocial framework for health
Individual Health Evaluation

In this module, you’ll gain the essential communication and clinical skills to be able to diagnose and care for a patient. You’ll develop your consultation skills, and learn how to take a patient’s history, undertake a physical assessment, note take and record clinical data. 

Principles of Rehabilitation

Recovery is one of the essential parts of physiotherapy. In other to achieve the desired patient outcomes, recovery must be balanced and timely. In this module, you’ll analyse a range of physiotherapy skills, such as physical activity, exercise prescription, and therapeutics skills (hands-on techniques), such as functional rehabilitation, manual therapy and sports rehabilitation. 

Developing Criticality

The ability to think critically about the information you are presented with is essential to the role of a physiotherapist. Through the development of your critical thinking skills, this module will give you the skills and knowledge to be able to assess if something is true or not. You’ll build skills in:

  • critical thinking and reflection
  • critical appraisal - how to read a research paper
  • clinical reasoning – how to make the best clinical decisions
  • logic and argument formation
Health in Society

How can physiotherapists make a healthier society? This module introduces you to the principles of public health and population health, epidemiology, and the global burden of health. 

Leadership and Citizenship

This module addresses the nature and practice of leadership and citizenship relevant to physiotherapy and your career. You’ll examine local, regional and global healthcare as well as professionalism, workplace structures and governance and healthcare organisations. 

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Monday 06 February 2023.

In your second year, you'll continue to deepen your understanding of physiotherapy at local and global levels, as well as broaden your clinical skills and ability to work professionally.

Placements also being from your second year. You'll undertake three, five-week placements in a range of settings. 

Applied Criticality in Health

Criticality means critical thinking, clinical reasoning and critical appraisal. In this module, you’ll apply and analyse concepts of criticality in healthcare research. You’ll learn how to develop your own research proposal, compare research methodologies and methods, develop ethics and governance processes for healthcare research and evaluate data and undertake statistical analysis.

Global Leadership

How can physiotherapists change the world? In this module, you’ll apply the principles of leadership to individual and organisational contexts. You’ll learn how to develop social improvement projects, evaluate impact of health interventions, engage with global professional communities and develop international student networks to lead future change. 

Optimising Function

Building on your knowledge gained in the year one module “Principles of Rehabilitation”, this module strengthens your understanding of rehabilitation to interventions, including exercise and hands-on therapies. You’ll also develop clinical reasoning in assessing and managing complex rehabilitation cases and be able to modify and progress exercise plans throughout patient care. 

Practice Education One

This module consists of three five-week clinical physiotherapy placements where you will be situated in the workplace with supervision by clinically based practitioners. This forms part of your 1000 hours of clinical training.

During your placements, you’ll apply the knowledge gained in your first year to practice. You’ll learn to:

  • developing effective and appropriate professional behaviours to work within the scope of practice
  • justifying the appropriate assessment and management interventions to use within the practice placement context, with reference to evidence-based knowledge
  • critically evaluating the role, benefits and limitations of physiotherapy with reference to current evidence-based practice
  • demonstrating your ability to plan, deliver, modify/progress and evaluate therapeutic management
  • write concise and accurate ongoing medico-legal and ethical records
Population Health and Wellbeing

Traditionally, physiotherapy is seen as a treatment for an individual person, but how can it help on a larger scale? In this module, you’ll examine the principles of population physiotherapy in relation to specific populations and groups of people. You'll gain an understanding of the equalities in different populations (for example: women, children, and marginalised groups) and evaluate the services available in certain locations.  

Transforming Practice

How do we use technology in physiotherapy to help people? This module examines the latest healthcare technologies and innovations and assesses how we can use them in practice. You'll learn how to use these technologies across a range of clinical specialities and understand the need to develop more to aid treatment further.  

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on

In your final year, you'll refine and focus your knowledge and skills, continue to grow as a clinician and leader, and conduct a final year research project in an area of your choosing.

You'll continue to build your practical and clinical skills on placement during this year. This year you'll complete three five-week placements.

Practice Education Two

This module covers your final three clinical placements in the workforce and will see you apply all that you have leant into practice. Each placement is five weeks long and covers a range of clinical areas, working with experienced supervisors in the field. These placements will extend and deepen your clinical skills.

You'll learn to:

  • develop effective professional behaviours
  • justify and plan evidence-based interventions to a wide range of people with healthcare needs
  • critically evaluate multiple sources of clinical and research information
  • write concise and accurate medical records
Sustainable Health

How can physiotherapists help make healthcare future-proof? This module helps you evaluate the limitations of current healthcare. Consider future-proof, holistic and sustainable healthcare models that can be embedded within rehabilitation practice in both local and global contexts.

Leadership and Quality Improvement

This module asks you to consider how you, as a physiotherapist, could make healthcare work better. You’ll evaluate quality improvement theory and practice and gain an understanding of quality improvement practice to physiotherapy care systems. You will then create your own quality improvement project, which addresses an aspect of physiotherapy practice or clinical education. 

Dissertation Project

This full-year module will see you complete a substantial piece of research related to your chosen area of practice. As part of your dissertation, you’ll critically review literature, identify a gap in the knowledge base, develop an appropriate research approach to address that gap, and write-up your project. 

Optional modules

You will also be able to choose 20 modules from a selection of that may include: 

Contemporary Challenges in Rehabilitation

Advance your foundational knowledge of rehabilitation in specific and emerging contexts, exploring the latest issues and practices about physiotherapy. You'll evaluate physiotherapy strategies in a variety of priority areas. Create and undertake priority rehabilitation strategies and develop your practical skills for the assessment and management of specific and challenging groups. 

Advanced Professional Development

This module explores the wide variety of career options open for physiotherapists. You’ll research areas such as clinical, research, management, leadership, politics, and education. All with the idea to give you an insight into each area so you can create a professional development portfolio related to your desired career route.  

Occupational Health and Workplace Wellbeing

How can physiotherapists maintain and improve an efficient workforce? This module analyses the assessment and management of people in the workplace to ensure optimum levels of health and wellbeing for workers across all sectors.

You’ll learn to:

  • appraise current Physiotherapy practice with regards to occupational health
  • formulate evidence-based strategies to impact on the individual and societal burden of work-related health and wellbeing
  • develop workplace-based assessment and management skills
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on
Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Where you will learn

Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Our Medical School is based in Queen’s Medical Centre, one of the UK’s largest hospitals.

There are dedicated clinical skills facilities including a dissection suite and teaching laboratories for medicine and healthcare students.

The hospital is located opposite University Park Campus and connected by a footbridge for easy access. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

Fees and funding

UK students

£9,250
Per year

International students

£27,200*
Per year

*For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), see our fees page.

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

Additional costs

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses. This includes around £30 for skeleton hire (please note skeleton hire is optional) and the costs of purchasing suitable sport clothing, such as trainers and swimwear, for practical sessions. You are provided with a uniform to wear in practice placements however you may wish to purchase additional items. You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies.

You will need to pay £38 for an enhanced DBS check, and you may wish to subscribe to the DBS update service for £13 per year.

Travel to your placements is self-funded and costs will vary depending on location. However, you may be eligible to reimburse some of your travel and accommodation costs while on placement.

Please note that these figures are approximate and subject to change.

Scholarships and bursaries

As an allied health student, you'll receive an additional payment of at least £5,000 a year of government funding, which you will not need to pay back. Full information can be found here.

Home students*

Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary, worth up to £1,000 a year. Full details can be found on our financial support pages.

* A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.

International students

We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international applicants who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Sports Scholarships

Full details of these can be found here.

Careers

By the end of the course, you will have a sound knowledge of the fundamentals of physiotherapy and will have extensive experience of relating theories to practice in your clinical placements. You will have developed skills in research, and spent considerable time on personal development.

In the UK, most physiotherapists work within the wide variety of specialities offered by the NHS, including:

  • burns and plastics
  • healthcare of the older person
  • maternity and obstetrics
  • mental health
  • neurology
  • orthopaedics
  • out-patients
  • paediatrics
  • respiratory
  • pelvic health

There are many other settings open to you including research and academia, charitable organisations, industry, special schools, sports centres, the armed forces, social services and veterinary practices.

Average starting salary and career progression

A newly qualified physiotherapist working in the NHS can expect to be employed at Band 5 with a minimum salary of £24,214.*

*Latest figures from healthcareers.nhs.uk (January 2020)

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

Health and Care Professions Council and The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

This course is recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council and The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

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" The whole course is challenging but fun! I particularly have fond memories of placement working in learning disabilities. It also helps that the department has a helpful culture whereby students are treated like colleagues and this results in us as students becoming our best selves but we are also well supported on that journey. "
David Williams, BSc Physiotherapy

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Important information

This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.