Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: See fees section below
International/EU: £18,655 per year -
How long will I study?
4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
BB18
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When do I start?
September 2025
Course summary
- Acquire skills and knowledge across various physiotherapy specialities.
- Gain expertise in neurology, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular-respiratory physiotherapy.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals for integrated practice in diverse settings.
- Use the principles of exercise, research and physiotherapy to inform your practice.
- Engage in diverse, high-quality practice-based learning opportunities to refine your skills.
Physiotherapists play a crucial role in enhancing health, wellbeing and quality of life through a variety of methods. This course offers you practice-based experience across the four pillars of practice: clinical, research, education and leadership. You’ll also gain the skills to assist and empower individuals affected by injury, illness and disability – enabling them to manage their condition effectively and enhance functional ability.
After graduating, you'll be eligible for the HCPC membership required for practising physiotherapy in the UK.
The Foundation Year course is designed for anyone who feels they would benefit from extra preparation before undertaking degree-level study or who does not meet the entry requirements for the BSc (Hons) course (due to lower predicted grades or lower performance at a selection event). The academic staff leading selection event processes are well placed to advice on the benefits of additional study or wider preparation in advance of joining a degree course.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
This challenging and practical course is designed to support and develop independent learning, leading to autonomous practice when you qualify. You’ll have practice-based learning experiences while collaborating with other allied health and social care professionals. This approach will ensure you have a strong identity as a physiotherapist, able to deliver person-centred care with an understanding of how other health and care professionals contribute to the person's journey.
Teaching is based around development of the key transferable skills you’ll need to become a qualified physiotherapist. You’ll undertake practice-based learning experiences in a variety of settings while benefiting from a wide range of teaching and learning methods.
You learn through:
- Practicals, seminars and lectures
- Digitally enabled online materials
- Online webinars
- Practice-based learning experiences
- Peer-supported practice and study
Key Themes
You’ll learn how to use a variety of physical or cognitive modalities. You’ll become a resilient and adaptable physiotherapist who can work in a variety of settings at the forefront of modern healthcare delivery.
Through a structured progression of academic and practice experience you’ll develop the skills to manage a diverse range of health and social care problems. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from, with and about other health and social care students, exploring themes that span boundaries across multidisciplinary team working and education. The course will reflect the cultural diversity within healthcare and practice – identifying global perspectives of health and inequality through a range of inclusive learning and teaching approaches.
The practice-based learning, simulation and practical application to real-world scenarios means you’ll develop your capabilities for highly skilled employment in the current and future workforce. You’ll graduate with a strong professional identity and the skills, knowledge, values, and clinical reasoning ability to work in contemporary and dynamic health and social care environments.
The course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Graduates are eligible to apply to register with the HCPC and apply to become members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. You must be registered with the HCPC to practise as a physiotherapist in the UK.
Course Support
You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment through several key areas, including:
- Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development
- Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
- Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opp
Applied learning
Live Projects
You’ll apply the theory you study to develop problem-solving skills in university and practice-based learning experiences. Developing reasoned and ethical approaches to your practice, you’ll prepare to become a life-long, competent professional. These experiences are compulsory to achieve the outcomes which allow you to register with the HCPC to practise physiotherapy in the UK.
You’ll build and apply your skills, grow your confidence and creativity, develop resilience and integrity, and spark your curiosity. The experiences may include simulated learning and virtual placements, alongside real-world experience of services delivered face to face with service users.
We’ll ensure the practice-based learning element of your course complies with the requirements of the Professional and Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) which governs the physiotherapy profession. By the end of your course, you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate that you meet the requirements to register as a physiotherapist.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in a wide variety of sectors, including:
- Primary and secondary care
- Occupational health
- Public health
- Sporting environments
- Private practice
- The NHS
- Education
- Research
- Leadership
- Overseas roles (providing you meet the requirements for that country)
- The Armed Forces
- Third-sector organisations e.g. charities
Where will I study?
You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
Collegiate campus
Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.
Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities
Collegiate library
Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
Most of our on-campus teaching is carried out in and around practical rooms, clinical suites and ward environments – with all the equipment you would find in contemporary clinical and practice-based space.
On this course you work with:
- Specialist modern teaching facilities
- Virtual and augmented reality
- Clinical skills suites, practical rooms and simulated ward environments
- High-tech simulation manikins and equipment
- Purpose-built, integrated teaching areas
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
360 tour - physiotherapy facilities
Media Gallery
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Physiotherapy -
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Physiotherapist patient -
Physiotherapy massage
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 64
This must include at least 24 (Grade D) from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- DDE at A Level.
- MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- Science at grade C or 4 or equivalents*
- Maths at grade D or 4 or equivalents**
- English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 or equivalents***
*GCSE Science equivalents
- OCR Science level 2
- Science units gained on a level 3 BTEC or OCR National Diploma or Extended Diploma qualification
- Science credits gained on Access to Higher Education Diplomas (at least 12 credits at level 2 or 6 credits gained at level 3)
- Science equivalency test from www.equivalencytesting.co.uk
**GCSE Maths equivalents
- Level 2 Key Skills/ Application of Number/ Level 2 Maths credits from an Access course
- Maths equivalency test from www.equivalencytesting.co.uk
***GCSE English equivalents
- Level 2 Literacy
- Level 2 Key Skills
• Access - an Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course in a science based subject. Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 7.0 or above, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each skill.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Developing The Fundamentals Of A Healthcare Professional
Promotion Of Contemporary Issues In Healthcare
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Collaboration For Individual And Community Wellbeing
Foundations Of Physiotherapy Practice 1 (B)
Foundations Of Physiotherapy Practice 2 (B)
Personal And Professional Development
Physiotherapy Practice Experience 1 (B)
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Assessing And Addressing Complexity In Practice
Developing Physiotherapy Practice 3 (B)
Developing Physiotherapy Practice 4 (B)
Evidence And Enquiry For Practice
Physiotherapy Practice Experience 2 (B)
Physiotherapy Practice Experience 3 (B)
Final year
Compulsory modules
Complexity & Leadership In Professional Practice
Physiotherapy Practice Experience 4 (B)
Physiotherapy Practice Experience 5 (B)
Qualifying Physiotherapy Practice 5 (B)
Qualifying Physiotherapy Practice 6 (B)
The Advancing Professional
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £18,655, which includes an annual placement supplement of £1,500.
Health and social care funding
Home fee-paying students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year. You may also be eligible for additional financial support based on your circumstances.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Health and Social Care (PDF, 165.7KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
