Overview

As a BSc Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation graduate, you become a practitioner to assess, treat, manage and prevent an array of musculoskeletal injuries.

You help manage pain and dysfunction in sporting and clinical environments for athletes and sedentary people.

You benefit from dual accreditation, where you have the option to be accredited by the British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT) or the Sports Therapy Organisation (STO); and opportunities to complete other vocational certified awards including pre-hospital trauma and gym-based instruction.

The course is a mixture of vocationally relevant skills with academic underpinning, giving you the latest evidence-based practice to facilitate the skills to become a confident, professional, and successful rehabilitator.

You develop skills in sports massage; hands-on anatomy; manual diagnostic testing; gym-based conditioning and Olympic lifting; biomechanical and physiological screening; land and pool-base rehabilitation; peripheral and spinal mobilizations and trauma care. Academically, you develop key writing, report, and statistical skills, while developing a scientific research ability.

At Teesside you are supported to develop your working practice via internal placements and key links with external professional football, rugby, and clinical/health-based placements, giving you exposure to high-level industry-specific knowledge and facilities. You gain valuable experience in a range of professional environments, from internal sports massage clinics, rehabilitation clinics, pitch-side first aid, external sports teams, and musculoskeletal practice.

Our meaningful industry relationships see employers access our facilities and knowledge base because they see it as pivotal to successful outcomes within the industry. Your academic team is research and industry active, meaning you benefit from live case research and cutting-edge developments in sports therapy and rehabilitation. This ensures you develop an evidence-based practice approach to your working practices, meaning you follow the science to help their patients safely and effectively.

Course details

This module will assist you in developing the personal and academic skills that you will need for undergraduate study. It focuses on developing skills such as information retrieval, evaluation, critical thinking, note-taking, presentation skills, and group work.

Contemporary Issues in Social Sciences

This module will introduce you to the historical and contemporary development of social science disciplines and will provide examples of theoretical challenges and the ways in which research is applied in society. You will gain an understanding of the critical differences between disciplines and how interdisciplinary research is fostered through collaboration. You will also be introduced to academic standards, ethical guidelines and research protocols, personal development planning, and a range of study and transferable skills relevant to your degree course and beyond.

Fake News: Propaganda and Polemics, Past and Present

This module provides you with the opportunity to develop your skills in thinking critically about the information and analysis presented in an array of media in today’s digital world, drawing on the methodologies of a range of disciplines within the social sciences, humanities, and law. You will explore examples of the debates over fake news in both the past and present, and look at how fake news can be used to both support and undermine the status quo, enabling you in the process to become more savvy and engaged citizens.

Introduction to Sport and Psychology

This module will provide students with an introduction to the core scientific principles needed to engage effectively with research in the disciplines of sport and psychology. You will learn biological principles underpinning physiological and psychological functioning, approaches to and applications of research in health and well-being and you will be introduced to research and statistical practices in the social sciences.

Project

This module allows students to identify an area of interest related to their undergraduate degree and to explore this through a small-scale research project where students will be required to produce an analysis of an area of focus.

Teesside: History, Literature, Culture and Society

Year 1 core modules

Clinical Anatomy

This module introduces the student to aspects of clinical, functional, and surface anatomy. Knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and its function is fundamental in all aspects of sports therapy and rehabilitation. This module will explore the anatomy and human movement through interactive lectures that will introduce key concepts and theory followed by practical-based workshops that explore and enhance the students’ understanding.

Performance Analysis (Physiology and Biomechanics)

This module introduces the student to aspects of clinical, functional, and surface anatomy. Knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and its function is fundamental in all aspects of sports therapy and rehabilitation. This module will explore the anatomy and human movement through interactive lectures that will introduce key concepts and theory followed by practical-based workshops that explore and enhance the students’ understanding.

Professional Skills For Practise

This will aim to expand the students' knowledge of professional issues in health care and develop interpersonal and study skills that students will rely on throughout their undergraduate degree and their transition into industry. The module will highlight and explore key concepts in practice and professional conduct and aim to expand the students’ knowledge of how these affect clinical practice. As part of this module, students will gain access to patients in the in-house massage clinic under the supervision of the Clinical Educators. These hands-on experiences will provide students with the opportunity to implement the skills developed in other modules.

Sports Clinical Assessment 

The module is designed to develop the students' skills of diagnostic examination assessment and immediate treatment of sports injuries and is the first step in the development of the professional skills required as a practitioner in the field of sports therapy and rehabilitation. It comprises the role of the practitioner in the diagnosis, understanding, and prevention of common musculoskeletal injury.

Sports Massage

This module is designed to develop the student’s theoretical understanding and practical application of sports massage techniques. Lectures will introduce students to key theoretical concepts and will create topical discussions regarding the application of the techniques in the sporting environment. Practical-based workshops will explore and expand on this theory and provide the students with the opportunity to practice and develop soft tissue massage techniques. Students will practice with peers under the supervision of the lecturing team to ensure that they are safe and effective in their practice. These essential skills will enable the student to commence clinical experience and collate placement hours in the massage clinic.

How you learn

The program employs a diversity of learning and teaching methods including lectures, seminars, problem-based learning, workshops, laboratory sessions, independent research projects. All modules on the program are delivered via blended learning, which uses a combination of face-to-face learning and online delivery. Each module has a site in the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard), which adheres as a minimum to the University’s Threshold Quality Standards. Where applicable modules include electronic submission, assessment, and feedback.

Timetabling information
As a full-time student your timetabled hours are between Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 6.00 pm. On Wednesdays the latest you will be timetabled is until 1.00pm. Hours of attendance vary between 12 hours and 20 hours per week. Part-time undergraduate students are required to attend during the same days and times as full-time students but for only a proportion of the time, dependant on the modules being taken. Module choices are discussed with course tutors during the enrolment and induction period. Further details are automatically sent to applicants due to enrol this year.

Work placement

You are required to complete a CPD portfolio which is an integral part of the programme to enhance your employability skills and help you to meet professional body requirements.

Career opportunities

You have numerous options available to forge a career. Becoming an accredited member of BASRaT or STO you can work in professional sport or clinical practice, or open your own practice.

Through registration with governing bodies, you can seek careers specifically within the NHS, Ministry of Defence and numerous sports environments, including rehabilitation, sport, health and exercise.

Pursuing an academic route, graduates can consider master’s and PhD-level study, go in to teaching or research.