Want a career helping everyone from the occasional jogger to elite professional athlete recover from injury and get back to peak performance?
On our course, you’ll learn to work collaboratively with other healthcare and sport-related professionals, just as you would in a sports rehabilitation role, which will also be a great boost to your CV.
Well, whether you want employment in the NHS, with professional sports clubs or as a consultant, we’ll help ensure you develop all the knowledge and skills you need to become a fully trained British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT) sports rehabilitator.
Our foundation course will enable you to acquire the core skills needed to progress onto the full degree programme.
Why Choose University of Cumbria
Our course is designed so you gain high-quality profession-specific training to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat sports and physical activity-related injuries.
And, with academic theory backed up with hands-on practice in our multi-million- pound sports complex, rehabilitation gyms and dedicated sports laboratories, we’ll teach you all you need to secure employment in this dynamic profession.
You’ll be living in a vibrant student city by the spectacular north west coastline. And, within an hour of the Lake District National Park and the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool. So, whether you want lively or leisurely, you’re within reach of both.
- We have good industry links with professional sports clubs
- Our contacts and partnerships give you great placement and job prospects
- Great tutor support and we get to know you because our seminar sizes are small
- 400 hours of placement in sports clubs, hospitals and clinics for BASRaT accreditation
- Taught by tutors with a wealth of experience in professional sport and sport rehabilitation
- Tutors are involved in international research, which keeps your learning up to date
- More than 20 years excelling in sport-related degrees
- Develop confident rehabilitation skills to a standard expected by employers
- Gain professional opportunities, including Kinesiology Tape and gym instruction
- 100% Student Satisfaction for Sports Rehabilitation (NSS 2020)
- Partnerships with local leisure centres (Including Salt Ayre) gives you access to even more sports facilities and rehabilitation experiences
You’ll be living in a vibrant student city by the spectacular north west coastline. And, within an hour of the Lake District National Park and the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool. So, whether you want lively or leisurely, you’re within reach of both.
If you want to step into the sports healthcare as a career-ready professional, then our academic teaching enriched with hands-on experience using state-of-the-art facilities, will enable you to do just that.
Course Study Options
This course is also available without the foundation year.
BSc (Hons) Sports Rehabilitation
Graduate destinations
There is a high demand for Sports Rehabilitators in the exercise in fitness industry, giving you plenty of chance for employment. Your degree will leave you eligible for membership of BASRaT as a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator. The professional body is further accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), enabling employment prospects within the NHS.
You can also put your degree to work in GP referral programmes, therapeutic work with sport clubs, teams and individual performers, private sports injury clinics or in consultancy.
Our Partnerships
Course outline
Course summary
Want a career helping everyone from the occasional jogger to elite professional athletes recover from injury and get back to peak performance?
Well, whether you want employment in the NHS, with professional sports clubs, as a consultant or running your own Sports Injury & Rehabilitation clinic, we'll help ensure you develop all the knowledge and skills you need to become a fully trained British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRat) sports rehabilitator.
Our foundation course will enable you to acquire the core skills needed to progress onto the full degree programme.
Why Choose University of Cumbria?
Our course is designed so you gain high-quality professional training to prevent, assess, diagnose and treat sports and physical activity-related injuries.
And, with academic theory backed up with hands-on practice in our multi-million-pound sports complex, rehabilitation gyms and dedicated sports laboratories, we'll teach you all you need to secure employment in this dynamic profession.
You'll be living in a vibrant student city by the spectacular north west coastline. And, within an hour of the Lake District National Park and the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool. So, whether you want lively or leisurely, you're within reach of both.
If you want to step into sports healthcare as a career-ready professional, then our academic teaching enriched with hands-on experience using state-of-the-art facilities will enable you to do just that.
- Integrated CIMSPA Strength & Conditioning Trainer qualification, at no extra cost
- Excellent contacts and partnerships give you great placement and job prospects
- Over 20 years excelling in sport-related degrees and proven track record of excellent graduate employment and earnings
- Great tutor support; we get to know you because of our small and friendly practical groups
- Ongoing support to help you gain over 400 hours of placement in sports clubs, health centres and clinics for BASRat accreditation
- Taught by tutors with a wealth of experience in Sport Rehabilitation and who are involved in international research, keeping your learning up to date
- Partnerships with local leisure centres give you access to even more sports facilities and rehabilitation experiences
- Gain additional professional opportunities, including Kinesiology Tape, Emergency First Aid and a Pitchside Immediate Trauma Course
- Take part in a unique 10-day residential placement at the Brathay 10 in 10 in the beautiful Lake District
You'll also learn to work collaboratively with other healthcare and sport-related professionals, just as you would in a sports rehabilitation role and also gain key employability skills to boost your CV.
Modules
Year one
Compulsory modules
- Essential University Skills 1
- Contemporary Issues and the Media
- Sport in Action
- Essential University Skills 2
- Leading and Managing Individuals and Organisations
- Individual Case Study
Year two
- Personal and Professional development:
A grounded, practical introduction to a range of skills to help you to be able to make sense of academic research, including how to find, evaluate and read academic sources. - Sports Massage:
A hands-on introduction to massage therapy which develops clinical reasoning to justify how best to implement sports massage in order to aid sports performance and recovery. - Functional Anatomy & Sports Injuries: Lower Limb:
Explore the human anatomy for the lower limb before taking a hands-on approach to understanding how these structures become injured, particularly through sport, and how to practically assess for injuries.
- Functional Anatomy & Sports Injuries: Upper Limb & Spinal:
Further, your knowledge of human anatomy and sports injuries to studying the upper limb and spinal, and practically assess for these injuries as part of the role of a Sport Rehabilitator. - Exercise Techniques & Training:
Learn how to instruct safe and appropriate exercise techniques related to developing basic components of fitness, designed to improve health and sporting performance.
- Principles of Human Movement & Function:
Develop a physiological understanding of the human body’s systems related to sports performance, and clinical knowledge of biomechanics related to sports injuries and dysfunctions.
- Qualificatory Practice Unit 1
Conduct your first 100 hours of placement, focused on sports massage therapy and pitch-side first aid, whilst under the supervision of a vocational practice supervisor.
Year three
- Pathophysiology & Therapeutic Practice:
Explore the pathological processes of injury, healing and repair. Examine the evidence and practically apply a variety of therapeutic modalities for rehabilitation, such as electrotherapy and cryotherapy. - Functional Sports Rehabilitation:
Rationalise and practically apply exercise prescription following injury to help return people to their sport, including late stage sport-specific exercise rehabilitation.
- Applied Manual Therapy: Peripheral:
Develop manual therapy techniques applied to upper and lower limb joints/musculoskeletal structures, such as joint mobilisations, myofascial release therapy and deep transverse friction massage.
- Applied Manual Therapy: Spinal:
Further advance your manual therapy skills to apply your knowledge and techniques to more complex spinal injuries and dysfunctions, including spinal manipulations.
- Strength & Conditioning for Performance:
Understand the physical requirements of athletes and learn how to construct, deliver and evaluate training plans aimed at meeting athlete needs and maximising sporting potential and performance.
- Investigative Techniques:
Prepare to conduct a personal research project in an area of interest aimed towards developing professional knowledge and expertise. Consider research methodology, ethics, data analysis and formulating a research question.
- Qualificatory Practice Unit 2:
Conduct another 100 hour of vocational placement across a wider variety of settings, from sports injury clinics, sports clubs, health and fitness centres, the NHS, and many more. This may also include the opportunity to undertake a 10-day residential placement in the Lake District working on the Brathay 10 in 10 marathons event.
Year four
- Neurodynamics in Sport:
Learn the underpinning knowledge and manual therapeutic skills to assess, treat and evaluate common neurodynamic conditions. - Professional Development & Employment:
Critically self-reflect and evaluate on own clinical and academic performance to promote future goal planning and professional development to prepare for employment, including how to develop a curriculum vitae, personal statement and interview skills.
- Advanced Athlete Care:
Gain an understanding of psychological aspects of sports injuries and rehabilitation, as well as considering risk factors and influences of more complex illnesses and conditions on rehabilitation.
- Screening & Pre-habilitation:
Develop a more advanced understanding of injury mechanisms, including screening for muscle and postural imbalances, and learn how to implement preventative strategies for injury prevention.
- Independent Investigative Project:
Conduct an original research investigation of your own choice, supported by a dissertation supervisor, and communicate your findings.
- Qualificatory Practice Unit 3:
Conduct the final 200 hour replacement requirement for enabling BASRaT membership. This will involve working more independently as a Sport Rehabilitator in a variety of settings to help prepare you for future employment.
Programme Specification
Assessment, Feedback, and Teaching and Learning methods
Full details are available in the programme specification.
Timetables
The teaching timetable should be available from the end of August. Access to the timetable is through the Student Hub – you will be able to access the Student Hub after you have completed online registration. The teaching day is 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday; please keep your other commitments open until confirmation of your teaching timetable, and bear in mind that many courses will offer placements or fieldwork which sometimes extends into the evenings and weekends.
Entry requirements
Have a question about our entry requirements?
Entry Requirements
40 UCAS tariff points - to include GCSE in English at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent).
Potential to succeed can be measured in a number of ways including academic qualifications and skills obtained outside academic study such as work experience.
Find out more about qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.
Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.
Selection criteria
If you are over 21 and returning to study after being in relevant employment for a minimum of 3 years and do not meet the published entry requirements for Year 1 of our degree courses, please do not assume you are not qualified to join us. Our experienced Admissions and Academic staff will review your prior qualifications and professional experience to support your application. The Integrated Foundation Year programmes support your return to education and are specifically designed for students who have the ability to study for a degree but may not have all the necessary qualifications, skills or experience to join the degree in Year 1. Contact our Course Enquiries Team for more information.
Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment. We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. For 2021 the University of Cumbria will make offers to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 and 2 – you can check your postcode here https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/search-by-postcode ) Care leavers and mature students returning to education we will make an offer at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. Find out more about our events at but must meet the terms and conditions of these events.
Application information
Full-time courses
Apply online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), between September and January; they will send your application on to us. Applications submitted after this date will be considered late and the course you have applied for might be full by this time; however, we will consider you for alternative suitable courses.
Their website www.ucas.com provides all the information you need about universities, courses, locations, entry requirements and financial support. You are allowed to select up to five course choices. You need to use the correct UCAS campus and course codes as not all courses are offered at every campus. You will be asked for the following information when you apply online:
Institution code name: UoC
Institution code: C99
Campus location:
- A Ambleside
- B Brampton Road, Carlisle
- E University of Cumbria at Energus, Workington
- F Fusehill Street, Carlisle
- L Lancaster
- T University of Cumbria in London
- Y University of Cumbria at Furness College, Barrow-in-Furness
Part-time courses
Applications should be made online directly to the university; visit our website or contact enquirycentre@cumbria.ac.uk for details and guidance. There is no official closing date but we would encourage you to apply as early as possible, as many courses are competitive.
What makes a good application?
We consider all aspects of your application, not simply your qualifications and grades. We look at your academic background and performance, relevant experience (particularly for professional courses where some voluntary or paid experience is required) and your reference. Above all, we look for motivation, commitment and potential-evidence that you can benefit from study at higher education level.
Make sure you include:
- Relevant qualifications/evidence of ability: check our website for the specific entry requirements required for each course. Tell us your previous academic results and your projected grades.
- A supportive reference, from an employer or your school or college.
- A good personal statement.
- Explain clearly what attracts you to the course and tell us about your wider interests and experience. If you are applying for a course that incorporates professional training and placements, you should include any relevant experience or visits you have made in the workplace. Highlight your individual strengths and qualities, personal skills, capacity for teamwork, contribution to the community and your enterprise, originality and determination. Select some activities which bring out these qualities.
What next?
When we receive your application, we will send you an acknowledgement and if you are successful at this stage you will get either an offer (with an invitation to visit the campus to which you have applied), or an invitation to interview on a particular date. If we are not able to offer you a place on your chosen course we will usually try to offer you a place on a similar course and will contact you to discuss this. Alternatively, if we think you are suitable, but cannot offer you a place on your preferred campus because of the level of competition, we will offer you a place at another campus if one is available.
And if I accept?
The admissions team will contact you and send further information from February onwards about accommodation, and from May/June onwards about preparing to join the university. If you have any other queries, please telephone the admissions offices for information and advice on 0845 6061144.
Deferred entry
We welcome applications for deferred entry on some courses. If you have specific plans during your year out, indicate these on your personal statement as they may be relevant to your course and could enhance your application.
International students
Applications for full-time undergraduate study are made through UCAS. Please see the international pages of our website for full details of our entry requirements (including English-language skills) as well as contacts for advice and support.
From 2009 the UK Border Agency introduced a Points-Based Immigration System (PBS) for students coming to the UK from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Students entering higher education will need to obtain a Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) plus finance confirmation to obtain a Tier 4 student visa. UK education providers are licensed by the UK Border Agency. When students apply for their visa (or entry clearance) they will need a valid Certificate of Acceptance of Studies from the university. Please note that a CAS is not a guarantee that a visa will be issued.
See the following websites for further details: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk
Additional costs
All students will need to purchase stationery, course books and personal equipment. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc. The following PDF link below provides an overview of these costs for this course.
Additional costsResources and facilities
You'll have full access to the physiological and biomechanical equipment in our Physiotherapy and Sport Laboratory, for exercise and fitness testing, and injury screening. Our Sports Centre boasts a large, multi-purpose sports hall and an air conditioned fitness suite with 12 cardiovascular stations, eight fixed weight stations and a free weights area.
Our Sports Injury Clinic, organised by staff from the sport rehabilitation degree, provides a brilliant opportunity to practice your skills with real clients. Open to staff, students and members of the public, this free service provides students with a real life environment for learning.
