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Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health
Our Public Health courses rank 1st in their subject table for graduation prospects – outcomes (CUG, 2024)
The majority of our students graduate with an additional professional qualification that will gain them entry to an allied health or social services profession
Gain an accredited qualification in a sector where qualified professionals are in high demand
About the course
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) predicts the UK will need another 6700 physiotherapists by 2025 as demand grows due to an ageing population and an increase in people living with long-term conditions. Our CSP-accredited course gives you the skills you need for a successful career in this expanding field.
With this course you graduate as a professional able to work collaboratively alongside members of the NHS and with other clinical exercise and musculoskeletal therapists operating beyond the NHS. It teaches you the core skills you need to assess and diagnose patients’ problems – whether caused by accident illness or ageing - then to formulate and implement treatment plans involving exercise physical activity and therapy.
Teaching is informed by research and delivered through lectures seminars tutorials and practical classes. You take part in debates student-led presentations and workshops alongside periods on clinical practice placements.
The course is accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) and its comprehensive curriculum is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Why choose this course?
- Put your knowledge into practice on placements and in real-life simulations using our high-spec facilities and equipment
- Complete a minimum of 1000 hours of work-based learning during the course
- Train alongside other health professionals preparing you to work collaboratively in health settings across public private voluntary and independent sectors
- Learn from a multidisciplinary team with expertise across a range of fields including physiotherapy other musculoskeletal therapies occupational therapy anatomy biomechanics physiology and pathology as well as research
- Study a course which trains you to work in a range of contexts and settings opening up a variety of career paths within the NHS and in other health and fitness settings
- Gain an accredited qualification in a sector where qualified professionals are in high demand
Nursing and midwifery students will be eligible for additional support of at least £5,000 to help with living costs with funding from the NHS. The funding will be given to new and continuing degree-level students.
The funding comes as part of the government’s pledge to increase nurse numbers by 50,000 over the next five years.
You will receive at least £5,000 a year, with further funding available for eligible students:
- £1,000 for specialist disciplines
- £2,000 for childcare costs
- Exceptional Hardship Fund of up to £3,000.
The funding will not have to be repaid by recipients. You will also be able to continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
What will you study?
Professional Identity
This unit will explore the nature of Professions, what defines a profession, professional values, codes of practice and professional regulation.
Academic Skills For Therapists
This unit will support your transition into Higher Education study and develop the academic and study skills required to support your learning, progress and achievement throughout your course. You will develop your understanding of how you learn, how to manage and organise your study, using key academic study skills and some familiarity with assessment literacy. Information literacy, searching for and sourcing key information and accurately referencing this information will be practiced. Understanding the literature, recognising different forms of data and how it is presented will form a foundation for the further development of your research skills. The value of research for evidence informed care, the main research approaches and the research process will be introduced.
Sound academic skills influence practice, record keeping, numeracy and the oracy of clinical reasoning. Central to this will be your digital literacy skills and the growing use of health informatics in healthcare.
Human Structure, Function And Exercise
This unit will introduce and engage you with human systems and their functions (specifically neuromusculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological), to include related anatomy, physiology and how these systems interact to produce human movement, function and exercise.
Holistic Therapy In Practice
This unit will engage you in the practical application of your theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a work-based environment. You will reflect on your practice and consider how such reflection can be used to inform and develop your practice.
This unit provides the opportunity for you to undertake a 10 week (19 hours/week or 2.5 days / week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) practice placement in order that you may practice your clinical skills in a real world setting with feedback on your attainment of the professional standards expected of you.
This unit contributes to the minimum 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required as part of the course.
80% attendance is mandatory on your practice placement before any unit assessment can be completed.
Developing Therapeutic Relationships
This unit is focused on analysing a therapeutic encounter by considering three main elements: therapist, service user and therapeutic event. The unit aims to facilitate the development of your communication skills for building and maintaining therapeutic relationships required for effective practice.
Holistic Physiotherapy Assessment And Intervention
This unit will engage you in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively interact with the service users to identify and gather appropriate information for a holistic physiotherapy assessment and interpret assessment findings to plan and safely deliver physiotherapy interventions for service users with uncomplicated therapy needs.
Enabling Therapy In Practice
This is your first practice unit at Level 5, within which you will start to take supervised responsibility for some or all of the following: assessment, treatment planning, treatment delivery and treatment evaluation to enable service users. This placement will engage you with a supported opportunity to practice your skills in the workplace.
This unit comprises of an 8 week (19 hours/week or 2.5 days/week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) part-time placement.
This unit contributes to the minimum 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required as part of the course.
80% attendance is mandatory on your practice placement before any unit assessment can be completed.
Physiotherapeutic Acute Care And Disease Management
This unit aims to integrate your understanding of human structure physiology with disease and disorder occurring in acute care (predominantly cardio respiratory and/or neurological) and the underpinning theories, evidence and skills required to safely and effectively deliver holistic physiotherapy in a variety of settings.
Evidence Informed Therapy
This unit enables you to develop an understanding of the relationship between research, practice and policy to assure evidence based practice in therapies. Students will develop a critical understanding of research paradigms, the construction of research designs, the selection of different research methods, data collection and analysis skills, and the ethical issues involved in undertaking research. These skills will not only enhance your critique of evidence for practice but prepare you for your final year Therapies Project and further research you may engage with as a graduate.
Collaborative Therapies
Working collaboratively is a key Health Profession skill and is the focus of this unit. You will engage in simulated interdisciplinary practice with other health care professionals and enquiry based learning activities focused on practice-based interdisciplinary scenarios.
The skills and values for health and social care practitioners to work in collaboration to ensure seamless service user focused delivery are explored. Students’ ability to use person-centred professional reasoning and multi-disciplinary care planning approaches will be developed.
Collaboration In Therapy Practice
This is your second practice unit at Level 5, within which you will continue to take supervised responsibility for some or all of the following: assessment, treatment planning, treatment delivery and treatment evaluation in collaboration with service user and MDT. This placement will engage you with a supported opportunity for you to practice your skills in the workplace.
This unit comprises of a 10 week (19 hours/week or 2.5 days/week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) part-time placement.
This unit contributes to the minimum 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required as part of the course.
80% attendance is mandatory on your practice placement before any unit assessment can be completed.
Neuromusculoskeletal Physiotherapy
This unit aims to integrate your understanding of neuromusculoskeletal structure and function to disease and dysfunction and relate underpinning theories, evidence and skills required to safely and effectively deliver neuromusculoskeletal physiotherapy
Managing Complexity In Physiotherapy
This unit aims to challenge your understanding of structure and function, disease and dysfunction to evaluate and clinically reason appropriate therapeutic care for people with complex presentations.
Complexity In Therapy
This is your first practice unit at Level 6, within which you will continue to take supervised but increased responsibility for some or all of the following: assessment, treatment planning, treatment delivery and treatment evaluation. This placement will provide you with a supported opportunity for you to practice your skills in the workplace with increasing proficiency and with service uses with multi-pathologies or complex therapy needs with guidance from your clinical educator.
This unit comprises of an 8 week (full-time) placement.
This unit contributes to the minimum 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required as part of the course.
80% attendance is mandatory on your practice placement before any unit assessment can be completed.
Physiotherapy Project
A critical understanding of the relationship between research, practice and policy underpins the development of evidence-based practice. In this unit you will prepare to undertake such research that informs policy, practice or the development of knowledge that defines your therapy as a profession. Cognitive dissonance with an aspect of theory, practice or policy will provoke a systematic review of pertinent literature culminating in the articulation of researchable questions. You will justify research methods and methodology and engage with the research process as a guide for planning a future research study. You will also develop an understanding of research ethics, informed consent, debriefing, and GDPR.
Quality In Therapy Practice
This unit incorporates your Elective Placement, which has been chosen by you and allows you to explore working in a different healthcare environment to prior placements and/or working in more specialised practice in order that you can challenge your practice skills in readiness for graduate employment. The placement aims to provide you with the opportunity (and the support for) you to practice your skills in the workplace. Like your previous placements it contributes to the 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required during the completion of the programme.
This unit comprises of a 9 week (full-time) placement.
This unit contributes to the minimum 1000hrs of supervised practice placement experience required as part of the course.
80% attendance is mandatory on your practice placement before any unit assessment can be completed.
Growth And Leadership In Therapies
This inter-professional unit examines skills, knowledge and strategies to promote and develop effective leadership qualities to work in partnership within diverse teams/agencies across professional and organisational boundaries.
This unit will develop critical insight and evaluation of individual professional development needs as a preparation for continuing professional development and future employment opportunities, both national and international.
How will you be assessed?
Assessment is on-going throughout the course and takes place towards the end of each term although assessment points may also be staggered throughout the year to spread the load. You will be assessed in their theoretical knowledge through essays oral examinations (discussions with lecturers and mentors) presentations (individual and group presentations) unseen short and long-answer written examinations multiple choice examinations OSCEs (Observed Structured Clinical Examinations) and report writing.
You will also be assessed in practice by your clinical educators on a regular basis against learning outcomes specific to their place in the course.
Assessments will be made alongside a range of themes that test your ability to make clinical judgements act in accordance with the standards of behaviour expected of a professional communicate and work in partnership with service users and other health professionals. Self-assessment is expected at each point of assessment - for both theory and practice assessments and formative assessments that you will also build into every practice based assessments and some theory assessments (e.g. mock examinations; formative essay and opportunity for submission of essay plans at the beginning of the course).
Careers
Physiotherapy offers you many different and flexible employment options. Once you have qualified and gained some clinical experience you could go on to be employed as:
- A physiotherapist working in the NHS social care a private company or cooperation charitable organisation education provider
- A consultant physiotherapist in any of the health provision services described above
- A physiotherapy services manager or healthcare services manager
- A physiotherapist running their own private practice
- A physiotherapist to a sporting team
- A physiotherapy researcher
- A physiotherapy lecturer in a university
- A physiotherapy adviser in industry or business
As with other Bachelor’s Degrees this degree also offers you access to other graduate employment beyond the realms of Physiotherapy and also access to Postgraduate training including MSc MRES and PhD studies.
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK 2024/25
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Merit Scholarship
We offer a Merit Scholarship to UK students, worth £2,400* over three academic years, which is awarded to those who can demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, through scoring 120 UCAS tariff points or more.
Bedfordshire Bursary
If you aren’t eligible for the Merit Scholarship, this Bursary is there to help UK students with aspects of student living such as course costs. The Bursary will give you £1,000* over three academic years, or £1,300* if you are taking your course over four academic years (including those with a Foundation Year).
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2024/25 is £15,500 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
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