MSci Sports Therapy

Investigating Sport, Exercise and Coaching

This module will provide you with the research skills necessary to support your learning within sport and exercise. It will introduce you to the philosophies that underpin different types of research, and you will learn basic techniques of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.

Anatomy and Physiology

This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts of anatomy and human physiology, focusing on their application to human movement and performance in sport and physical activity.

You will explore the structure and function of key body systems, including the musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, and understand how they influence physical performance.

Specific attention is given to energy metabolism, examining how the body utilises energy during exercise across different intensities. This module also covers qualitative movement analysis and data collection for evaluating performance.

Practical sessions will allow you to apply anatomical and physiological concepts in real-world contexts, enhancing your understanding of how these systems interact during physical activity.

Developing Physical Fitness

In this module, you will develop skills in health screening, needs analysis, and goal setting for diverse clients and athletes by integrating principles from gym instruction, personal training, and sports performance coaching.

Key topics include anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and nutrition, alongside behaviour change techniques, injury prevention, and professional ethics. Additionally, the module explores business and marketing strategies for personal trainers.

You will gain practical experience in conducting health and fitness assessments, interpreting data to refine training programmes, and have the opportunity to obtain Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) qualifications, meeting professional standards for gym instructor and personal trainer roles.

Professional Skills

The Professional Skills module is designed to support your transition to university study and help you develop key academic, personal and professional skills in your area of study.

Throughout the module, you will enhance your communication skills, digital literacy and academic skills to ensure you have the tools to succeed at university and beyond. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills relevant to your future career, including interpersonal skills, problem-solving and self-reflection.

The module includes the creation of a portfolio to track your progress, demonstrating how you’ve developed skills that are transferrable to your graduate career.

Acute Injury, Trauma and Pathology

This module introduces the role of the Sports Therapist in the identification and management of acute sporting injury. It will provide you with the knowledge and skills to detect, identify and manage acute sporting injury from serious life-threatening injury to common soft tissue sporting injury.

The core focus is the integration of normal physiological processes with common pathological conditions that may affect these tissues. You will explore the body’s responses to these pathologies and their relevance to clinical practice in sports therapy.

MSK Examination and Assessment

This module provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the examination and assessment of upper and lower limb peripheral joints in sports therapy. You will also learn about the anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics of major peripheral joints. Through practical workshops and theoretical learning, you will become confident in conducting thorough joint examinations.

The module also covers the assessment and diagnosis of common joint injuries, including sprains, strains, fractures, dislocations, and chronic conditions such as tendinopathies and arthritis. Upon completion, you will be able to provide effective assessment of musculoskeletal injuries in both clinical and sports environments.

Clinical Biomechanics

This module aims to build upon the core biomechanical principles underpinning the practical analysis of human movement. It will also consider the role of biomechanical analysis in sports therapy and the assessment of patients. It will serve to widen your knowledge base and show the integrative nature of the separate disciplines of therapy and biomechanics.

Clinical Exercise Physiology

This module explores the relationship of physical activity and sedentary behaviour with both the development and control of non-communicable diseases (NCD).

You will examine the physiological responses to physical activity, and methods to assess health and fitness for those individuals suffering from such disease states.

You will explore the application and appraisal of exercise prescription guidelines for NCDs, with consideration of those that are serviced by exercise/GP referral schemes.

This module is aligned to the CIMSPA professional standards Health Navigator and Long-Term Conditions.

Neuromusculoskeletal Manual Therapy to the Spine

This module provides you with the knowledge, understanding and ability to provide the safe and effective assessment and management for the cervical, thoracic, lumbar vertebrae. It will give you the ability to apply comprehensive neurogenic, arthogenic and myogenic examination, assessment and treatment techniques appropriate to the above regions.

Rehabilitation: Return to Competition

This module will allow you to consolidate your theoretical knowledge and develop your practical ability to lead rehabilitation sessions in a group setting that are injury-specific and applicable in both the sport and occupational setting. You will learn to plan, implement, and evaluate safe and effective group rehabilitation programmes that are appropriate to the needs of the patient’s transition during the phases of late-stage rehabilitation, to return to competition/occupation.

Rehabilitation: Return to Function

This module will provide you with the theoretical knowledge, understanding and practical abilities to plan and implement safe and effective, progressive rehabilitation programmes that are both injury and functional specific, and address the individual needs of the patient.

Researching Sport, Exercise & Health

You will further develop your skills in research methods and data analysis, with a broad focus on analysis procedures including the qualitative method of interviewing and quantitative methods of analysis of variance, correlation and linear regression. These methods are commonly used procedures in the sport, exercise and health sciences, and understanding of these will also provide a solid foundation for understanding more advanced research methods that you may learn in your future work including research projects or postgraduate study.

Sports Injury Management 2

This module provides you with a safe and effective assessment and management of soft tissue and sport-related injuries. the module also aims to enable you to understand the gross structure and function of the upper body and the typical pathological responses of the body. It also aims to equip you with signs and symptoms of clinical pathology and the mechanisms of injury aetiology.

Advanced Musculoskeletal Manual Therapy

This module aims to provide you with the expertise to apply safe and effective manual therapy and mobilisation techniques to the peripheral joints of the body. It will give you the ability to apply a comprehensive range of manual therapy techniques appropriate to a wide range of presenting problems in the peripheral joints and aims to develop a more clinically reasoned approach in your management.

Advanced Research in Sport and Exercise

This module accesses sections of the provision for MSc students and so begins to move you towards postgraduate level thinking. You will work alongside MSc students to access sections of work at the appropriate level. Assignments will reflect that the module is in Year Three but will take an applied approach to promote independent use and evaluation of research methods and statistics.

Advanced Sports Injury Management

This module provides an opportunity for you to consolidate your knowledge and further develop existing skills. The module aims to challenge current concepts in sports therapy practice, and further develop a clinically reasoned approach in differential diagnosis and management of more complex and multifactorial presentations. This module prepares you for the complexities and realisms of clinical practice in all settings.

Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation

This module enables you to critically evaluate the psychological, social and cultural factors in injury risk, theories of psychological responses to injury, recovery and adherence to rehabilitation programmes. It will critically evaluate theory and research, and consider practical approaches to working with injured athletes to assist them with their response to and rehabilitation from injury experiences.

Research Project

The research project provides an opportunity to apply appropriate knowledge, concepts, and techniques to an in-depth study of a particular question or problem relating to sport,  exercise or healthcare.

This module aims to foster a greater understanding of the processes to undertake a small-scale research project and marks the culmination of the student’s learning experience over their undergraduate programme of study.

Therapeutic and Clinical Electrotherapy

This module provides you with the theoretical knowledge and practical expertise to apply Ultrasound, TENS, Interferential and LASER safely and effectively. It will equip you with the clinical reasoning regarding the implementation of these modalities. It will also investigate the research regarding the usage of these modalities.

Advances in Sports Injury Management of the Lower Quadrant

The module focuses upon the many approaches that exist in the management of lower quadrant dysfunction, exploring the evidence, and challenging the current concepts supporting these methods. It builds upon the Advances in Sports Injury Management of the Upper Quadrant module, developing theoretical and clinical knowledge further, preparing you for the complexities and realism of clinical practice.

Advances in Sports Injury Management of the Upper Quadrant

This module builds upon your individual practical experience, consolidates your knowledge, and further develops your existing assessment and management skills of upper quadrant dysfunction in an injured athlete. It further develops theoretical and clinical knowledge, preparing you for the complexities and realism of clinical practice.

Dissertation

This module is designed to be the culmination of the programme, applying theory to practice in innovative ways. It is the opportunity to complete an in-depth study of a topic, the outcomes of which will have a specific impact on their professional practice personally and/or that of an institution/organisation.

Professional Placement

The professional placement will enable you to further develop, apply, and reflect on the core areas of sports therapy practice and to draw on, and review, the profession’s evidence base. You should develop new knowledge and skills while in practice-based settings, in addition to applying, consolidating, and reflecting on the learning gained in the University environment. You will also develop a network of professional contacts to be established that could greatly aid future employability.