Sports and Dance Therapy

Developed in partnership with the Society of Sports Therapists (SST), this fascinating degree gives you the skills you need to become a sports therapist. You'll learn to assess, treat and rehabilitate athletes and dancers following injury or dysfunction. Our fully equipped sports therapy clinic, which is open to the public for consultation and treatment, gives you hands-on experience to complement the scientific learning.

In the most recent Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 100% of all 2017 graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months. This course, which is accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists (SST), prepares you for a career as a sports therapist by teaching you to recognise, manage and treat injuries incurred by athletes and dancers. You’ll develop your understanding of sports therapy as a subject and learn to apply your knowledge to dance.

You’ll study relevant science subjects to help you understand the management of injuries, as well as how to put together injury assessments and rehabilitative plans for athletes. This course differs from others of its kind in that it applies particular focus to factors and issues that are unique to dance.

You’ll receive support and guidance from our highly experienced staff such as course creator and Principal Lecturer Joanna Jenkins, who has previously worked with organisations such as the Royal Academy of Dance. As well as academic leader Nick Gardiner, who has written for prestigious sports medicine publications. You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake work placements, thanks to our wide network of external contacts and our on-site clinic. You'll be assessed through essays, written exams, oral assessments, practical assessments and a final dissertation.

Entry requirements

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• A minimum of grades CCD in three A levels (or a minimum of 88 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science with MMM)
• GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent, eg Key Skills Level 3)

Entry from appropriate Foundation and Access courses will also be considered. All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

If you don't have traditional qualifications or can't meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing the Sports Science Extended Degree. You should have some current or extensive past experience in dance. If you don't have the standard entry requirements, you may be interviewed to assess your dance background and suitability for the course.

Accelerated study

If you have relevant qualifications or credit from a similar course it may be possible to enter this course at an advanced stage rather than beginning in the first year. Please note, advanced entry is only available for September start. See our information for students applying for advanced entry.

After the course

This course opens up a number of career options in the rapidly developing area of dance science. By combining dance and sports therapy, this course gives you the skills needed to pursue roles such as dance company therapist (in-situ or touring), injury prevention officer for dance schools and companies, or pre- and post-performance masseuse. You could also choose to set up your own clinic or work as a consultant, providing screening, choreography advice, prehabilitation and rehabilitation.