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BSc (Hons)

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is an applied health discipline that supports the participation of people from all backgrounds and abilities in the occupations that help define them and their quality of life.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £785*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

The physiotherapy part-time degree at USW is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to flourish as an innovative and autonomous professional across an expansive range of settings within various practice settings.

DESIGNED FOR

Practically oriented students who are compassionate, understanding, and curious about using a variety of approaches to help improve quality of life, are ideally suited to this course that will lead to a rewarding career.

Accredited By

  • The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP)

Career Paths

  • Physiotherapist 
  • Advanced Practitioner
  • Consultant

Skills Taught

  • Effective communication
  • Understanding of health promotion
  • Quality improvement
  • Team working
  • Interprofessional and multi-disciplinary practice and ethics

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

Lecturer, Rhys Shorney talking to students during a practical session
Two students completing an examination at the clinical simulation centre
A group of students taking the blood pressure reading of another student whilst a lecturer observes

Course Highlights

Placement Opportunities

Through placements, students have the opportunity to experience a variety of settings to apply and practice their newly acquired knowledge and skills in a safe environment.

Outstanding Facilities

The course benefits from an extensive clinical simulation suite and a community flat simulation area in which a range of practical skills are taught, practised and examined.

Interactive Learning

USW benefits from having additional state-of the art sports facilities based at the Sport Park site which will provide a further increasing range of learning and teaching environments for our students.

Accredited Course

This course is recognised by Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP).

Module Overview

The BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy course is a part-time degree course, delivered over four years.  Each academic level will be delivered over a 16-month period, with each timetabled week consisting of 23 hours of learning, using a blended learning approach with both online and face-to-face learning opportunities.  Face-to-face learning will be used to synthesise and apply asynchronous online learning, and develop team-working, critical thinking and practical skills. All modules on this course are core, this means that every module must be taken and passed in order to be awarded the BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy.

Promoting Health and Wellbeing

Anatomy and Physiology

Bio-psycho-social Foundations of Physiotherapy Practice.

Physiotherapy Assessment

Developing Confidence in Physiotherapy Practice

Biomechanics of Human Movement

Short-term Conditions

Treatment and Rehabilitation

Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues in Physiotherapy

Informed Decision-Making in Practice: The Physiotherapist as a skilled practitioner

Research Methods

Long-term Conditions

Managing patient treatment – Synthesis and Integration of Profession Specific Learning

Life-long Conditions

Becoming an Autonomous Physiotherapist

Evidence and Research Based Practice: Initiating and managing evidence-based change and compassionate leadership in Physiotherapy practice

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The course is delivered part time, with each level of study (16 months) equivalent to one full-time year. You will undertake timetabled university and placement activities over 2-3 days per week depending on the year of study and will be expected to devote an additional 12.5 hours of individual study per week.

Teaching staff

USW helps every kind of student excel by creating a social and supportive environment for studying and living. On entering the course, you will be given a Personal Tutor who will work with you throughout your studies, to develop your academic and professional skills.

Placements

There will be 9 placements in total, spanning a variety of clinical specialities, for you to grow into an accomplished, autonomous individual.

Facilities

Practical sessions will take place in our simulation and practical teaching areas, which are extensively equipped to replicate the facilities and situations encountered in a range of real-world practice locations.

Accredited by
Recognised by

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

Most graduates will enter the NHS and benefit from a clear career structure with opportunities to develop as advanced practitioners who contribute to specialist services, right up to Consultant Physiotherapists. However, graduates can also apply their skills in a range of social care and educational settings, work for sports clubs and in sports facilities, in private practice, and in industry.

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

UCAS Points: 120 (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: BBB to exclude General Studies. Desirable A Level subjects would include Biology or Human Biology.
  • Welsh BACC: Grade B and BB at A Level to exclude General Studies. Desirable A Level subjects would include Biology or Human Biology.
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction, Distinction, Merit. Desirable modules would include Biology or Human Biology.
  • Access to HE: Pass an Access to HE Diploma, preferably in Science, and obtain a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points. Desirable modules would include Biology or Human Biology.

Interview

Applicants are required to attend an interview. You will be required to demonstrate a real insight to, and enthusiasm for, the discipline. You should learn as much as you can about the profession, including where practitioners practice, and their role in modern healthcare. You must also demonstrate insight to your organisational skills and ability to effectively manage your studies.

  • Tuesday 8th April 2025
  • Wednesday 9th April 2025
  • Thursday 10th April 2025
  • Friday 11th April 2025

Applications for this course for September 2025 entry will close on Friday 28th March 2025.

Additional requirements include:

  • The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
  • Equivalent qualifications considered are Essential Skills Level Two in Communication and Application of Number, or Functional Skills Level Two in English and Maths. (Must be achieved within the last 3 years).
  • A satisfactory reference uploaded with your application.
  • An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child & Adult Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).
  • Unfortunately as this course is funded by the NHS and students have to have placements in the local NHS Health Board we are unable to accept applications from overseas (Non EU) students.
  • Application Deadline: Applications for September 2025 will open on the 1st September 2024 and will close at midday on Friday 28th March 2025.

Closed for International applicants 

Unfortunately, this course is not currently open to international applicants, please visit our course pages where you can find an alternative course choice. 

 

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Part-time Fee

£785

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment. 

*Obligatory

 Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

Cost dependent on placement location 

Cost dependent on student’s choice of footwear 

Cost dependent on student’s choice of stethoscope 

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

A student sat smiling and talking to friends off camera in Treforest Student's Union
Student Life
Close up shot of the front of the Alfred Russell wallace building.
Pontypridd Campus, Glyntaff
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

How to apply

You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)

International admissions

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
 

Next Steps

How to apply
Apply Through UCAS
Book an Open Day
Chat to Us