Sports Massage Therapy

Why study with us?

Sports Massage Therapy is a course that combines the skills, theoretical underpinning and practical experience to create professionals that provide high quality treatment to those undertaking sport and physical activity in aiding performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation.

You will be able to gain 'hands on' vocational experience and develop practical massage and therapeutic skills in the university’s onsite Health and Exercise Clinic, as well as take part in further external placement opportunities. Class sizes are small, enhancing tutor-student interaction and generating more valuable feedback in practical classes.

What can this course lead to?

Successful students will be offered progression onto the BSc(Hons) Sport Rehabilitation course at the University of Cumbria. Those wishing to pursue employment should find opportunities in the exercise and fitness industry, with GP referral programmes, assisting in therapeutic work with sport clubs,teams and individual performers or consider self-employment. Where appropriate to do so, the course will follow the Health Professions Council (HPC) guidance on professional accreditation.

Resources and facilities

The course benefits from having access to expert tutors and a variety of sport and exercise facilities, including the Physiotherapy and Sport Laboratory which houses physiological and biomechanical equipment for exercise and fitness testing, and injury screening.

There is an onsite Health and Exercise Clinic which is used as an internal vocational placement for students to put into practice skills developed in class on other students and staff at the university in a controlled and supervised environment. Clinical and laboratory facilities and equipment are used to enhance the teaching and learning experience, as well as by learning from sports staff with national and international experience in the field.

Our Sports Centre boasts a large, multi-purpose sports hall, astro turf pitch, a specialist gymnastics area and an air conditioned fitness suite with cardiovascular stations, fixed weight stations and a free weights area. The facility is run by Register of Exercise Professionals accredited staff.

Entry requirements

100 UCAS points

GCSE at grade C or above in English.

Find out more about equivalent qualifications on the UCAS tariff table.

Please check any additional selection criteria below .

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: CB63F UCAS points: 100 Selection criteria

All places are offered subject to successful CRB clearance.

Costs

Click to view information on your study type and home location.

Full-time students

Home

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount).

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount).

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

International

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,960.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

Part-time students

Home

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £3,100 per year (where the full-time option takes three years).

As a part-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £3,100 per year (where the full-time option takes three years).

As a part-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

UCAS Link

Visit UCAS

Modules

• The Neuro-musculo-skeletal System 1
• Complementary Therapies – Therapeutic Massage I
• Foundations of Sport and Exercise Performance
• Introduction to Research
• Introduction to Sport and Exercise Therapy
• Foundations of Rehabilitation
• Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Therapeutic Assessment and Management
• Therapeutic Techniques
• Exercise Testing and Prescription
• Methods of Enquiry
• New Business Development
• Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• Exercise, Health and Behaviour

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course.

Course summary

The course will develop your practitioner expertise and confidence through a detailed knowledge and reflective understanding of therapeutic applications in sport and exercise settings. The course will incorporate the identification of appropriate treatments with a range of clients, the planning and application of remedial or preventative therapies, examine how to develop an ethical relationship with a client, and how to organise an effective business environment.

In year one, you will gain a foundation of knowledge from aspects of physiotherapy (musculoskeletal anatomy and assessment, and massage therapy) and sports science (including biomechanics, physiology and introduction to research). This is developed and further applied in year two through studies of exercise physiology, testing and prescription, and nutrition. You will also develop further clinical skills in functional rehabilitation and therapeutic techniques.

Your learning will take place through a range of practical and theoretical activities, and your assessment will include a mixture of reports, case studies, essays, presentations, reflective logs, practical demonstrations and examinations. You will have the opportunity to go on placement in each year of study, either onsite or externally in sports massage/injury clinics, sports clubs and fitness centres.