Help with sports science please

[Midlifecryses]

Please help I’m losing my mind. Too busy in a stressful job within the education sector has ironically resulted in me taking my eye off the ball!!

DC wants to be a sports physio but would like to do undergrad in Sport and Exercise Science, Sports Therapy etc rather than a Physiotherapy degree.

Would like a work placement year. Is doing extended BTEC with predicted minimum DDD with at least one * so anything requiring Biology A Level is out, even with a foundation year because the course will be too long if they do end up doing a Physiotherapy top up afterwards. Good GCSE grades if needed.

is mainly interested in the biometrics and anatomy. Doesn’t like sports psychology. So looking for more emphasis on clinical practice etc.

we have booked in to some open days uni of Notts, Bath, Liverpool John Moore, Leeds. But I can’t get my head round which are good unis and which are not. We are midlands based but there is no preference on location. Not really bothered if it’s a big city like Manchester or a smaller city.

Hoping for somewhere with good connections for sports clubs and establishments for placements, facilities etc. This is probably the main concern, they don want to end up somewhere with a good degree on paper but no practical experience.

so my question is where is good for Sports Therapy/physio type course.

they don’t play a sport so won’t be looking to play

TIA a desperate mum

Does your son intend to take a physiotherapist degree after a first degree in sports science or sports therapy? Without an A level in biology he would struggle to get on any of those courses. Sports science is not an easy option and good A levels in Biology and a Maths/Physics option would really help. You can’t go and call yourself a sports physiotherapist without a physiotherapist degree but can call yourself a sports therapist. He will find it hard to get into physiotherapist without 3 very good A levels. My son has a 2.1 and a masters in sport and exercise science and then a masters in physiotherapist. He had A level biology, physics, chemistry at grade B and sports science at A star.Hope this helps

To do sports physio you need to train as a physiotherapist first. There are a lot of sports science degrees on offer but not many jobs at the end of them. In football for eg. all the sports scientists employed by professional clubs are ex players.

Sorry I don’t think I’ve explained myself very well.

Thanks for the replies both but that’s not really what I’m looking for.

@RedHelenB DC doesn’t want to do that kind of job. She only wants to be a sports physiotherapist so wouldn’t be looking at those jobs.

She is looking at an undergrad in Sports Therapy OR Sports Science followed by the fast track physiotherapy masters which would qualify her. I can see how the wording made it look like she was going to try and go straight in to it but as I explained further down knowing she has these extra 2 years means she doesn’t want to add on a foundation year.

@allmycats your advice goes against everything we have seen and been advised. Many Physiotherapy course accept extended diploma in S&E, as do they accept sports therapy for the Masters. Are you saying they advertise that they do but in reality they don’t?
she isn’t looking for an easy course, despite good GCSE results and a place to study Maths, Biology and PE at 6th Form, she knew her path and decided this course will give her a better foundation of knowledge. Even her biology teacher said the A level course content isn’t going to help her! While I understand the point is that passing 3 science A Levels shows a high level of intelligence, she has opted to use these two years to build her knowledge. We are lucky enough to live near a renown Sport College with top quality teaching and facilities.

with respect, that ship has sailed. I am just looking for advice on sports course and unis.

It's not that clear from your first post what the priority for the UG is. Are you looking at 'good inis' - in terms of what, prestige (Bath, Leeds), content of degree (no shortcut here - your dc has to trawl the website for details of modules), or something else?

If the plan is to then go straight to MSc reputation isn't really that important. Most unis are pretty good at not excluding applicants from unis with lower entry requirements. So maybe don't sweat the idea of a 'good' (RG plus I assume) uni, but focus on content.

That said Bath are very good and lots of their degrees offer placements (again though your dc would need to ascertain if they provide contacts or if they'd be doing the legwork themselves).

Loughborough is the obvious choice of course, but I think Bath is a close second. Also Birmingham and Exeter worth a look. Surrey has always offered placements so likely to have contacts, although your dc should be open to seeking their own contacts for a placement. It's a shame they don't have a sport to find contexts from.

Your dc really needs to ask at open days (also TSR for real life experience) how placements are gained.

Have you considered Hartpury?

Does your son intend to take a physiotherapist degree after a first degree in sports science or sports therapy? Without an A level in biology he would struggle to get on any of those courses. Sports science is not an easy option and good A levels in Biology and a Maths/Physics option would really help. You can’t go and call yourself a sports physiotherapist without a physiotherapist degree but can call yourself a sports therapist. He will find it hard to get into physiotherapist without 3 very good A levels. My son has a 2.1 and a masters in sport and exercise science and then a masters in physiotherapist. He had A level biology, physics, chemistry at grade B and sports science at A star.Hope this helps

DS did sports therapy & rehabilitation undergrad at Northampton Uni. He had no science related A levels, but got his first choice Uni. He graduated with a 1st class honours, and came top in the whole country for the course he was doing and won 3 prestigious prizes along the way. He worked and had placements in a private school near Uni, the county cricket club and, after graduating, landed a prime job as assistant physio at Bath Rugby.

Despite all of that, neither he, nor any of his friends, were accepted onto the physiotherapy masters degree at any uni they applied for straight after their graduation. He took a job as an assistant physio in a large hospital and reapplied for the following year. One year on he has just started a 2yr Physiotherapy Masters Degree at Kings College London.

The feedback he was given for being rejected immediately after graduation was his age (very young as birthday late august), and lack of experience in a working environment.

Hope all this helps.

Op
Why doesn’t she just go into physiotherapy?
She will be taught what she needs to know

Thanks for all of your replies, yes my first post was awful🙈

@Dotcheck mainly because she definitely only wants to do sports physio so wants to study in that environment. Partly “just in case” which has kind of gone now as she has now decided it’s definitely the Sports Therapy not Sport and Exercise Science she wants to apply for. She wants to avoid all of the content that isn’t anatomy based.

@nokidshere we have just had a conversation about this. I have made it very clear she will have to earn her stripes before she can apply, this is going to be a long haul!! She is looking fir a course with a placement year but some don’t accept that as experience.

@titchy it’s more about the facilities, connections etc. Although it looks like most have multi million pound facilities. A few do list their links. I was just worried about falling in to the trap of being blinded different rankings for different things.
We are booked in for Bath so will still visit even though they don’t offer the exact course. BCU looking like a favourite at the moment, modules look great.

May as well risk being identified, I did NC before the post. She is currently at Loughborough College. They have great links with the Uni, it’s a cross the road, but she wants to go somewhere different. When she started they held a parents evening where they warned is that most students want to spread their wings and go somewhere new. I would be more than happy for her to stay in Lboro but I also get it. I’d have felt the same.

Yes a shame no contacts. Older brothers very sporty to varying degrees. They do have some contacts all midlands based and I have a couple of clinical contacts.

@blobby10 yes Hartbury on the list. Looks really good and one that I’m not worried a out at all.

thanks so much all, I actually feel so much better reading these replies. She just needs to keep shortlisting, she has a list of questions for open days. I need to stop overthinking!

@Midlifecryses my daughter went there so PM me if you have any questions 😀😀

She needs to have a think about her priorities/likes (campus or not, rural or city, what are her interests outside the course, how far from home etc), narrow her list down with that in mind and then work through Open Days and research module choice - if she doesn’t like sports psychology for example, she could cross off all the courses with a big focus on that.

If she’s not sure on a few of those criteria get her to go and look at Loughborough. Even if she doesn’t want to go, itll help her think about the bits that appeal and don’t. As she’s only over the road in a linked college maybe she could ask college to arrange a 1-2-1 tour? If you could go with her that might be helpful

Have you looked at UCFB? Based either in London on Manchester. All their degrees are very practical with fantastic industry links. Because they aren't a 'traditional' university they can be more flexible with their approach to teaching/ learning. It everyone's cup of tea, but my DS loves it. Not sure if they the course you are looking for.

www.ucfb.ac.uk/

@Midlifecryses this is a perfectly acceptable route into sports therapy/physiotherapy and it sounds like your DD knows what she wants, which always helps. I speak as someone who lives with 2 people who work in sport (albeit in a different capacity from what your DD wants to do), and I myself am a qualified physio, though I no longer work in that occupation.

This link might be of interest as it's specific to sports therapy:
https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/search/course?utf8=%E2%9C%93&c%5Bq%5D=sports+therapy&c%5Bsort%5D=relevance

Two of my children did Sports Science - one at Bath University (4 year with a year placement) and one at Leeds University. Both had a great time and now have very well paying jobs - one with a national sporting body and one in health/sport nutrition.

Bath were great at placements - she did hers in the Bath Sports Science Institute on campus and got a lot out of it.

Loads of people told them the degree was a waste of time and we're just talking rubbish! They were tough scientific degrees covering anatomy, health, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition etc

Depending on what your DD wants, Exeter has an excellent reputation for Sports Science. A friend’s daughter has recently graduated from there and loved the course.

The Princess of Wales visited last week to meet the GB wheelchair rugby league team. Includes placement. https://www.hull.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/sport-rehabilitation-bsc?year=2024&opt=standard

Would your DD consider a course like SCRAM (Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage)? My DD has just started this course at Cardiff Met and is loving it so far. She did consider physio but wasn't doing Biology A-level (did PE, Psych and Business Studies) so a lot of physio courses weren't open to her. She also knew she didn't want to work as an NHS Physio. I'm not sure what her future career will be, but many of their alumni have gone on to do the MSc Physio course to become 'proper' Physios. In addition, many others working within the SCRAM departments of big sports teams.

What about this as an option?They also run a degree in sport rehab.

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/universities/university-of-salford-3968/school-of-health-and-society-15500/courses/sports-injury-rehabilitation-45305

When my DS was looking at similar, Portsmouth was very good and they are well recognised for their research into this area as well - worth a look

Sheffield also very highly regarded for sports science

Has she looked at Newcastle or Northumbria? Both are well regarded.

@Midlifecryses the sports physio profession is very crowded, so your daughter may need to resign herself to being freelance, and (without contacts and reputation) a low earner. Hopefully she is aware of this before she commits. She may have seen possible earnings online, but they mask the reality of the many freelancers who don't get much work.

Would she consider clinical physiotherapy instead? It may be less glamorous, but the demand is far higher.