Sports therapy is a dynamic field and therapists are a crucial part of medical teams at many sports clubs, working alongside physios, sports medicine doctors, and sports scientists.
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Therapy at Lincoln provides an academic degree alongside a vocational qualification, offering you the chance to develop the skills needed to work within the sports therapy industry.
You can learn how to apply sports science knowledge and principles to the assessment and treatment of injuries within a sporting context. As well as focusing on the theory and practice of sports therapy, you'll have the chance to develop your understanding of anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, and health-related fitness.
The degree has been developed in response to the increasing role that sports therapy can play in improving health. Upon successful completion, you'll be able to assess athletes with a wide variety of sports injuries, understand the application of sports therapy treatments, and implement rehabilitation and injury prevention programmes.
The course has been developed in collaboration with The Society of Sports Therapists, an accrediting regulatory body for sports therapy programmes.
Accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists
Gain experience in the sports massage clinic
Partnered with Lincoln City FC and a range of external partners
Learn from our expert academic team members
Subject area ranked 3rd overall in the UK*
*Complete University Guide 2025 (out of 56 ranking institutions)
The degree reflects current research informed teaching and innovation within the sector. Academic staff have a range of professional experience, from working clinically to sports therapy roles within professional sports teams.
The first year is designed to provide a solid knowledge-base, introducing sports therapy alongside sports science theory and concepts such as anatomy and physiology. Second year teaching builds on skills in sports therapy and provides the opportunity to convert theoretical sport science knowledge into practice. In the third year, the course combines core and optional modules, which aim to develop understanding of advanced sport therapy treatments while allowing students to focus on the topics that are of most interest to them.
Across the three years of study students will experience a wide range of delivery methods including lectures, seminars, practical labs and clinic work.
This course has been developed in collaboration with The Society of Sports Therapists, an accrediting regulatory body for sports therapy programmes.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, contact hours, and our return to face-to-face teaching.
Based on optional modules selected and the grades achieved within these modules, sport and exercise therapy students can opt to undertake additional optional awards in Gym Instruction and Personal Training that are industry-recognised by CIMSPA (additional fee associated) further expanding career path options.
In order to comply with the requirements of The Society of Sports Therapists, students will be required to accumulate 200 hours of supervised clinical placements in a variety of settings. Students are primarily responsible for finding a placement and covering costs associated such as travel, whilst academics may be able to support the process of acquiring a placement. Checks will be conducted prior to placement commencement to ensure the suitability of the placement to the needs of the student and suitability to the scope of practice of a sports therapist.
You can gain practical experience of providing exercise therapy in a real-world, professional setting by taking part in the University of Lincoln Sports Massage Clinic in the second year. The clinic provides University staff and students access to massage treatments for pre- and post-sport performance, post-injury recovery, or general maintenance of physical and mental wellbeing.
In the third year you can take part in the Sports Injury Clinic which allows staff and students to access musculoskeletal injury assessment, advice, treatment, and rehabilitation for a range of injuries.
Both clinics operate under supervision of a qualified practitioner and the clinical experience contributes to the placement hours required on the course
This degree provides a rigorous academic qualification, and the opportunity to graduate with a CV with professional qualifications and experience.
Cathy Thomas
Head of the School of Sport and Exercise Science
Our Human Performance Centre offers dedicated practical and teaching spaces including physiology laboratories, a psychology laboratory, consultation suites, and specific practical spaces to support exercise instruction and referral work. Our experienced staff have academic and professional expertise in a range of areas including sport and exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, coach education, and sports nutrition. High-profile sports organisations have used the facilities, including British Canoeing and British Ice Skating.
Our Human Performance Centre offers dedicated practical and teaching spaces including physiology laboratories, a psychology laboratory, consultation suites, and specific practical spaces to support exercise instruction and referral work. Our experienced staff have academic and professional expertise in a range of areas including sport and exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, coach education, and sports nutrition. High-profile sports organisations have used the facilities, including British Canoeing and British Ice Skating.
Our Human Performance Centre offers dedicated practical and teaching spaces including physiology laboratories, a psychology laboratory, consultation suites, and specific practical spaces to support exercise instruction and referral work. Our experienced staff have academic and professional expertise in a range of areas including sport and exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, coach education, and sports nutrition. High-profile sports organisations have used the facilities, including British Canoeing and British Ice Skating.
Our Human Performance Centre offers dedicated practical and teaching spaces including physiology laboratories, a psychology laboratory, consultation suites, and specific practical spaces to support exercise instruction and referral work. Our experienced staff have academic and professional expertise in a range of areas including sport and exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, coach education, and sports nutrition. High-profile sports organisations have used the facilities, including British Canoeing and British Ice Skating.
Our Human Performance Centre offers dedicated practical and teaching spaces including physiology laboratories, a psychology laboratory, consultation suites, and specific practical spaces to support exercise instruction and referral work. Our experienced staff have academic and professional expertise in a range of areas including sport and exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, coach education, and sports nutrition. High-profile sports organisations have used the facilities, including British Canoeing and British Ice Skating.
Our ongoing partnership with Lincoln City FC offers you opportunities to undertake work placement or internship opportunities, as well as providing a potential pathway for full-time employment after you graduate. Many Lincoln graduates are employed within the organisation in roles spanning coaching, physiotherapy, sports science, and performance analysis.
Assessment methods used on this course include written examinations, multiple choice examinations, written assignments, lab reports, presentations, practical assessments, and short-format assessments.
Graduate roles might include working as self-employed sports therapists or within professional sports clubs or private practice. Further opportunities may exist in the health and sport sectors or through research careers.
104 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications.
BTEC Extended Diploma: Distinction, Merit, Merit.
T Level: Merit
Access to Higher Education Diploma: 45 Level 3 credits with a minimum of 104 UCAS Tariff points.
International Baccalaureate: 28 points overall.
GCSE's: Minimum of five at grade 4 or above, which must include English, Maths and a Science or sport related subject. Equivalent Level 2 qualifications may also be considered.
The University accepts a wide range of qualifications as the basis for entry and do accept a combination of qualifications which may include A Levels, BTECs, EPQ etc.
We may also consider applicants with extensive and relevant work experience and will give special individual consideration to those who do not meet the standard entry qualifications.
Non UK Qualifications:
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages for information on equivalent qualifications.
https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/
EU and Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page.
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills courses.
If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the Admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk
Going to university is a life-changing step and it's important to understand the costs involved and the funding options available before you start. A full breakdown of the fees associated with this programme can be found on our course fees pages.
For eligible undergraduate students going to university for the first time, scholarships and bursaries are available to help cover costs. To help support students from outside of the UK, we are also delighted to offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
The best way to find out what it is really like to live and learn at Lincoln is to visit us in person. We offer a range of opportunities across the year to help you to get a real feel for what it might be like to study here.
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