Physiotherapy (pre-registration)

• 2:1 (upper second class) Honours in any relevant subject.
• This may include (but is not limited to): biology, behavioural science, sports science, physiology, health science, or a health-related profession which ideally contains human anatomy and physiology.

Degrees must be completed, awarded and certified by 1 August in the year of entry. Failure to comply with this may result in the withdrawal of any offer issued by St George’s.

Experience of the research process and/or completion of an undergraduate dissertation are essential.

Applicants who obtain lower than 2:1 honours undergraduate degree, or have completed their undergraduate degree outside of a five year period including the year of application, will be considered if their application is supported by another: biology, behavioural science, sports science, physiology, health science, or a health-related profession masters/PhD degree. These applicants are required to obtain a minimum of merit at master level.

We welcome applications from applicants around the world. For information on the requirements for your country, please visit our International Qualifications for Postgraduate Study page.

If you are applying from outside of the UK, you will need to meet the English language requirements outlined here. This is a Group 1 course.

In addition to meeting the academic criteria for admission, you should be able to demonstrate a keen interest in and commitment to working with people, be able to identify relevant transferable skills that would make you a good physiotherapist, demonstrate a broad awareness of the scope of physiotherapy, and have obtained some relevant work experience where possible. All of this should be evident from your UCAS personal statement. Applicants who do not demonstrate this are unlikely to be invited for interview.

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants for medicine and allied health courses trying to gain work experience at this time, particularly in clinical settings.

In response to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have chosen to relax our work experience requirements for prospective applicants for our courses which would normally require these.

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to have an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career. Online resources can give you valuable insight into working in the healthcare sector and outline the wide range of careers and courses available. You can find a number of suggested resources for each of our courses here.

If you meet the entry requirements above, you will be invited to attend a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). This will usually be in-person, however we can also offer remote MMIs for international applicants.

You can find further information about this process on our MMI Guidance page, however please note that some of this information may change for those applying during the 2025 application cycle.

Should you receive an offer to study at St George’s, you will be required to complete a health check and be declared fit to study and practise by the Occupational Health (OH) department before you begin your studies.

The following vaccinations are mandatory for all healthcare students before you begin your studies:

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
• Meningococcal meningitis
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Poliomyelitis
• Tetanus

As part of the process, you will also be screened by the OH team for Chickenpox, Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

We do not currently require you to have been vaccinated against Covid-19, but we strongly recommend that you get double vaccinated before the start of your studies, unless medically exempt.

When admitting candidates to study and practise as a health practitioner, we have an obligation to both patients and to the individual student. Candidates who are concerned about a health issue are advised to contact us.

This course will include work with children and vulnerable adults, so you will be required to submit a series of declarations.

If you are invited to an interview, we will request some additional information from you, regarding your criminal record, educational history and employment history. You will also have the opportunity to make any other declarations that you’d like us to be aware of. We may not able to consider applicants who were suspended from previous study/work due to fitness to practise issues or failure in assessments/examinations.

If you are made an offer, you will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. More information about this is sent to applicants as part of the admissions process.

Due to the demanding nature of the programme, it is important that applicants can demonstrate recent engagement in education. If the qualifications that you are applying on the basis of (e.g. Level 3 or degree level qualifications) were awarded more than five years ago (e.g. before summer 2020), it may still be possible for us to consider your application. In this case, we would look at supplementary level 3 qualifications, or relevant work experience, that you have undertaken within the last five years.

These applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, following submission of a UCAS application.

The main focus is on the foundation skills of physiotherapy, using a problem-solving approach. The modules draw on some of the year two modules of the BSc Physiotherapy and integrate with other professions and existing Master's level modules.

You will study the broader concepts of clinical practice and the preventive and innovative role of physiotherapy to meet changing health and social care needs. You will share modules with year three BSc and postgraduate professionals in order to further develop critical thinking and leadership skills in an interprofessional environment.

Year One 

Foundations of Physiotherapy

This module offers students the opportunity to enhance prior knowledge and skills in order to build a foundation for physiotherapy practice with an emphasis on a patient–centred approach. The module consists of understanding the different dimensions of being a healthcare professional. It will integrate the application of theoretical knowledge to the clinical setting by building on the basic clinical skills and problem-solving approaches required to be a safe and effective physiotherapist.

Neurological Physiotherapy

This module aims to develop the knowledge and understanding of the underlying theoretical and practical principles of neurological physiotherapy practice in the management of neurological movement dysfunction, including the impact of living with long term conditions.

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

This module is designed to build on student’s musculoskeletal assessment and treatment / management skills and develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills in relation to specific assessment findings. The module will prepare the student for the musculoskeletal component of placement and later clinical practice with emphasis on a self-directed learning approach for evidence informed practice.

Cardio-Respiratory Physiotherapy

This module aims to further develop cardio-respiratory knowledge and skills obtained in other modules and enable students to extend their clinical reasoning and practical skills for the effective physiotherapy management of individual patients with variety of cardio-respiratory dysfunctions.

These modules will facilitate the individualised assessment and management of these patients, which may arise across different care pathways and settings e.g., acute care, rehabilitation, long-term management and end-of-life care. This will prepare student for future work promoting health and collaborating with patients to facilitate self-management within the various specialisms of physiotherapy practice.

Human Behaviour and Rehabilitation

This module will explore concepts, theories and evidence that underpin current understandings of human behaviour and particularly in relation to health and wellbeing maintenance and rehabilitation. It will develop an in-depth understanding of psychological, cultural and sociological influences on human behaviour and well-being. The module will also explore rehabilitation strategies and interventions to promote physical activity for individuals in a variety of contexts and settings in which physiotherapists work. The approach taken will be person-centred and will develop the students’ ability to understand the influence of the environment in which patients live, their social relationships and their culture. The critical nature of the module reflects its standard as a level 7 module.

Evaluation and Research

This module looks at a range of quantitative and qualitative research study designs and approaches and will investigate their advantages and disadvantages. The focus will be on good research practice and the methodologies and tools used by these. Appraisal and expository writing skills will be introduced while the research process will be situated within a framework of critical thinking and reflection. The evaluation of research will be addressed in the journal clubs which will require the student groups to reflect on why they have chosen a particular article and how this might influence their practice.

Reflective Practice–Practice Placements 1 & 2

This module introduces the integration of theory into physiotherapy practice via two 6-week practice placements. Students will apply key scientific and psychosocial principles to their practice and develop a reflective stance to reasoning in physiotherapy.

 Year Two

Complex Management

This module acknowledges the increasing complexity of health care across all disciplines. Long held certainties about causality in healthcare and wellbeing are being challenged by constantly changing insights into new areas of research as well as policy changes. An older population and a higher survival rate across the lifespan form the background to this module. Populations with substantial and ongoing health needs will be the focus of this module, for example end of life rehabilitation, pain management and self-management strategies. Instead of looking for linear solutions this module will look for interconnections. The ethical burden of working in contemporary health and social care will be discussed allowing students to enhance their employability once they enter the health sector after qualifying.

Critical Practice -Practice Placements 3, 4 and 5

This module continues the integration of theory into physiotherapy practice via three 6-week practice placements. Students develop their critical thinking and application of evidence-based principles to their practice in preparation for working as a graduate physiotherapist.

Personalised Professional Development

The fundamental underpinning of this module is choice. It provides students with an opportunity to choose an area of professional practice that is of interest to them and to investigate it thoroughly, through engagement with professionals, patients and service users. The module will facilitate the students in investigating, reflecting upon and presenting their chosen topic. It is intended that this will optimise students’ confidence and employability in a wholly inclusive way.

Research Projects

This is an inter-professional module in which physiotherapy and occupational therapy students are taught together in lectures, tutorials, workshops and simulation to meet the learning needs of each group of students. This module provides experience of justifying, designing and implementing a research project. Students will work through the research process including ethical considerations and writing in the style of an academic journal. The module provides an opportunity to analyse data, critique the findings and discuss how they may be applied to clinical practice.

Quality and Innovation in Health & Social Care

This module integrates interprofessional working and contemporary concepts of service improvement in practice. Students will examine how policy, research and opinion can support innovation and enhance the service users’ experience. Themes may include understanding of the current health and social care sector in the UK and beyond, regulatory and quality bodies in England, population change and the impact on AHP practice (e.g., practice guidelines). The module will foster engagement with the concepts of sustainable, transformative health and social care environments.

You will benefit from the support of a personal tutor, peer group learning and a range of web-based learning materials and online discussion forums. Teaching also takes place in our specially designed rehabilitation skills labs.

Self-directed study

You will study an area of interest in depth, developing research and presentation skills and gaining insight into possible careers.

Practice placements are undertaken in a variety of healthcare environments including acute NHS hospital trusts, community based services, mental health trusts and private hospitals. The supervised hands-on experience is an essential opportunity to put theory into practice.

We use a range of assessment techniques, chosen to match the outcomes being learned and developed within each module. These include written (essays, posters, presentations, reflective writing, case reports) and practical assessments of physiotherapy skills during lab-based sessions and on placement.

In your second year, we ask you to produce a research paper (reporting on a research project you complete with peers), a report proposing a quality improvement to current practice, and a case study and reflective portfolio to show how you manage complexity in physiotherapy practice. You will also be offered a chance to investigate and present a topic that's of personal/professional interest at our annual student conference.

Supporting the rehabilitation of people who have suffered physical impairment due to accidents, operations, illnesses or who have long term conditions that affect their physical functions.
Using exercise and therapeutic treatments to help people in their rehabilitation.

Supporting people of all ages and backgrounds with physical disabilities, mental health needs, learning disabilities or who are dying. Their aim is to help rehabilitate people and support them to achieve the best possible quality of life, further supported by the role that physiotherapists have in public health and health promotion

Community settings where physiotherapists work include:

• GP surgeries
• community clinics
• people's homes
• specialist clinics
• hospices

Roles available outside NHS health settings include:

• private clinics and hospitals
• sports clubs
• commercial organisations
• the armed forces
• health clubs
• charity organisations
• working with people with physical and mental problems
• research and education

Visit the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy website.

You must provide:

• full details of your Level 2 (GCSE or equivalent) qualifications with grades
• full details of your Level 3 (A Level or equivalent) qualifications with achieved/predicted grades
• full details of your degree qualification(s) with achieved/predicted grades
• a personal statement (more information about this document is available on the UCAS website)
• an academic reference from your current or most recent institutions with predicted grades

We will consider applications from applicants who wish to defer entry by a year, provided you plan to use the time constructively. If you are offered a place on the course and subsequently decide to defer, you must inform us by 1 June of the year of application.

Acknowledgement emails are sent out as soon as we receive your application. Please make sure that your email account is able to accept communications from St George’s as we will mainly communicate with you via email.

Fees are reviewed on an annual basis.

Find out more about fees and funding.

Fees are reviewed on an annual basis.

Find out more about fees and funding.

The table below highlights the additional course-specific costs related to this degree. Visit the additional course-related costs for more information on general costs to consider alongside your studies.

To be eligible for a scholarship you must:

• have completed an application for the course
• not already be qualified at Masters level or above (e.g. PhD)
• must be self-funding (courses fully funded by the NHS or students receiving employer or sponsor funding are not eligible)
• have or be predicted to obtain at least a 2:1.

Please note scholarships cannot be deferred to 2025 or later entry.

Applicants with the highest scores across all courses will be considered for the scholarship and may be invited for interview.

If you are a Home (UK) or International (EU or non-EU) applicant applying for a taught postgraduate programme which has a scholarship, you will be automatically considered for the scholarship, providing you apply by the deadline (31 January 2024).

You do not need to submit an additional application form. However, you may be asked to attend a physical or virtual interview.

Successful candidates will be those whom the Scholarship Committee consider will make a positive contribution to the academic environment at St George's and achieve the highest scores.

Your application will be scored based on:

• your degree classification
• your personal statement
• your interview
• your references.