Program Overview

Athletic Therapy and Training / Athletic Therapy and Strength and Conditioning (Integrated MSc)

Course Details

• CAO Code: DC204
• Course Type: Undergraduate
• NFQ Level: 8
• Placement: Yes
• Delivery Modes: Full-Time
• Minimum Points: 565
• Duration: 4 / 5 years

Overview

By doing this course, you’ll become an expert therapist skilled in preventing, assessing, treating and rehabilitating injuries associated with physical activity, including those experienced by elite athletes.

Incorporating multiple work placements, this course gives you extensive theoretical knowledge of how the body works and then shows you how to apply that expertise. It is an intensive, highly practical programme that immerses students in musculoskeletal medicine from an early stage.

Careers & Further Options

Careers

• Sports injury clinics
• Sports clubs and teams
• National governing bodies of sports associations
• Health and fitness centres
• Self-employed athletic therapist and trainer

Career Prospects

Athletic Therapist and Trainer

DCU Career Services

DCU graduates are highly sought after by employers. Our Graduates work in environments ranging from large multinationals to SMEs, family businesses and start-ups across every sector.

DCU Careers Service has a number of learning and development initiatives in place for our students, giving them the skills they need for a successful career path.

Entry Requirements

• Leaving Cert: Minimum of O4 or H6 in Mathematics and minimum of O4 or H6 in one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics with Chemistry or Agricultural Science
• GCE A Level: GCE A Level D or GCE AS Level C or GCSE C Mathematics and GCE A Level D or GCE AS Level C or GCSE C in one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics with Chemistry or Agricultural Science
• FET Level 5: Please visit our Admissions webpage for details on course requirements or how to apply to DCU.
• Mature Applicants: Mature entry is a competitive process. Applicants must demonstrate a genuine interest in the programme(s) they are applying for, academic experience and competency in their chosen field of study, and an ability to engage and succeed on the programme.
• Advanced Entry: Applicants that have completed at least one year of study at NFQ Level 6, 7 or 8 at another institution may apply to continue their studies on a similar programme at DCU.
• International Applications: International candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to those outlined above. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language.

Course Structure

This is a 4/5-year BSc in Athletic Therapy and Training degree (with the option to undertake an integrated Masters degree in Athletic Therapy and Strength and Conditioning from Year 4 subject to achieving a H2.2. or higher in Years 1 and 2).

Year 1

• Anatomy
• Strength and conditioning 1: Introduction to Exercise Science
• Physics for Health Science
• Motor Control and Learning
• Introduction to Athletic Therapy and Training
• Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Strength and Conditioning 2: Theoretical Approaches

Year 2

• Injuries
• Introduction to Clinical Practice
• Sport and Exercise Biomechanics
• Integrated Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Emergency Care
• Injury Prevention
• Ethics, Medicolegal and Consultation Skills
• Psychology of Injury

Year 3

• Injuries
• Nutrition
• Soft Tissue Therapies
• Injury, Exercise and Sport Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation and Chronic Illness Rehabilitation
• Clinical Reasoning in Practice
• Applied Modalities and Clinical Practice
• New Enterprise Development
• Research Methods

Year 4

• Clinical Experience
• Independent Clinical Practice
• Medicine in Sport
• Research Project
• Strength and Conditioning 3
• Developing the Clinician and the Strength and Conditioning Professional

Year 5 option of masters (MSc)

• Conditioning Exercise as Medicine
• Strength and Conditioning 4
• Clinical Exercise Physiology for Strength and Conditioning
• Research Project 2
• Advanced Clinical and Rehabilitation Experience
• Planning Skills for Sport Professionals

Fees and Funding

Fees

• Full time: Student Contribution €3,043 (Year 1- 4), EU Status Fee €8,415 Year (1 - 4), €8,400 (Year 5 Integrated Masters), Non EU Fee €19,600 (Year 1 - 4), €17,000 (Year 5 Integrated Masters)

How To Apply

• Applicants presenting EU school leaving examinations (EU, EFTA & UK): Apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) at cao.ie by 1st February or 1st May
• Applicants presenting examinations from outside the EU: Apply directly to DCU
• Mature Applicants: Apply through the CAO by 1st February
• Advanced Entry: EU applications are made via the CAO Advanced Entry route which will open on the 5th of November until 1st July

Life On Campus

• DCU has three academic campuses; Glasnevin, St. Patrick’s and All Hallows (both in Drumcondra), all close to Dublin City centre.
• Each campus has a library, study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies.
• There are sports facilities on Glasnevin and St. Patrick’s, and there is a dedicated sports campus, St Claire’s, located near Glasnevin on the Ballymun Road.

FAQs

• What is the difference between athletic therapy and training and physiotherapy?
• What postgraduate programmes can I go on to study after the BSc in Athletic Therapy and Training?
• How detailed are the science subjects in the sports science course and would it be manageable if I didn't do biology/chemistry/physics for LC?