Course finder

Allied health courses in the UK

Every pre-registration course this site holds: 677 programmes at 101 universities across 15 allied health professions. Pick a profession to compare providers, awards, entry requirements and location side by side.

677 Approved courses Pre-registration, all four nations
101 Universities Providers with at least one course listed
15 Professions with courses
2 years Shortest programme Longest is 4 years

What is in this catalogue, and what counts as a course

Every entry here is a pre-registration programme — one that takes you from no qualification in the profession to being eligible to apply for registration with the regulator, which is the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for every profession here except osteopaths, regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). Post-qualifying master's degrees, top-up courses and CPD modules are deliberately not in scope: they will not get you on the register, so putting them in the same list as a course that will is actively misleading.

The catalogue currently splits across 4 training routes — undergraduate degree (314), pre-registration master’s (203), degree apprenticeship (124) and integrated master’s (36) . That mix is the single most useful thing on this page. An undergraduate degree and a pre-registration master's lead to exactly the same registration and the same first job, but they suit different starting points: the master's assumes you already hold a relevant degree, and it is shorter and much more intensive. The 124 degree apprenticeships listed work differently again — you are employed and paid throughout, and you need an employer willing to sponsor you before a university place means anything.

Courses in this catalogue sit in England (577), Scotland (58), Wales (31) and Northern Ireland (11). Which nation you study in matters more than most applicants expect. Registration is UK-wide, so a degree approved in Cardiff lets you work in Newcastle — but tuition fees, the student finance body you deal with and the bursary or learning support you can claim are all set nation by nation, and some schemes ask for a commitment to work in that nation afterwards. Check funding before you decide that a course in another nation is simply a longer commute.

182 of the 677 courses listed carry a UCAS code, which is the ones you apply to through the central UCAS system. Where a course has no UCAS code, you normally apply direct to the university — that is usual for pre-registration master's programmes and near-universal for apprenticeships, where the vacancy is advertised by the employer rather than the university. Entry requirements are shown where the provider publishes them in a form this site can cite; where they are absent the course page says so rather than guessing.

Courses by profession

Sorted by the number of approved courses. Follow a profession through to compare every provider offering it.

Approved pre-registration courses by profession
Profession Courses Universities Routes Nations
Physiotherapist 139 68 Apprenticeship, MSc pre-reg, BSc and MSci England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Occupational therapist 129 56 Apprenticeship, MSc pre-reg, BSc and MSci England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Paramedic 80 51 BSc, Apprenticeship, MSc pre-reg and MSci England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Diagnostic radiographer 67 37 BSc, Apprenticeship, MSc pre-reg and MSci Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Operating department practitioner 59 30 Apprenticeship, BSc and MSc pre-reg England, Wales and Scotland
Dietitian 57 31 MSc pre-reg, BSc, Apprenticeship and MSci England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Speech and language therapist 51 29 Apprenticeship, MSc pre-reg, BSc and MSci England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Podiatrist 31 17 BSc, MSc pre-reg, Apprenticeship and MSci Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Therapeutic radiographer 18 13 MSc pre-reg, BSc and Apprenticeship England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Osteopath 12 8 BSc, MSci and MSc pre-reg England and Wales
Art therapist 11 11 MSc pre-reg England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
Music therapist 8 8 MSc pre-reg England, Scotland and Wales
Orthoptist 6 4 BSc, MSc pre-reg and Apprenticeship Scotland and England
Dramatherapist 5 5 MSc pre-reg England and Scotland
Prosthetist/orthotist 4 4 MSc pre-reg, Apprenticeship and BSc England and Scotland
ApprenticeshipMSc pre-regBScMSci

Physiotherapist courses

People of all ages with musculoskeletal pain and injury, neurological conditions, respiratory and cardiac disease, frailty and falls risk, long-term conditions, and those recovering from surgery or critical illness.

139 courses68 universities4 nations
ApprenticeshipMSc pre-regBScMSci

Occupational therapist courses

People of all ages recovering from surgery, stroke or injury, and people living with mental illness, learning disability, dementia, long-term conditions or physical disability who want to live more independently.

129 courses56 universities4 nations
BScApprenticeshipMSc pre-regMSci

Paramedic courses

People of all ages with acute illness, injury, mental health crisis or long-term conditions who call for urgent help, from cardiac arrest and major trauma to falls, breathing problems and end-of-life care at home.

80 courses51 universities4 nations
BScApprenticeshipMSc pre-regMSci

Diagnostic radiographer courses

Patients of all ages, from newborns to older people, who need imaging for diagnosis, screening, monitoring or image-guided treatment, including trauma, cancer, cardiac and emergency patients.

67 courses37 universities4 nations
ApprenticeshipBScMSc pre-reg

Operating department practitioner courses

Patients of all ages undergoing planned or emergency surgery and other procedures requiring anaesthesia, alongside surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre nurses and support workers.

59 courses30 universities3 nations
MSc pre-regBScApprenticeshipMSci

Dietitian courses

People of all ages with medical conditions affected by diet — including digestive, kidney, metabolic and swallowing disorders, malnutrition, food allergy, obesity and eating disorders — as well as healthy populations.

57 courses31 universities4 nations
ApprenticeshipMSc pre-regBScMSci

Speech and language therapist courses

Children and adults with speech, language, communication or swallowing needs, including people after stroke or brain injury, autistic people, people with learning disabilities, progressive neurological conditions, head and neck cancer and voice disorders.

51 courses29 universities4 nations
BScMSc pre-regApprenticeshipMSci

Podiatrist courses

People of all ages with foot and lower limb problems, particularly those living with diabetes, circulatory or neurological disease and arthritis, children with walking or lower limb pain, and athletes and dancers.

31 courses17 universities4 nations
MSc pre-regBScApprenticeship

Therapeutic radiographer courses

Adults and children having radiotherapy for cancer, and their families and carers, throughout planning, daily treatment, side-effect management and follow-up.

18 courses13 universities4 nations
BScMSciMSc pre-reg

Osteopath courses

Adults, older people, children and babies with musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, sports and occupational injuries, pregnancy-related pain and chronic pain conditions.

12 courses8 universities2 nations
MSc pre-reg

Art therapist courses

Children, young people, adults and older people living with mental health difficulties, trauma, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, dementia, life-limiting illness or emotional and behavioural difficulties.

11 courses11 universities4 nations
MSc pre-reg

Music therapist courses

People of all ages with emotional or mental health difficulties, learning or physical disabilities, developmental conditions including autism, neurological conditions, dementia, and life-limiting or palliative illness.

8 courses8 universities3 nations
BScMSc pre-regApprenticeship

Orthoptist courses

Babies, children and adults with squint, amblyopia, double vision, reduced or unstable vision, and patients with stroke, acquired brain injury, thyroid eye disease, glaucoma, diabetes or neurological conditions.

6 courses4 universities2 nations
MSc pre-reg

Dramatherapist courses

People of all ages — children, young people, adults and older people — with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, neurological conditions or serious illness.

5 courses5 universities2 nations
MSc pre-regApprenticeshipBSc

Prosthetist/orthotist courses

People with limb loss including military veterans and people with vascular disease or diabetes, children with cerebral palsy and congenital conditions, and adults with arthritis, neurological conditions, sports injuries or spinal deformity.

4 courses4 universities2 nations

Where the courses are

Course counts by region across every profession. Placement travel is the practical constraint most applicants underestimate — a course in a region with several NHS trusts within reach is a materially different experience from one where placements are two hours away.

Courses by region
Region Nation Courses
London England 86
West Midlands England 83
South East England 73
North West England 71
Yorkshire and The Humber England 68
South West England 63
Scotland Scotland 58
East of England England 53
East Midlands England 42
North East England 34
Wales Wales 31
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 11

Related

Where this page’s data comes from

Course approval, award and provider details are compiled from the sources below. Each course page carries the individual references used for that programme.