Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy Programme description

The Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy is a three-year programme of professional study (180 credits). Students who complete the programme are awarded the degree of Bachelor in Physiotherapy, which forms the basis for one year’s practical training. After completing the programme and one year’s approved practical training, candidates can apply for authorisation as a physiotherapist pursuant to the Act relating to Health Personnel.

The programme description has been drawn up on the basis of the National Regulations relating to a Common Curriculum for Health and Social Care Education and the Regulations on national guidelines for physiotherapy education adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research. The programme was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The goal of physiotherapy is to improve the prerequisites for functioning, health, coping and self-realisation. Physiotherapists can contribute by building a foundation for physical learning and movement, and by affecting specific conditions of importance to an individual’s activity and participation.

Physiotherapy is both a field of knowledge and a profession. Physiotherapy provides knowledge about physical, psychological, social and existential dimensions of the human being, and the body, movement, functioning and interaction with surroundings lie at the heart of the field of knowledge. The theoretical foundation comprises knowledge from natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

Physiotherapists come into contact with people of all ages, with different diseases, injuries and levels of functioning, and from different social and cultural backgrounds. Physiotherapists have a duty to safeguard everyone’s right to equitable services.

Physiotherapy is practised via person-centred and evidence-based, reflective processes that include examination, assessment, clinical diagnostics, goal setting, measures and evaluation. Physiotherapy measures include manual techniques, exercises and guidance, as well as adaptation and adjustments in the user’s environment. Physiotherapists work with individuals and groups and at the cross-sector system level. The profession contributes to interprofessional cooperation and shares the responsibility for ensuring that habilitation and rehabilitation processes meet the user’s need for coordinated and comprehensive services.

The physiotherapy programme at OsloMet is based on the university’s values. Diversity and equality are fundamental values in the practice of physiotherapy in a diverse population. The programme therefore facilitates learning experiences that provide an understanding of individuals with unique life experiences, in all phases of life, and who live their lives in different arenas.

Relevance to working life

Physiotherapists work in local rehabilitation services, healthy life centres, schools/kindergartens, public health centres, nursing homes, home-based services and physiotherapy clinics. Physiotherapists also work in a number of fields in the specialist health service and are often employed at hospitals and rehabilitation institutions. At these institutions, physiotherapists contribute in health services for patients in the acute phase of disease and the early rehabilitation phase, as well as for patients who need specialised rehabilitation. Physiotherapists’ work also includes tasks relating to working life, including assessment, guidance and adaptation of the user’s working environment.

Relevance to further education

A bachelor’s in physiotherapy qualifies students for admission to several different further education and master’s programmes, both at OsloMet and at other institutions in Norway and abroad. OsloMet offers master’s programmes in physiotherapy, and rehabilitation and habilitation.

The target group is everyone who wishes to work as a physiotherapist. Applicants should be motivated to take responsibility for their own learning, cooperate with fellow students and enter a profession that involves a therapeutic relationshipwith people.

The admission requirements are the Higher Education Entrance Qualification or an assessment of prior learning and work experience, cf. the Regulations for admission to higher education. In connection with admission to the Bachelor’s Programme in Physiotherapy, applicants must submit a transcript of police records.

The use of clothing that covers the face is incompatible with taking the programme’s theoretical and practical training courses. During the practical training, the students must comply with the clothing regulations in force at all times at the relevant practical training establishment.

Requirements for admission based on prior learning and work experience

• The applicant must be over 25 years of age
• The applicant can not have general study competence
• The applicant must document a minimum of five year full-time professional experience within the teaching, health or social sector or equivalent, where the applicant has worked with patients, students or clients.

Course requirements

• Norwegian 393 hours
• English 140 hours

The PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) is a researcher education programme that focuses on disciplines such as childhood and adolescence, culture, early childhood education and schools, and teacher education and professional qualifications in a national and international perspective. The goal is to improve the teacher education programmes’ action competence and research-based knowledge base. The programme forms the basis for constructive and critical research assessments of education and education policy in fields of relevance to teacher education. In the programme, this takes place through analyses of childhood and adolescence, teaching, knowledge development and learning in various communicative, cultural and institutional contexts. The programme contributes to research that considers education, childhood and adolescence, and development from a more comprehensive perspective, from early childhood to higher education, in formal and informal learning arenas, both nationally and internationally.

Educational sciences of relevance to teacher education are characterised by single-discipline and multidisciplinary approaches and a diversity of theories and methods. It is a rapidly growing field that have led to academic differentiation and specialisation, as well as collaboration across disciplinary boundaries and scientific fields.

The programme facilitates research efforts in specific fields where the university has a special social remit and has developed special expertise. This applies in particular to the university’s remit to offer research-based early childhood, primary and lower secondary and vocational teacher education in a multicultural city context. The programme is also relevant to research relating to various vocational teacher education programmes aimed at upper secondary education and to research with a more general connection to the field of teacher education. The programme is based on, among other things, the requirement for more research-based teaching in higher education and the need to increase the level of insight into the preconditions for and effects of changes in the education system.

The PhD programme is somewhat different from similar educational science programmes in that it prioritises research whose relevance to teacher education in the field in question can be documented. The programme also offers a comprehensive compulsory course in theories of knowledge in teacher education research. The programme’s particular focus on teaching, learning and societal contexts for the various education pathways means that it is also clearly practice and profession-oriented.

(1) The requirements for admission include completing a five-year master's program (integrated or consisting of a three-year bachelor's program and a two-year master's program, in total 300 ECTS) in the fields of teacher education, other pedagogical disciplines, educational science, development studies, social sciences, or other relevant areas related to the Ph.D. program. The master's degree should include a substantial independent project equivalent to a master's thesis (minimum 30 ECTS). An internationally completed master's degree that corresponds to at least four years in the Norwegian education system may also be considered for admission (please check the grounds for enrolment on the website of the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills). https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/lists-and-databases/higher-education-entrancequalification-gsu

(2) Applicants to the programme are normally required to have achieved a grade of B or better on their master’s thesis.

(3) Applicants who achieved a grade lower than B on their master’s thesis but who meet the general admission requirement, must have achieved a grade of C on their master’s thesis and an average grade of B or better for the rest of the master’s degree. For five-year integrated master’s degree programmes, the requirement for an average grade of B or better applies to the last two years of the master’s degree programme (cycle 2). In addition, the applicant must meet at least two of the following criteria:

• the applicant must be able to document scientific publication
• the applicant must have a particularly good project outline
• the applicant’s application must be particularly relevant to the advertisement text
• the applicant must have research-related work experience

(4) The grade requirement does not apply to applications for admission to individual courses.

(5) Applicants who hold a master’s degree with a scope of less than 120 ECTS credits can be admitted to the programme on the basis of an individual assessment. The master’s degree in question must formally qualify the applicant for admission to PhD programmes in the country in which the master’s degree was taken. Applicants must have written a master’s thesis as part of their master’s degree and been awarded a grade of B or better. The requirement for a grade of B or better for the master’ thesis cannot be waived for this category of applicants. Considerable weight will be given to the project outline’s quality, relevance and originality.

Requirements relating to the contents of applications for admission are set out in Chapter 2 of the Regulations relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at OsloMet (hereinafter called the Regulations). The application for admission must document the applicant’s basis for admission and contain descriptions of the research project, a plan for implementation, funding, dissemination and stays at other institutions. The applicant must also describe his/her needs in term of supervision and infrastructure, and specify which language he/she prefers to write the thesis in, and any problems relating to intellectual property rights.

The faculty’s doctoral committee makes a decision on admission based on an overall assessment of the application.

On admission, the doctoral committee will appoint one or more supervisors. The main supervisor should preferably be affiliated to OsloMet. Admission is formalised in an agreement between the PhD student, the supervisor and the university, and, if relevant, other academic environments and institutions. The agreement regulates the parties’ mutual rights and obligations during the agreement period, cf. Chapter 2 of the Regulations, and complies with the template prepared by Universities Norway (UHR). The students will be affiliated to a research community in the relevant field.

Students who complete the programme are awarded the degree PhD of Educational Sciences for Teacher Education. In Norwegian: Ph.d. i utdanningsvitenskap for lærerutdanning.

After completing the programme, the candidate is expected to have researcher qualifications in educational sciences for teacher education-related research, and is expected to have achieved the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• is in the forefront of knowledge and masters relevant philosophy of science and methodology in educational sciences for teacher education
• has in-depth theoretical and empirical insight into general educational science issues of relevance to teacher education
• has extensive knowledge of and can critically assess the main features of Norwegian and international educational science research of relevance to teacher education

Skills

The candidate

• can act as an independent researcher and contribute to the development of new knowledge at a high international level in the field
• can carry out scientific analyses of complex connections in the field
• can handle complex academic questions and problematise the field's knowledge base
• can give academically sound written and oral presentations at national and international conferences

General competence

The candidate

• can identify needs for new educational science research of relevance to the knowledge base and action competence in teacher educations
• can communicate his/her own and others' research through nationally and internationally recognised publication channels
• can contribute to research-based change and development in the field
• can identify ethical challenges in in his/her own and others' research in the field and carry out his/her research with academic integrity

Internationalisation improves the quality of education and strengthens the academic community on the programme, at the same time as it prepares the students to become global citizens. The increasing globalisation of the labour market also makes international professional experience, language skills and cultural knowledge more and more important.

The use of international course literature and a focus on multicultural and global issues in the programme contribute to knowledge about and understanding of the opportunities and challenges inherent in diverse societies, both nationally and internationally. Syllabus written in the English language provides students with experience of reading academic literature and international research. An understanding of English academic literature is important to be able to actively participate in the international physiotherapy community.

The programme staff cooperates on research and education with a number of institutions in other countries. Students are given the possibility of gaining international experience and achieving related learning outcomes through learning activities at the university, locally in Oslo, through meetings with physiotherapy students on exchanges in Norway, and through the use of English as the language of instruction in selected courses. Students can choose to write their bachelor’s thesis in English, Norwegian or another of the Scandinavian languages. Students who go on exchanges must write their thesis in English if the exchange stay is in a country outside Scandinavia.

International semester (incoming exchanges)

In the spring semester, the programme can receive students who have been admitted to programmes at foreign institutions of higher education. Students who are admitted can take courses taught in English in all of the spring semesters (second, fourth and sixth semester).

Courses that can be taught in English or in Norwegian will only be taught in English if international students have been accepted as incoming exchange students.

• FYB1050 Public Health and Health Management (5 credits)
• FYB1060 Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Health Care (5 credits)
• FYB1070 Technology and Society (5/10 credits)
• FYB2210 Physiotherapy for Health Conditions INT (15 credits)

Exchanges

Students are encouraged to take part of their education at an institution abroad. The programme has many partners abroad that might be relevant for students wanting to go on an exchange. Students in the physiotherapy programme can take three to six months of the programme abroad, primarily in the fourth semester. Students can only go on an exchange if the partner institution offers courses in subject areas corresponding to those covered by the programme in the semester in which the student wants to go on an exchange.

Required coursework is all forms of work, tests and compulsory attendance that are requirements for a student to be assessed/permitted to take the exam or pass practical training. Required coursework is assessed as approved/not approved. The coursework requirements for each course are described in the relevant course description.

The purpose of the coursework requirements is to:

• promote progress and academic development
• encourage students to seek out and acquire new knowledge
• facilitate cooperation and communication on physiotherapy issues

The programme has coursework requirements in the form of compulsory attendance, oral presentations, written assignments and tests. The coursework requirements are set to help students to develop their competence in accordance with one or more of the expected learning outcomes of the course. Required coursework is carried out individually or in groups.

Compulsory attendance

The programme emphasises a social learning environment. Attendance is compulsory for all parts of the programme in which the students cannot achieve the learning outcomes on their own, or for parts of the programme where cooperation with fellow students is a precondition for completing the learning activities. A minimum of 80 % attendance in teaching specified as “compulsory attendance” in the lecture schedule programme is required. A minimum of 90 % attendance is required for practical training, both in experience-based practical training, supervised practical training and project based practical training.

If a student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, the lecturer will consider whether it is possible to compensate for the absence by meeting alternative requirements, for example individual oral or written assignments. Whether or not it is possible to compensate for absence depends on the extent of the student’s absence and which activities they have missed. Absence from compulsory teaching activities that cannot be compensated for may lead to delayed progress in the programme.

Written and practical assignments

Several courses have written assignments, practical exercises and tests as coursework requirements. Written and practical work that is not approved must be reworked before re-submission. If the work is not approved on re-submission, the student cannot take the ordinary exam/assessment.

Students are entitled to a third attempt before the resit/rescheduled exam. If a piece of required coursework is not approved, this may lead to delayed progress in the programme. More detailed requirements for written and practical work, deadlines etc. are set out in the teaching plan for the course in question.

Different forms of assessment are used in the programme that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the different courses. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document that the students’ competence is adequate in relation to the applicable learning outcomes. The students will receive advice and supervision and have their performance assessed during the programme. It is important and necessary to assess students’ knowledge and skills often, so that the students receive feedback on whether their performance is in line with the programme’s requirements and whether they have achieved the learning outcomes.

Exams and practical training are assessed in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The forms of assessment and criteria are described in the individual course descriptions. All exams taken will be stated on the diploma, along with the title of the student’s bachelor’s thesis.

Assessment/exam

All courses conclude with a final assessment and/or an exam. The student’s performance is assessed on the basis of the learning outcomes defined for the course. The grades used are pass/fail or letter grades from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the exam.

In some courses, the exam consists of more than one part. The student’s performance in each part of the exam is assessed by a separate grade, before a final overall grade is awarded. For courses that use exams consisting of more than one part, the course description will state how the final grade for the course is arrived at on the basis of the separate grades awarded for the different parts of the exam.

Most courses have required coursework that must be approved before the student can take the exam. See the course descriptions for more details.

Resits/rescheduled exams

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description. In special cases, resit and rescheduled exams in courses with group exams may be held as individual exams.

For exams where a percentage of the exam papers are selected for assessment by an external examiner, the external examiner’s assessment should benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the remaining papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. In a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidates who have submitted the appeal.

Assessment of practical training

Practical training is assessed as pass or fail. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course and the continuous suitability assessment that students are subject to throughout the practical training period. To pass the practical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirement. A minimum attendance requirement of 90 % applies to practical training courses. If the maximum limit for absence is exceeded, the student can make up for the practical training/teaching activities missed if practically possible. This must be clarified with the person responsible for the course (first year of programme) and with the practical training supervisor and contact lecturer for the second and third years of the programme. If it is not possible to compensate for the absence, the whole period must be retaken. This will result in delayed progress in the programme.

External programme supervisor

The study programme has an external programme supervisor in accordance with the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet. The external programme supervisor is charged with evaluating the programme’s structure and coherence, including the relationship between the learning outcomes as described in the programme description, the work and teaching methods and assessment arrangements. The external programme supervisor should normally supervise all the courses in the programme over the course of a three-year period and provide feedback and advice that the academic environment can use in its further work on the quality of education.

Suitability assessment

Diplomas for the completed programme will only be awarded to graduates who are suited to practise the profession. A student who represents a potential threat to the physical or mental health, rights and safety of their patients and colleagues is not suited for the profession.

Suitability assessments are made on a continuous basis throughout the study programme, and will be included in the overall assessment of the students’ professional and personal suitability for work as health personnel. Students who demonstrate little ability to master the physiotherapist profession must be informed of this at the earliest possible stage of the programme. They will be given supervision and advice on how to improve, or be advised to leave the programme.

Special suitability assessments are used in special cases, cf. Regulations to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Chapter 7. For more information about suitability assessment, see https://student.oslomet.no/skikkethetsvurdering.

Stays abroad will be facilitated. Researchers from foreign institutions will be invited to give lectures and seminars. Students are encouraged to seek membership in relevant international research networks.