Professional Bachelor in Physiotherapy

42 Months On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Copenhagen

Program Overview

The Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy at University College Copenhagen (KP) is a 3.5-year programme for students who are interested in movement, health and helping people improve their physical function and quality of life. You will combine anatomy, physiology and pain science with practical physiotherapy, clinical reasoning, rehabilitation, communication and health promotion, while gaining experience with real patients throughout the degree.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1:
The first year gives you a strong introduction to the profession through themes such as Physiotherapy, Profession, Science and Learning, Basic Physiotherapeutic Examination and Reasoning, and Movement Analysis and Adaptation of Physical Activity. You begin practising examination and treatment techniques with classmates before moving into clinical education, including your first experience working with patients in Semester 2.

Year 2:
In the second year, you start making stronger links between assessment, diagnosis and treatment through Physiotherapeutic Examination and Clinical Reasoning, Diagnosis, Treatment and Retraining, Physiotherapy in Health Promotion and Prevention, and Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making in Treatment, Retraining and Rehabilitation. Semester 4 includes an eight-week clinical placement, giving you a much deeper opportunity to apply these skills in professional healthcare settings.

Year 3:
The third year develops your ability to handle more complex cases through Health Promotion and Prevention, Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making in Rehabilitation, and Advanced Physiotherapeutic Reasoning and Interventions. You also complete a seven-week clinical period in Semester 5 and a ten-week placement in Semester 6, while working alongside students from other healthcare and social-care programmes.

Final Semester:
Semester 7 focuses on Independent and Critical Professional Practice and Development. You can shape part of your studies through an elective area before bringing together your clinical knowledge, research skills and professional interests in your Bachelor Project.

Focus areas: Physiotherapeutic assessment and treatment, clinical reasoning, pain science, anatomy, human physiology, disease, rehabilitation, movement analysis, health promotion, prevention, health psychology, professional communication, research methodology and health technology.

Learning outcomes: You learn how to assess a person's movement and physical function, identify rehabilitation needs, make informed clinical decisions, plan and evaluate physiotherapy interventions, communicate professionally and use research evidence to support safe and effective patient care.

Professional alignment: Graduates receive a Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Physiotherapy. After completing the programme, graduates must apply for professional authorisation before practising as physiotherapists in Denmark; KP explains that this authorisation confirms the healthcare qualification and the professional responsibilities attached to it.

Reputation: KP does not publish a QS or Guardian ranking specifically for Physiotherapy, but its official employability figure is particularly strong: 97% of newly qualified physiotherapists are employed within one year of graduating, with unemployment described as generally very low.

Official programme link:
https://www.kp.dk/uddannelser/fysioterapeut/

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Practical training is built into the Physiotherapy degree from the beginning, so you are not waiting until your final year to experience the profession. Students practise examination and treatment methods on one another, work with real patients during clinical education and develop their skills through placements in different healthcare environments. Across the degree, you complete 28 weeks of clinical education, giving you substantial experience before graduation.

The practical side of the programme includes:

28 weeks of clinical education: Clinical training takes place for around 30 hours per week, with additional preparation expected outside placement hours.
Wide range of placement settings: KP-approved clinical education can take place in hospitals, health and rehabilitation centres, physiotherapy clinics, psychiatric centres and children's treatment facilities.
Early patient contact: Semester 1 includes four days of clinical education, while in Semester 2 students work with patients for the first time, either independently or in pairs, focusing on areas such as communication, touch and tissue treatment.
Practical training rooms: At Campus Sigurdsgade, teaching includes practical exercises at treatment plinths and in training halls, alongside lectures, presentations and classroom teaching.
Group-based learning: Students work closely in study and reading groups where they discuss theory and repeatedly practise physiotherapy techniques together.
Interprofessional projects: Throughout the course, students work with learners from programmes such as Occupational Therapy, Nursing and Social Work, helping them prepare for multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Health Technology profile: From Semesters 5–7, students can apply for an additional profile in Health Technology, exploring digital solutions and technologies used for treatment, monitoring and patient pathways.
Cancer and Diabetes specialisation options: Students can also apply for extracurricular profiles in Cancer or Overweight and Diabetes, exploring prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and coordinated patient care.
Simulation facilities: KP's Practice and Innovation House provides realistic healthcare environments for simulation-based learning, including hospital rooms, home environments, rehabilitation spaces and VR equipment. Students can practise professional situations before encountering them in clinical practice.
Simulation technology: The facility can use patient simulators, actors or real citizens, as well as specialist suits that simulate conditions such as ageing, COPD, hemiparesis and obesity, helping students understand patients' physical experiences more realistically.
Innovation projects: KP's Practice and Innovation House works with students, hospitals, municipalities, citizens and companies to explore and test new healthcare technologies and solutions.
Libraries and study facilities: Campus Sigurdsgade provides a library, reading rooms, study areas and gymnasiums, which students can use outside scheduled teaching when available.
International experience: Students can complete part of the programme abroad later in the degree, either through a clinical placement or an entire semester.

KP does not name a specific physiotherapy software package on its current programme page; instead, its technology-focused learning includes digital healthcare solutions, monitoring technology, simulation and VR.

Facilities:
https://www.kp.dk/uddannelsessteder/campus-sigurdsgade/
https://www.kp.dk/forskning-og-udvikling/laboratorier/praksis-og-innovationshuset/

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from KP enter a profession with opportunities across rehabilitation, hospitals, community healthcare, private practice and sport. The degree also gives you a strong base for developing specialist expertise later in areas such as neurological rehabilitation, sports physiotherapy, respiratory physiotherapy, geriatrics, research or teaching.

Typical career options include Physiotherapist, Sports Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation Physiotherapist and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist:

Excellent employment outcomes: KP reports that 97% of newly qualified physiotherapists are employed within one year after graduation, and unemployment among physiotherapists is generally very low.
Wide range of employers: Graduates can work in private clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, municipal rehabilitation and health centres, psychiatric centres, specialist schools and children's facilities. Opportunities also exist in sports, workplace health and private companies.
Career guidance: KP's Study Guidance service provides students with individual support and advice about their future career opportunities, alongside guidance throughout their studies.
Strong connections with professional practice: KP's physiotherapy career profiles include professionals working at Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Psykiatrisk Center Glostrup, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen Municipality and Fysiq, showing the wide range of settings into which KP physiotherapy graduates can progress.
Clinical network: Students train in approved hospitals, rehabilitation centres, private clinics, psychiatric services and children's treatment settings, allowing them to build professional experience before graduating.
Professional authorisation: After graduation, students apply for Danish professional authorisation, which provides formal recognition of their healthcare qualification and enables professional practice in Denmark.
Research and innovation opportunities: KP connects research directly with professional practice and operates 12 laboratories for developing and testing new ideas and methods. Its research areas include Health for Children and Adults and Health and Technology.
Continued investment in Physiotherapy: In 2026, KP and VIA received DKK 7 million to develop further education and research aimed at physiotherapists, particularly around musculoskeletal pain and functional limitations.
Salary: KP's official Physiotherapy page does not publish a fixed starting-salary figure; instead, it directs students to the Danish physiotherapists' professional association for current salary information. To stay within KP-only sources, no external salary estimate has been added here.

Further Academic Progression:
After qualifying, you can continue at diploma, master's or candidate/master's degree level. KP specifically highlights progression options including a Master's in a health or rehabilitation field, the Candidate Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Southern Denmark, university studies in Sport, and the Health Sciences master's programme at Aarhus University; KP also offers its own professional continuing-education opportunities for physiotherapists.

Official programme link:
https://www.kp.dk/uddannelser/fysioterapeut/