Health courses

About Complementary Healthcare Top-up Year - Bsc (hons) Degree in Cardiff Metropolitan University

​This top-up degree provides an excellent opportunity to extend your learning and experience within the field of complementary therapies to achieve a BSc (Hons) Complementary Healthcare (with Practitioner Status) within the well-established Centre for Complementary Healthcare at Cardiff Met.

Having gained appropriate recognised qualifications in massage, aromatherapy and reflexology and relevant underpinning knowledge at Levels 4 & 5, you will be able to focus on developing the skills and experience required for graduate employment as part of a multi-disciplinary team at two different placements (one per term). You will use all three modalities, often in combination, to treat clients with a wide variety of physical and mental health concerns and to support their families and carers. The opportunity to work alongside or observe other healthcare professionals is a valuable learning activity offered by a number of placements. 

Current work placements include the palliative care unit at the local NHS Trust cancer hospital; a number of other palliative care settings; a supported living complex and a short-term residential facility supporting mental health needs and the mental health unit for the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board. Students have an on-site placement supervisor as well as support from a named member of the teaching team. 

Alongside attending placement students work as a team to operate all aspects of the university’s Complementary Healthcare Clinic which is fee-paying and open to the general public. 

In addition to the work-based learning opportunities, students are able to extend and develop their therapy and differential diagnosis skills via the Advanced Practice and Biopsychosocial Influences in Health modules.

A major component of the top-up year is completion of a research project. This is often an extension of an area of interest already identified at Level 4 or 5 and should be discussed with the programme team at interview. 

This top-up opportunity will undoubtedly enhance employment opportunities and enable therapists to extend and broaden their potential client base.

All applicants should have five GCSEs including English Language (or Welsh First Language) and Mathematics* at grade C or above / grade 4 or above (for applicants holding newly reformed GCSEs in England) plus: 

• A Foundation Degree or HND in Complementary Therapies which must include modules at Level 4 and 5 in the subjects of massage, reflexology and aromatherapy. 

• An IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5 is required where English is not the first language. 

*For Welsh applicants sitting the reformed Mathematics GCSE, we will accept either GCSE Mathematics or Mathematics – Numeracy. 

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