Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

Study Physiotherapy with integrated vocational training

Combine theory and practice with the Bachelor's degree programme in Physiotherapy! You complete your practical training at a vocational training school and round it off with lectures at the university. This combination opens up attractive career opportunities for you in the field of physiotherapy!

application information
verschwommen Menschen in Bewegung

Content

What is the Physiotherapy degree programme about?

What do we need to offer patients the best possible physiotherapy treatment? We need: a joined-up, problem-solving approach as well as an independent and reflective working style; patient examinations, therapy decisions and evaluations that are based on the latest research; and last but not least: the development of a profession-specific science. The Physiotherapy degree programme will train you as a reflective practitioner, able to integrate the latest scientific findings into your professional activities after graduation. Your studies will deepen your knowledge of complex care situations and teach you to responsibly design and evaluate individualised interventions and to control problem-solving processes.

Are you still torn between vocational training and academic studies? The Physiotherapy degree complements traditional vocational training and offers you both - the basis for attractive work and career opportunities in the health sector!

Curious? Why not take a look at the module overview!

Strengths of the degree programme

Closer to practice

Vocational training and academic studies are carefully coordinated to offer you the optimal preparation for your work as a physiotherapist. Your theoretical knowledge can immediately be put into practice and practical experiences are discussed in lectures and underpinned with specialist knowledge.

Strong cooperation

We have cooperations with vocational training schools in various locations throughout Bavaria. This close collaboration ensures a high-quality education. You will be released from work for lectures at the university.

Do your own research

In the physiotherapy laboratory, you have the opportunity to carry out your own project or thesis work and realise your first research projects. The lab is equipped for movement and video analysis of therapy situations, always supported by the laboratory staff and your lecturers.

Career opportunities

What are my career prospects as a physiotherapist?

Physiotherapists are in demand! Academically-trained physiotherapists in particular are highly sought-after. Whether you want to get straight to work or continue your academic career - many doors are open to you!

  • Through your studies, you will learn to intensively familiarise yourself with an area of expertise, acquire new knowledge and critically reflect on it. On the basis of your in-depth knowledge, you can then specialise in new areas and become an expert in specialised therapies.


  • The Bachelor's programme forms the basis for a Master's degree focusing on research, public health or health promotion, or for specialisations in sports physiotherapy, in the field of neurology or in manual therapy. Whether in Germany or abroad: This course opens the door to academic teaching and research - or even a doctorate!


Structure and modules

How is the degree programme structured?

The degree comprises a total of eight semesters, with the first six semesters containing integrated vocational training. Once vocational training has been completed, there follow two full-time semesters at the OTH Regensburg.

  • You will complete your professional training as a physiotherapist at a vocational training school. At the same time, you will attend lectures at the university in blocks, gaining in-depth expertise in chronic diseases and polymorbidity as well as the topic of pain. The course also includes health psychology and ethics as well as the basics of sociology and political sciences, research methods and English for health care professionals. Skills in professional communication and interaction, management, leadership and interprofessional cooperation are also important for professional practice and are therefore an integral part of the degree.

    Ultimate responsibility for the professional training qualification lies with the cooperating vocational training school. They also supervise all practical training. This will be accompanied by parallel reflection sessions at the OTH Regensburg.


  • After you have received professional certification as a physiotherapist, you will complete two semesters of full-time study at the OTH Regensburg. During this time you may begin to work part-time as a physiotherapist. In this phase you will deepen your specialist and expert knowledge. You will apply scientific concepts and working methods to physiotherapeutic problems and reflect upon your solutions. The course covers subjects such as clinical reasoning and differential diagnosis as well as evidence-based case work. You will also receive an introduction to the basics of business studies and quality management. Project work allows you to combine your professional, practice-oriented and research-methodical knowledge. At the end of this study phase, you will complete your Bachelor's thesis.


Labor_Physio

Studies and organisational matters

So that everything runs smoothly

What do I need to know? When and where do the lectures take place? When is exam time? Here you will find everything you need to know.

  • The Physiotherapy degree programme is offered at the Faculty of Social and Health Care Sciences. Lectures are mainly held at the main campus on Seybothstraße.


  • The programme is accredited until 30.09.2028.


  • In principle, it is possible to study abroad. Information is available from the OTH Regensburg's International Office or the Student Advisory Service.


Application info

1. As your first step, please register at hochschulstart.de .

Our checklist summarizes all the important information for you.

2. After registering at “Hochschulstart”, please apply in the OTH Regensburg application portal.

3. The application process is entirely online. Complete the online application and upload all required application documents. This includes as a minimum your university entrance qualification. If further documents are necessary, they will be requested in the application portal.

4. Make sure you regularly check your status in both application portals. In the OTH Regensburg application portal, you can also see whether any documents are still missing. You can upload missing documents before the deadline for late submission of certificates. If you upload the required documents, your status will change.

5. You will automatically receive email notifications via the OTH Regensburg application portal as well as via “Hochschulstart” when your application status changes.

6. If all application documents have been received within the application deadline and are valid, you will then be included in the allocation procedure for a place of study. Please note that the application deadline is a cut-off deadline. This means that you will not be able to submit an application after the deadline and thus will not be considered in the current application process.

7. After your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail with further information from the Admissions and Organisation Department of the OTH Regensburg as confirmation of receipt.

8. So what comes next? You can find all the information you need in the section under Admissions and Enrolment. 

Start your application now:

1. Step. Hochschulstart 2. Step: application portal

For winter semesters:

Application period for first semesters: 1 May - 15 July. Deadline for late submission of certificates: 27 July.

Application period for higher semesters: 1 May - 15 June (no late submissions)

For summer semesters:

(no start of studies, therefore an application is only possible for a higher semester. This requires creditable achievements from a relevant programme of study).

Application period for higher semesters: 15 November - 15 January (no late submissions)

1. Please register in the OTH Regensburg application portal.

2. The application process is entirely online. Please complete the online application and upload all required application documents. Important components of the application are your university entrance qualification, your current transcript of grades from your previous studies and the application for credit transfer. If further documents are required, they will be requested in the application portal.

3. Make sure you regularly check your status in the application portal. Here you can also see whether any documents are still missing. These documents must be submitted by the end of the deadline. Please note that it only makes sense to apply for a higher semester if you have already obtained credits in the same or a closely related degree programme. If this is not the case or if you are in doubt about receiving credit, please apply (additionally) for a first semester. If you are currently enrolled in your first semester, you will not receive your exam results before the application deadline. We do not accept incomplete records or provisional results, so you will not be able to apply for admission to another programme in a higher semester.

4. After your application has been processed, you will receive an e-mail with further information from the Admissions and Organisation Department of the OTH Regensburg as confirmation of receipt.

 

5. If all application documents have been received within the application deadline and are valid, you will receive an e-mail with further information after the examination committee has checked the documents. Please note that it is no longer possible to apply after the application deadline. 

6. The examination committee decides on the crediting of academic achievements and whether a placement in a higher semester is possible. This placement is based on the creditable achievements and not on the semesters completed. Please note that there may also be admission restrictions in the admission procedure for higher semesters. 

7. So what comes next? You can find all the information you need in the section under "Admissions and enrolment".

 

For their application at the OTH Regensburg, international applicants need

  • a university entrance qualification
  • an adequate knowledge of German

 

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE QUALIFICATION

For an application for a Bachelor’s degree programme at the OTH Regensburg (university of applied sciences) international certificates, transcripts of your educational records and diplomas must first be recognized by uni-assist. Please request a so-called “preliminary review documentation” (in German abbr. VPD). (Exceptions are applications from the PR China and Vietnam. The recognition lies in the responsibility of the particular Academic Evaluation Center. However, if the APS certificate does not show a grade, a VPD is also required. Applicants from India need a certificate of the Academic Evaluation Center of India in order to request the VPD from uni-assist.)

 

GERMAN LANGUAGE SKILLS

German language skills on level DSH 2 are required. You have to upload your German language certificate either when applying or when enrolling via the online portal.

These certificates are recognized as an alternative to the DSH 2 certificate:

  • TestDaF: TDN 4 in all sections of the exam
  • Studienkolleg: Feststellungsprüfung „Deutsch“
  • DSD: Level II with C1 in all sections of the exam
  • Goethe: C2
  • telc: telc Deutsch C2, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule
  • ÖSD: C2
  • UNIcert® Deutsch III

Please read all texts and, if available, linked documents directly under Application Info!

 

If you need a visa to study in Germany, you should look into the visa procedure and (if necessary) register on the waitlist as soon as possible. Depending on your country, receiving a visa appointment can take a long time. On the other hand, our admission letters are only valid for one semester and admission cannot be deferred.

You can find more information for prospective international students (on visas or other issues) on the web pages of the International Office.

For prospective students with a master craftsman's certificate

With a master craftsman's certificate or an equivalent equivalent qualification, you can apply without restriction and have no subject restrictions, as you have a general university entrance qualification. In the application portal, you will be asked for your higher education entrance qualification. Please enter "Beruflich Qualifizierte Meister" (vocationally qualified master craftsman).

When applying, in addition to your complete certificate including grade point average, you must also submit documentary proof of an interview with the departmental advisor for course guidance. Please make an appointment as early as possible. The name and contact details can be found in the "contact" section of each degree programme. Your course guidance advisor will also provide you with documentary proof that the interview took place. Documentary records of academic counselling from other universities in Bavaria are recognised for the same or similar degree programmes and must also be uploaded in the application portal. Other documents specific to your chosen study programme can be found in the application portal.

In admission-restricted (NC) degree programmes, you automatically take part in the regional selection procedure according to Art. 45 Bavarian Higher Education Act (BayHSchG) and within the 4% quota for professionally qualified persons.

Attending a preparatory course (including mathematics) is particularly useful for taking up a technical or engineering degree programme. The OTH Regensburg offers suitable preparatory courses for those with vocational qualifications.

If you would like to study part-time - i.e. parallel to your job - rather than full-time, we recommend that you visit the pages of the Centre for Continuing Education and Knowledge Management (ZWW).

For prospective students with a vocational qualification certificate

If you have completed vocational training, it is possible to apply for a place at university with a specific subject in mind. Your vocational training and the degree programme you wish to pursue must have a subject-related connection. In the application portal, you will be asked for your higher education entrance qualification. Please enter "Beruflich Qualifizierte Gesellen" (vocationally qualified journeymen).

Please upload the following documents with your application:

1. Certificate of completion of vocational training including grade point average

2. Certificate of completion from a vocational school

3. Proof of subsequent full-time employment of at least three years relevant to the vocational training.

4. Other documents specific to your chosen study programme can be found in the application portal.

5. Documentary record of an interview with the departmental advisor for course guidance. Please make an appointment as early as possible. The name and contact details can be found in the "contact" section of each degree programme. Your course guidance advisor will also provide you with confirmation that the interview took place. Documentary records of academic counselling from other universities in Bavaria are recognised for the same or similar degree programmes and must also be uploaded in the application portal.

For full admission, applicants are still required to complete a two-semester probationary period, i.e. admission is tentative and subject to certain conditions. 

In admission-restricted (NC) degree programmes, you automatically take part in the regional selection procedure according to Art. 45 Bavarian Higher Education Act (BayHSchG) and within the 4% quota for professionally qualified persons.

Attending a preparatory course (including mathematics) is particularly useful for taking up a technical or engineering degree programme. The OTH Regensburg offers suitable preparatory courses for those with vocational qualifications.

If you would like to study part-time - i.e. parallel to your job - rather than full-time, we recommend that you visit the pages of the Centre for Continuing Education and Knowledge Management (ZWW).

Applications for hardship, compensation for disadvantages and persons of public interest

In admission-restricted degree programmes, it is possible to submit special applications (see info sheet).

  1. Hardship cases

If a hardship case exists, admission may be granted outside the allocation procedure within a certain quota. Strict standards are to be applied when interpreting a case of hardship. The guidelines of the central allocation procedure are also applied to the local allocation procedure. In order to apply, there must be serious health, social or family reasons which make non-admission appear unreasonable. You must provide evidence of these reasons. In the case of illness, a specialist medical assessment is necessary.
If you have a disability or a chronic illness, you can find more informationhere.

  2. Compensation for disadvantages - raising your grade point average

If you were prevented from achieving your actual performance when acquiring your higher education entrance qualification for social, family or illness-related reasons, you can apply for an improvement of your grade point average.

 You must submit the following documents to prove that your performance was impaired:

  • annual report card
  • school report (evaluation of your school performance before and after the occurrence of the adverse circumstances)

There must be a proven connection between the grade point average achieved and the performance impairment.

 

3. Individuals to be supported in the public interest

For top athletes and participants in a federal competition with distinction, a so-called "opportunity quota" of 2% is formed, which is applied in addition to the regular main quota. 

The prerequisite is that you belonged to an A, B or C squad of the federal sports associations for an uninterrupted period of at least one year during the last three years before acquiring your higher education entrance qualification or that you participated in a federal competition with distinction. The following supporting documents can be submitted for this purpose:

  • certificate of the German national sports association
  • certificate of the German national competition initiator
  • justification of the necessity of the training on site
  • identification of the school or youth competition and the sponsorship of the Federal or State Ministry

 

If you will have already completed a degree programme in Germany by the end of the application period, an application for a degree programme with restricted admission is only possible when applying for a second degree. This means that you will take part in the local selection procedure within the 2% quota. 

To apply, you need to upload the following supporting documents:

1. final certificate of your first degree

2. letter of justification for requesting a second course of study. These can only be compelling professional reasons, academic reasons, special professional reasons or other professional reasons. 

3. university entrance qualification 

4. other documents specific to the course of study, which can be found in the application portal

Selection is based on a benchmark number formed by your final grade from your undergraduate degree and the reasons for your desired second degree:

  • Final grade excellent and very good 4 points
  • Final grade good and fully satisfactory 3 points
  • Final grade satisfactory 2 points
  • Final grade sufficient 1 point
  • Final grade not verified 1 point.
  • Compelling professional reasons 9 points
  • Scientific or academic reasons 7 to 11 points
  • Special professional reasons 7 points
  • Other professional reasons 4 points
  • No letter of justification given 1 point

When applying for a program without restricted admission, it is not necessary to submit a letter of justification.

What is the procedure for the allocation of study places?

First, we have to wait for the end of the application period. After the application deadline has passed and the additional submission deadline for delayed certificates of study has expired, we release the "valid" applications for the coordination and allocation procedure.

The Foundation for University Admission (hochschulstart.de) coordinates the allocation of places of study and sends out the admission and rejection notifications by e-mail from the end of July until the end of August for a winter semester and from the end of January until the end of February for a summer semester.

If you receive an offer of admission, you must accept it on “hochschulstart.de” within the specified deadline. Please note: Some coordination procedures may result in Hochschulstart automatically accepting the offer of a place of study for you. If this happens, your status in the OTH portal will switch to "Zugelassen" ("admitted"). You can then enrol online directly in our application portal. Free places in DoSV degree programmes are distributed by the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (Foundation for University Admission) until all places have been allocated. A lottery procedure is not carried out at Bavarian universities.

Information on restricted admission (NC) can be found in the following overview.

It is impossible for us to predict whether you will be offered a place in one of the subsequent clearing procedures, as we cannot anticipate the behaviour of other applicants. We kindly ask you to refrain from such enquiries!

If the deadline for acceptance or enrolment is not observed, the application will be excluded from any further procedure or enrolment. It is therefore essential that you adhere to the deadline! If you are unable/willing to take up your place of study due to the fulfilment of a service or for personal reasons, we do not need to be informed of this!

Would you like to know how places are allocated? Here you will find more information on the allocation of study places with restricted admission (NC).

How can I enrol?

As soon as you have received an offer of admission, you can enrol online, making sure you do so before the deadline. You will be informed of the enrolment deadline and any further procedure in the “Antrag auf Immatrikulation” (application for enrolment), which you can download as a PDF once you have accepted the place of study online BOTH on hochschulstart.de and on HISinOne. Please note: Some coordination procedures may result in Hochschulstart automatically accepting your place of study for you. If this is the case, your application status will switch to “Zugelassen "(“Admitted"). In this case, please only accept your place of study in our application portal HISinOne.
The enrolment for a winter semester generally takes place in August or for a summer semester in February.

Documents

The following documents must normally be uploaded for online enrolment at the university:

  • “Antrag auf Immatrikulation” (Application for enrolment) along with other documents required, depending on the individual case. You will receive this after accepting the place of study online in the OTH Regensburg application portal.
  • Signed “Einwilligungserklärung zum Datenschutz” (declaration of consent regarding data protection). You will receive this together with the application for enrolment.
  • Copy of valid identity card/passport
  • Digital notification of health insurance, see the following notes "I would like to enrol. What do I have to do?"

Semester fee

You will receive the transfer details for the semester fee with your application for enrolment.

I want to enrol as a student and have to provide proof of health insurance. What do I need to do?

  • If you have chosen public / statutory insurance, please contact your health insurance company and inform them that you are planning to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg. Your health insurance company will then send us a digital notification known as M10. Please note that we cannot accept any insurance membership certificates in PDF or paper form. Our institution number is H0000048 (please provide this to your insurance company if necessary).

    If you have questions about public vs. private insurance, please check the website of the DAAD.


  • If the insurance from your home country is not accepted in Germany and you are over 30 years old, you may have chosen a private health insurance for Germany. In this case, please contact any public health insurance company in Germany with your insurance documents. Please inform them that you would like to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg and remain privately insured. The health insurance company will then send us a digital notification of your exemption from public insurance. Please note that we cannot accept an insurance membership certificate from your private health insurance instead of the exemption. Our institution number is H0000048.

    If you have questions about public vs. private insurance, please check the website of the DAAD.


  • If you are already insured in another EU country, your insurance may be accepted in Germany. If that is the case, you need to apply from exemption from compulsory public insurance. To do that, please contact any public health insurance company in Germany, send them your insurance documents and inform them that you would like to enrol at Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule (OTH) Regensburg. The health insurance company will then send us a digital notification of exemption. Please note that we cannot accept any insurance membership certificates in paper form. Our institution number is H0000048.

    If you are coming from a non-EU country and/or are over 30 years old, you need to take on public or private health insurance which is valid in Germany. The website of the DAAD should help you better understand your options and choose the type of insurance which is best for you. After you have chosen your insurance, please ask your insurance company to send us a digital confirmation message of your insurance, or (if you have chosen private insurance) apply for exemption as instructed above.