Having completed his undergraduate in physiotherapy in his native Hong Kong, Chris decided to specialise with an MSc in Sports Physiotherapy from Bath in 2024.

We caught up with him to chat through day-to-day life studying online alongside a demanding job, and how the course has helped him secure his position with Hong Kong China’s international rugby team.

Why I chose a master’s in sports physio

I always had a deep interest in sports. I used to be a triathlete and a footballer; I like being outdoors and being active. I can’t just sit and ‘go with the flow’ for too long, so I always try to find new things to learn.

Sports physiotherapy wasn’t really talked about much until a few years ago. Fortunately, a professor in my final year introduced a project where we got to work with a college sports team. That’s where I started to feel that this was something I wanted to do when I became a physio.

A career in physiotherapy

I first worked in the medical team at a local hospital before changing to outpatient work, which included amateur athletes and mostly knee injuries like ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction. I then got to work part-time, and now full-time, for Hong Kong China Rugby.

In fact, I managed to get my current job because my academic advisor is a former rugby athlete and recommended me to the head of the medical team. I got his number, reached out and got to work part-time and now full-time for Hong Kong China Rugby.

We have a centre at Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, where I go in every day to check on our players. Anything medical-related or musculoskeletal is on us physios, such as sleep patterns, general wellness, rehabilitation plans and training schedules for when the players go on tour. We communicate with the coaches and other professionals in the building, and sometimes days can be quite long when there are training sessions at night. But other days can be short, so it’s really flexible and we spend quite a bit of time travelling as well.

Choosing Bath to specialise in sport

Hong Kong doesn’t offer a well-established master’s degree in the field that I thought would benefit me, so I took to Google. As simple as it sounds, Bath was one of the first results and after I’d done a bit of research, it sounded like a great option for me – I can do it remotely and keep working in my full-time job. Bath is of course also very renowned for its sports department, so it seemed like a good fit!

I’m in my second year of the course now and have been enjoying it a lot. Here in Hong Kong, it felt a bit like getting spoon-fed education, where teachers just give a lecture, give you some reading, and then exams. The master’s here now focuses mostly on how you develop yourself career-wise and think critically - you’re more self-reliant in acquiring the theoretical knowledge.

It’s self-paced, but the material isn’t overwhelming. You do need to organise your time and it’s up to you to take in as much or as little of the lectures and materials as you want.

I attended one of the residentials in Bath in 2025 and it was great to see the sports facilities. The Sports Training Village almost doesn’t feel like it’s part of a university because it’s so big!

I wouldn’t have been able to do what I do now without the course; Bath’s network in the sporting industry really helped me make those connections. Maybe I’m just lucky, but you never know!

I did recommend this course to some of my colleagues and undergraduate students who didn’t know I was doing a degree overseas – if you’re looking for a career in sports, it’s a great way to specialise with a master’s.

As far as I know, I’m actually the first person in Hong Kong to study this master’s programme, so that’s a niche badge to have!