Frequently Asked Questions

It usually takes 4 years to study to become an osteopath. In Denmark, if you are already a health professional, it is 4 years of part-time study. In England it is a full-time course, which you can start without prior qualification.

To be admitted to the ESO Denmark part-time course, you must have a professional qualification of relevance such as physiotherapy, nursing, midwifery, chiropractic, veterinary and human medicine. Other qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All learners must be in clinical practice, to practise and develop what is taught on the course.

After completing the new validated course, you can apply for authorisation in Denmark and become a licensed osteopath. So far, all ESO Denmark graduates with a prior physiotherapy degree who have applied have been authorised. You can read more here.

There are options that, from experience, have worked well for individual students. One option is to take a year off and join a new cohort the following year. Continuing to study during maternity leave is another option.

Academic leave of absence from the course can be authorised if a learner’s personal or health circumstances justify it. Each learner has a maximum of 8 consecutive years to complete the programme.

Completing the ESO course in Denmark does not automatically allow you to practice as an osteopath in Britain. In the UK, the title Osteopath is legally protected and only those who have completed a degree programme that is recognised by the UK professional Regulator (the General Osteopathic Council or GOsC) can apply to join the register. Graduating with the ESO’s International Diploma does not automatically provide authorisation to practice in the UK but the ESO can provide support for its Danish graduates to achieve UK registration for those who wish it.

In countries where osteopathy is not regulated/authorised, graduates can practice and this applies, for example, to Belgium. Both osteopathic schools in Denmark fulfil the educational requirements for Danish authorisation and, as an ESO graduate, you can work in Belgium if you so wish on an equal footing with graduates of other Danish schools.

We can only speak for our own school and would like to highlight some of the benefits we can offer, which may help you in choosing a school.

• Professionalism. The ESO ensures a high standard of professionalism and is a founder / member of OsEAN (Osteopathic Educational Academic Network); this is a group of leading European osteopathic schools and can only be joined following an inspection.
• Teachers. Osteopathy is a regulated profession in the UK and osteopathic schools undergo regular inspections to ensure that standards are maintained; our international students can be sure of receiving a high quality education. You will experience meeting many different teachers, each of whom teaches in the field of osteopathy they are particularly competent and interested in.
• Flexibility. Since we have two schools in Denmark, our course dates are staggered; this means it is possible to exchange weekend seminars between the two locations (Vejle and Copenhagen). 
• Summer school. A week-long summer school is held in Maidstone each year; this combines the end of year exams with the start of the next year’s studies and provides for a broader curriculum and also intensive support for learning techniques. For final year students this culminates in the graduation ceremony.