Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation BSc (Hons)
Discover how to help athletes boost their performance. This degree prepares you for UK accreditation in strength and conditioning and gives you the skills to support athletes returning from injury.
Prepare for a successful career in a rapidly growing area of sport. We will equip you with highly specialised skills for professional roles in strength and conditioning, rehabilitation and injury risk reduction.
Learn in our new state-of-the-art Sports Centre with its high-tech strength and conditioning suite incorporating VICON 3D motion capture system and integrated Kistler Force Plates
Gain experience in the latest training methods to help athletes maximise their performance and return from injury
Build vital employability skills on work placements with organisations like Derby County FC, Derbyshire Country Cricket Club and Burton Albion FC
Develop the in-depth knowledge and practical skills you need for professional accreditation in strength and conditioning
Designed in collaboration with our industry partners, this exciting new course offers you all the benefits of applied experience, high-quality facilities and expert teaching.
93%of students agreed staff are good at explaining things**BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation - National Student Survey 2022
Sport and Exercise Science - your questions answered
In the below video, Head of Discipline for Sport and Exercise Science, Andy Hooton, answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Derby. You can also watch exclusive subject content by signing up to Derby on Demand.
Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation at Derby
As the sport industry evolves to feature more interdisciplinary work, this course meets a growing need for strength and conditioning specialists who can also call on detailed knowledge of injury rehabilitation and risk reduction.
Combining the most up-to-date practices with state-of-the-art equipment in our strength and conditioning suite, this course equips you with a range of techniques and applications to enhance the performance of athletes and reduce their risk of injuries.
Expert teaching
Our staff include accredited professionals who will provide you with high-quality teaching and support. They are actively involved in research, high-performance sport and applied sport science consultancy. They are also members of leading professional bodies, including the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association and the Society of Sports Therapists.
We host regular masterclasses where established sports practitioners give you insights into their own career experiences and help develop your employability skills.
Specialist knowledge, advanced skills
The sport industry is evolving to feature more interdisciplinary work, with greater liaison between sport science experts and medical or injury management teams. This far-sighted new course reflects that trend, meeting the growing demand for strength and conditioning specialists who can also call on detailed knowledge of injury rehabilitation and risk reduction. Incorporating the most up-to-date practices, it will help you become adept in a range of techniques and applications to enhance athlete performance and lessen the threat of injuries.
Work placement opportunities
To ensure you’re well prepared for employment, you’ll engage in professional development activities including internships, research participation and/or additional qualifications in your first year and a mandatory work placement in your second year. You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake an optional placement year between your second and third year.
These opportunities have been made possible thanks to our flourishing links with local sports organisations including Derby County FC, Leicester City FC, Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Derventio Swimming Club and the Derbyshire Institute of Sport.
Your placements may initially involve observing or shadowing professionals working in the strength, conditioning and rehabilitation arena. You’ll then progress to more hands-on roles as your level of experience grows.
Preparing you for your future career
The course prepares you for UK accreditation as a strength and conditioning practitioner. Our curriculum is aligned to guidelines set out by the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) so that you can achieve this professional recognition which is important for your career development.
We also offer you the chance to gain additional vocational qualifications, such as various coaching and first aid awards throughout the strength, conditioning and rehabilitation course.
Our Performance Suite
Our Performance Suite allows Sport and Exercise Science students to learn about performance analysis, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and injury prevention. As well as elite athletes outside of the University, you'll also be working with our Team Derby athletes to help them improve their performance and successfully compete. Take a look at the Performance Suite and Vicon cameras in action:
Our £10.8m Sports Centre features a bespoke where you can develop practical and coaching skills in areas such as weightlifting, prehabilitation, metabolic conditioning, and session planning and delivery.
We have invested in other cutting-edge resources for our sports students too. These include a well-equipped sport and exercise facilities and a separate biomechanics laboratory containing the latest equipment for testing and measuring the parameters of health and fitness. In addition, we use a range of computer software packages for statistical and movement analysis.
During your studies, you can also take full advantage of all the facilities at the new Sports Centre, which boasts a main hall, fitness gym, studios, squash and badminton courts, an internal climbing wall, sprint track, changing rooms, treatment rooms and a café.
Sports Scholarships
The University of Derby is a sporting hub for talented athletes and coaches. We have a track record of improving the performance of our University sports clubs and we have created an infrastructure to provide support for talented athletes. We offer a Sports Scholarship programme that aims to help talented student-athletes realise their sporting potential while supporting them through their academic studies. We offer scholarships of up to £6,000 and provide tailored athlete-support packages delivered by an experienced multi-disciplinary Performance Sport team. Two of the Universities most recent successful sports scholars are Charlie Tanfield (World Champion and Commonwealth Cycling gold medallist) and Jack Burnell (European Open Water silver medallist 2016 and Olympian 2016).
Join Team Derby
If you enjoy a challenge and would like to make the most of your own sporting passion and prowess, you could become involved with Team Derby which is the focal point for the University’s sporting community. It encompasses all aspects of sport, including courses, numerous sports clubs, the Athletics Union and sport development activities. You can also take part in the national BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) competitions.
When Mark Faghy first arrived in Derby as a teenage undergraduate, he stated proudly that his goal was to become manager of the England football team. Now he is a respected research academic leading an international collaboration in the fight against Covid. And his students are helping.
Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.
Undergraduate Open Days
The best way to find out if studying at Derby is right for you is to experience an Open Day. Get a feel for the city and campus, tour our first-class facilities and see where you could be living.
Teaching and learning will take place in our new £10.8m, state-of-the-art sport centre, equipped with a bespoke strength and conditioning suite and 50m running track with motion analysis. Further sport science facilities will be used to ensure students gain the required knowledge and skills to work in the applied arena of strength, conditioning and rehabilitation.
Assessment
Assessments will employ a combination of theoretical and practical assignments, such as case study presentations, field based assessments, written coursework, and professional discussions. This variety of assessments will enable learning and assess necessary skills required in future employment.
Personal academic tutoring
Your personal academic tutor will work with you to help you get the most out of your time at university. Having someone to talk to about your academic progress, your university experience and your professional aspirations is hugely valuable. We want you to feel challenged in your studies, stretched but confident to achieve your academic and professional goals.
James delivers innovative teaching to provide a real-world learning experience. The design of his teaching is underpinned by his S&C experience working in industry, and his work with the UK Strength and Conditioning Association. He believes in translating theory to practice in an accessible way to allow students to develop skills to ready them for the workplace.
These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2023 entry.
Requirement
What we're looking for
UCAS points
112-120
A Level
BBB-BBC (At least a grade C (or equivalent) from a Science subject, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Education or Psychology)
T Level
Merit in Science
BTEC
DDM-DMM
GCSE
GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Access to HE
Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15, Merit: 24, Pass: 6. Must include passes in compulsory Level 3 subjects
English language requirements
IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)
This course is the ideal platform for employment in areas such as elite and participation sport, strength and conditioning, rehabilitation and sport coaching.
You can also consider taking your qualifications to the next level. We offer the MSc Clinical Exercise Science and MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science – which includes a Sport and Exercise Psychology pathway – where you will develop advanced knowledge in your chosen subject.
Through our Professional Development Package, you'll gain valuable transferable skills, including:
Written and verbal communication
Research and analytical
Personal motivation, organisation and self-reflection
Numeracy
IT literacy
Critical awareness
Careers and Employment Service
To boost your employment skills, you can access the University's Careers and Employment Service. The team can connect you with employers to help find opportunities for work placements, part-time jobs, and volunteering. Our careers consultants are also on hand to guide you through the career options for your degree, CV writing, or starting your own business - and we commit to helping you for three years after you graduate to find a job.
Contact us
If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.
Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.
Additional costs and optional extras
We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.
The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.
Included in your fees
To welcome you to our team, you’ll receive a University of Derby, Sport and Exercise Science t-shirt
Yearly UKSCA Associate membership is provided for the duration of your studies
We will contribute to or pay the full cost of additional qualifications which are arranged by us. For other additional qualifications you’re interested in, we may contribute to or fund these but this is at the Sport department’s discretion
If a DBS check is needed for the purposes of a module or programme related work placement, this is included in your fee if done via the University
Mandatory costs not included in your fees
If not already owned, appropriate clothing for practical sessions such as tracksuit bottoms and trainers - approximate cost is £50-£100
Two bound copies of your Independent Study (dissertation) - approximate cost is £12
Travel to placements - cost varies depending on your placement venue of choice
Optional costs not included in your fees
You may wish to undertake additional qualifications as part of your studies - costs will vary depending on your choice
Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.
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