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.
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.
Gain professional accreditation
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.
Work placement opportunities
To ensure you’re well prepared for employment, you’ll go on mandatory work placements in your first and second year, followed by an optional placement in your 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.
93% of students satisfied with teaching on the course**BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation, National Student Survey 2020
Outstanding specialist facilities
Our new £10.8m 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 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.
Learn from the experts
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.
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.
This module will focus on the application of skill acquisition theories in the coaching practice. Students will develop an understanding of how principles such as feedback, attentional focus and the environment can inform session design and delivery; with the view to enhancing both athlete learning and performance.
Student’s practical skill development will centre upon their ability to enhance performance through the application of skill acquisition principles. Students will be taught via a variety of lectures and seminars as well practical coaching sessions.
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to an area of study that is concerned with the internal and external forces acting on the human body and the effects of these forces on sports performance. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of mechanical principles and laws as they relate to the study of human movement and sports performance.
Academic and Research Skills for Sport and Exercise
This module is taught in two parts: Academic skills and research skills. The academic skills component provides students with grounding in the key skills needed to be successful at undergraduate study; including, literature searching, literature review, academic writing, referencing, and presentation skills. The research skills component gives students an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods, including descriptive statistics.
Students will learn how to collect and interpret data using a range of approaches including questionnaires, interviews and experimental methods. The emphasis on the module is to develop student’s confidence in engaging with academic literature including the associated terminology.
Personal Development Planning (PDP) will be embedded into the program with a series of “step-to-success” workshops which will support students in their professional development . Students will be required to engage with the PDP programme by collating hours in a Sport and Exercise based placement in addition to participation in associated activities in an area related to sport.
Most of the delivery will be based on seminar sessions wherein students will be given structured tasks which will be completed individually or in groups. Delivery and assessment will provide students with the opportunity to engage and explore their own area of interest with respect to the associated academic literature.
The role of psychology is an increasingly important and recognised aspect of participation and performance in sport and exercise contexts. This module examines various personality and social-psychological factors that impact upon participation and performance.
The module offers a range of sport and exercise psychology topics focusing on three main areas: 1) Individual participants in sport and exercise, 2) Strategies for performance enhancement, and 3) Groups, group processes, and intergroup relations. For each topic, theories and research evidence are applied to practical examples.
Knowledge of how the different parts of the body function during physical activity is necessary to understand how humans can take part in sport and exercise.
This module examines the basic physiology of the relevant body systems. What these systems consist of, how they function and how they respond to an acute bout of physical activity will be considered. In addition to building core knowledge of sport and exercise physiology, students will acquire a set of core skills in the laboratory. This module underpins the subsequent study of sport, exercise and health, and is therefore important preparation for modules at Levels 5 and 6.
This module provides students with a theoretical understanding of human anatomy. The module considers the human body in action and aims to introduce students to the integrated function of anatomical systems during physical activity and exercise. The module will incorporate both theoretical and practical elements to ensure students are given the appropriate opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of anatomy within an applied context.
Strength and conditioning specialists or coaches help athletes to maximise athletic performance, reduce injury risk and avoid overtraining.
This module builds on the scientific principles studied in biomechanics, motor control, anatomy and sports physiology at level 4, and applies them to this interdisciplinary and practical subject area. Students will study applied biomechanics and physiology within the context of strength and conditioning and learn to develop periodised, safe and effective evidence based sport specific training programs. The module will incorporate a high practical element, with students developing practical competence in core lifts and other practical disciplines as well as theoretical understanding of the practical competencies. Where appropriate, key nutritional strategies to support training methods will be introduced.
This module builds upon the knowledge and skills developed in the level 4 Research and Academic Skills module. The module is designed to prepare students for their dissertation at level 6. Students will conduct a systematic literature review in a topic area related to their degree, in order to develop a coherent research question.
Particular emphasis will be given to developing a robust rationale for the research question proposed based on a review of existing literature. Furthermore, students will propose a research methodology based on the rationale developed. The overall focus of the module is on the process of “doing research”, and this will reflect in the delivery methods used. As such, students will be encouraged to explore the suitability different methodologies with respect to the research question asked. There will be the opportunity within sessions for students to attempt to critically review literature, and peer review research proposals. In addition to developing a research rationale and design for a proposed research project, students will undertake a range of in-class assessed qualitative and quantitative data analysis tasks using appropriate software, including descriptive and inferential statistics.
The Steps-to-Success programme will be implemented in this module, in conjunction with the employability and careers office. The focus will be placed on graduate schemes, teacher training, networking, job applications and masters programmes. Students will be required to engage with the Professional Development Planning (PDP) for Sport and Exercise programme by collating hours in a Sport and Exercise based placement in addition to participation in associated activities in an area related to sport.
Module learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Develop a coherent research question based on a review of the associated academic literature
Provide a robust rationale for the research question proposed based on academic literature
Develop a suitable research methodology for the proposed research question
Analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data gathered from a range of research methods used in sport and exercise
Demonstrate evidence of Professional Development through engagement with PDP and Sport and Exercise placement
Module content
The module will focus on the following topic areas:
Research proposal writing
Literature review
Research question rational
Research methodology (quantitative and qualitative)
Injury Rehabilitation for Sport & Exercise Science
Sport scientists are often required to understand the implications of injury on sporting performance, how to help rehabilitate athletes who suffer an injury and the methods to help prevent injuries. This module builds on the scientific principles studied in biomechanics, motor control, anatomy and sports physiology at level 4; and biomechanics and physiology at level 5.
Students will study applied biomechanics, anatomy, physiology and strength and conditioning within the context of sports injuries and rehabilitation. Students will gain a theoretical underpinning of the process of sports injuries, how this progresses and effects performance and they will learn how to design safe and effective mid to end-stage rehabilitation programmes. The module will incorporate a high practical element to which the theoretical understanding will be applied.
Assessment of performance is a crucial component of the design, implementation and assessment of training protocols. As such practitioners are required to have a good understanding of a range of laboratory and field/court based assessments of performance and the ability to interpret the data appropriately in comparison to normative data. The module is designed to allow students to demonstrate the ability to select and deliver appropriate tests for a range of performance measures.
Field based conditioning forms a large part of the role of a Strength and Conditioning coach, particularly those working in team sports such as football.
This module will provide students with a technical understanding of speed and power development with particular attention to field based sports skills. It will provide students with a range of techniques that can be used with both individual and team athletes in order to develop speed, agility and efficiency. Where appropriate key nutritional strategies to support training methods will be introduced.
In addition to the practical aspects of the module, students will gain an understanding of programming for a range of athletes.
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of how events that lead to an injury ultimately relate to the ‘load’ i.e. forces as they are applied to and experienced by the body as it moves.
Load, and the variables that relate to it typically lead to one of three outcomes:
An acute sporting injury i.e. typical faulty loading of an excessive magnitude
A chronic injury i.e. faulty loading involving much lower forces yet repeated / experienced many times over
A situation whereby the two are interlinked e.g. chronic problem increasing the risk of and leading directly to an acute injury
Students will consider the common peripheral musculoskeletal injuries and conditions including their associated risk factors. Students will also consider the impact of musculoskeletal dysfunction as it relates to performance. This requires a sound understanding of functional anatomy. Students will also be introduced to the pathoanatomy that belies general chronic postures and patterns of dysfunction / derangement.
Students will go on to explore the principles that relate to corrective exercise in terms of the postural / movement analysis methods aimed at identifying faulty movement. Students will study go on to consider how such principles can be used to design exercise prescription programmes; when applied to the management of pain in symptomatic dysfunction as well as restoration of asymptomatic movement patterns with view to mitigating sport specific injury risks (a.k.a. prehabilitation).
This module provides a framework for the development of “lifelong learning” skills appropriate to all areas of professional practice; including objective setting, planning, negotiating, implementing, demonstrating and reflecting. The emphasis in this module is on the analysis and evaluation of the work completed within the organisation. This module also gives students an opportunity to relate their academic knowledge to the work environment.
Students need to be aware of the commercial realities and external factors that influence the success of an organisation. This module provides opportunities for students to acquire an understanding of contemporary issues that may impact on industrial and professional practices relevant to a career within their chosen discipline.
During this period of work experience, students can gain a deeper appreciation of the responsibilities arising from both corporate and individual responses to such issues, thus enabling them to relate to the wider world when exploring a personal direction for potential career development.
The module provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical competencies required to work with a variety of populations within the field of strength and conditioning. Students will further develop the skills and abilities introduced at level 5 through an on-going practical case study, and a selection of advanced training topics will be explored in-depth.
The module will incorporate a high practical element, with students developing competence in practical strength and conditioning disciplines as well as theoretical understanding of the practical competencies. Where appropriate key nutritional strategies to support training methods will be introduced.
This module aims to develop the underpinning knowledge developed in previous modules in order to prepare students for work within a performance environment and/or competitive setting. The theoretical basis for the module includes human performance testing and stratification of injury risk within the athletic population. Development of screening strategies and rehabilitation programme design will form the core of this module. The module will incorporate a high practical element to which the theoretical understanding will be applied.
Field based conditioning forms a large part of the role of a Strength and Conditioning coach, particularly those working in team sports. This module will build on the theory learnt at level 5 and provide students with an advanced understanding of metabolic conditioning. Additional emphasis will be placed on programming for team and individual athletes with more consideration of injury risk reduction and movement proficiency. Where appropriate key nutritional strategies to support training methods will be introduced.
In addition to the theoretical aspects of the module, students will be required to demonstrate competency in a range of coaching practicals.
The independent studies module provides students with the opportunity to reflect and build upon their subject knowledge and expertise by conducting an in-depth investigation; requiring a systematic and significant application of both acquired research skills and understanding.
The investigation may adopt a variety of frameworks, typically dependent upon a combination of both the discipline and topic in question. The rationale being to avoid limiting the students to the traditional empirical research format; instead empowering them to select an investigatory design that is best suited to the conduct, completion and presentation of the study in focus e.g. an industry report or an individually focused / institutionally targeted case study etc.
Irrespective of the study framework, all work requires students to apply critical scrutiny and analysis to a diversity of appropriate theories, concepts and procedures. Such work will inevitably relate to a field of study deemed appropriate by a specialist in the area. The module offers the opportunity to develop an in-depth critical understanding alongside the refinement of both their subject and research skills.
Building on the theoretical content presented at levels 4 and 5 this module introduces the contemporary issues related to applying such theory into applied practice. More specifically the module will introduce the concept of mono, multi and interdisciplinary approaches within applied sports science.
Students will critically evaluate the strengths and the weaknesses of each method using a problem-based approach and on the understanding that performance is based upon a set of functionally inter-linking variables. The module will also introduce key concepts such as bridge building, restructuring and integration, all of which are recognised by BASES as crucial to the understanding of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to applied sports science.
Assessment of performance is a crucial component of the design, implementation and assessment of training protocols. Building on the fundamentals of Level 5 this module will allow students to design and implement a battery of tests appropriate to the needs of an individual and a sport. In addition the module will introduce athletes to statistical analysis methods appropriate to working in an applied sports science environment and methods of dissemination of results.
20 Credits
optional
Practical
Coursework
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.
Campus Tours
Campus Tours are a great way to explore our campuses, facilities and halls of residence. We’ll be running the tours in two-hour timeslots, giving you the best possible experience while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Delve deeper into the course with our Virtual Open Day, packed with subject and course information to help you make your choice, including tours of facilities, 360° views of award-winning accommodation plus advice and insight from students and academics.
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.
GCSE Maths and English Grade C/Grade 4 (or above) or equivalent qualification
IELTS
6.0 (with 5.5 in each skills area)
Interview / Audition
N/A
Portfolio
N/A
Alternative entry qualifications:
BTEC - DDM
Pass Access to HE Diploma - 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15 Merit: 24 Pass: 6
We usually consider an A-level in General Studies as a supplementary qualification. A good application/performance will be taken into account if you do not meet the criteria/offer conditions.
An Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service certificate cleared by the University is required for this course. We will contact you with information on how to complete this once you have applied. More information.
Our entry requirements for this course should be read together with the University's general entry requirements, which details subjects we accept, alternative qualifications and what we're looking for at Derby.
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS or you can apply directly to the University for an undergraduate course if you’re not applying to any other UK university in the same year.
Part-time students should apply directly to the University.
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS or you can apply directly to the University for an undergraduate course if you’re not applying to any other UK university in the same year.
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 now offer the MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science – which includes Sport and Exercise Psychology or Physiology pathways – where you will develop advanced knowledge in your 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 below is correct for entry in the academic year September 2020 - August 2021 only. Entry for future academic years may be subject to change.
Included in your fees
To welcome you to our team, you’ll receive a University of Derby, Sport and Exercise Science t-shirt
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
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
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.
