Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation with Foundation Year

As demand for Graduate Sports Therapists continues to grow, this degree will help you develop high-level professional knowledge at a University accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists.

• Choose a course recognised for its high academic quality; this course is accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists
• Complete over 200 hours of clinical placements to gain hands-on experience of the profession and apply theory to practice
• Build a thorough understanding of the rehabilitation process, including manual therapy techniques, exercise therapy and sports massage
• Have the opportunity to work at national sporting events to gain experience in the industry
• Make the most of our specialist clinical space and other facilities 
• Be inspired by our enthusiastic and expert staff who boast a wealth of professional experience working with elite athletes

This is a dynamic course which will set you apart as an industry-ready graduate Sports Therapist. 

Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation at Derby

Clients and patients rely on sports therapists to help them reach optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports-specific fitness. As a professional working in this field, you’ll harness the principles of sport and exercise to help boost performance and develop injury prevention and rehabilitation programmes. You’ll also deliver assessments and treatments in a variety of recreational, training and competitive settings.

This course offers a powerful blend of science and practice. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge of anatomy and movement while covering the rehabilitation process in all its aspects, including manual therapy techniques, exercise therapy, and sports massage.  

Throughout, we introduce the latest research in this rapidly evolving discipline to help advance your practice as a therapist and ensure your work is informed by current thinking.

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Expert teaching

Our Sports Therapy teaching team has vast professional experience in sports therapy and rehabilitation. Staff have forged extensive links with local sports clubs and private sports injury clinics which allow students to benefit from fantastic hands-on placements in their final year of study.   

These strong professional networks will open doors for you, with guest lectures, demonstrations and employer-led projects adding an extra dimension to your studies.

Real world learning in action

Clinical placements are a key feature of this course. Throughout your final year of study you will be required to undertake 200 hours of clinical placement. Some of these hours will be gained through hands-on experience working within the with Student-led Sports Injury Clinic which is open to staff and students of the University. By working with patients under expert staff supervision, you’ll be ready to practice effectively once you graduate. 

Fieldtrips will also broaden your outlook and there are opportunities to visit a range of places. Previous students have visited St George's Park, The DMRC and Therapy Expo as well as others. In addition to this, you will be offered the opportunity to develop your CV further through undertaking additional discounted qualifications such as Kinesio taping, Sports Massage Level 3, Fitness Instructor Level 2 and others.

Boost your employability with a placement year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

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:

Impressive sports facilities

Your learning experience and your social life at University will be enriched by the imposing facilities at our £10.8m Sports Centre. 

The centre also features a main hall, fitness gym with strength and conditioning area, studios, squash and badminton courts, an internal climbing wall, sprint track, changing rooms, treatment rooms and a café. With floodlit all-weather pitches and tennis courts adding to the picture, it means there is a wealth of opportunities to take part in a diverse range of sports – for elite performers and beginners alike. 

You can improve your practical know-how in our dedicated sport therapy clinical teaching spaces, which includes specialist rehabilitation equipment identical to what you would find in a private practice.

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.

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.

We have also recently appointed Double Olympic Medallist, Bryan Steel, as the Head Coach for Team Derby Performance Sport Cycling. Bryan is a celebrated figure in the world of cycling, bringing a wealth of experience to his role. The decorated Olympian, who represented Team GB at four Olympic Games from 1992 to 2004, boasts an impressive medal collection. His crowning achievements include a bronze medal in the team pursuit event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the same discipline. Brian's journey also includes 14 World Championship appearances, where he secured five medals, along with three medals at the Commonwealth Games. With the arrival of Bryan, Performance Sport at the university will work in partnership with HUUB-BCC Race Team to give track and road riders access to an elite pathway during and post higher education. This collaboration opens doors for Team Derby Performance Cycling's athletes, offering a unique opportunity to bridge their academic pursuits with professional cycling aspirations.

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.

You’ll learn through a combination of clinics, lectures, practical sessions, seminars, laboratories, workshops, tutorials, and guided self-study. During your study, you will complete a number of work placements in our real world learning labs and, using the knowledge, skills, and understanding you acquire, you’ll learn to evaluate research and use it to develop your clinical decision making skills and inform your practice as a therapist.

Assessment

The course assesses the professional, academic, and scientific skills considered key to becoming a research savvy, industry-ready sports therapist and rehabilitator. Assessments will include oral presentations, structured clinical examinations, written projects, problem solving exercises, laboratory reports, professional development work, exercise prescription tasks, essays, practical viva voce, and case studies.

Because this course is aligned to the professional guidelines set out by The Society of Sports Therapists, you’ll be fully prepared to go into practice as an injury and exercise-based rehabilitation and fitness specialist. You can also progress to roles working in multi-disciplinary or inter-disciplinary healthcare teams.

Your qualification also puts you on the pathway to postgraduate education, including the exciting and innovative masters courses available at Derby. You could consider our MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science - which also has a psychology pathway, or our MSc Clinical Exercise Science programme.

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

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

If you're an international student and want to improve your English language skills before you start your course, the Derby English Language Centre's pre-sessional English course can help you. 

*This is the fee for the Foundation Year. Subsequent UK fees are £9,535 per year. Subsequent International fees are £17,500 per year.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

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.

Course updates

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.

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.