Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation

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.

Sport and Exercise Science - your questions answered

In the below video, Head of School 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. 

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. You'll have plenty of one-to-one time with the teaching team and gain vast amounts of hands-on experience working on our equipment and also through placements in industry. 

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:

Outstanding specialist facilities 

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.

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.

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.

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

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

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. 

2025/26

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.