Sport Therapy and Rehabilitation

Sport therapy and rehabilitation is a healthcare discipline focused on the assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries in sport and physical activity contexts. Sport therapists work with athletes and active individuals to diagnose soft tissue injuries, design and deliver rehabilitation programmes, provide pitch-side care, and support a return to full activity after injury. The discipline draws on anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and clinical skills to address the physical demands placed on the body through sport.

At the University of Derby, this three-year full-time degree is structured around producing independent and confident sport therapists through the integration of clinical experience throughout the programme. In your final year, you are required to complete 250 hours of clinical placement, which ensures that the professional skills you have developed are tested and consolidated in real clinical environments. The university's Student-Led Sports Injury Clinic gives you practical experience under expert supervision, working with real patients and developing the clinical judgment that cannot be acquired in a classroom alone.

A foundation year is available for students who need additional academic preparation, and the programme also includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placements. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.

Graduates of sport therapy and rehabilitation programmes work in professional sport, elite performance, healthcare, and community settings. Sports clubs, physiotherapy and rehabilitation clinics, universities, armed forces, and occupational health providers all employ sport therapists. Many graduates also work as clinical leads in sports injury clinics or in private practice.

Professional membership of the Society of Sports Therapists is a common aspiration, and many graduates pursue further study in physiotherapy, sports medicine, or strength and conditioning to extend their scope of practice.