Strength and Conditioning with Rehabilitation (with Placement year)
Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: C631 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.
UCAS Tariff
from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), including a pass in Psychology, Physical Education, Sports Studies or a science subject.
About this course
Train as a strength and conditioning coach in our professionally accredited labs in Cambridge, with the option to specialise in physiology or biomechanics. Prepare for a career working with professional sports teams or athletes.
Working as a strength and conditioning coach is challenging and rewarding. You're responsible for the physical and physiological development of athletes in search of performance gains – though there's also the option to work beyond elite sport.
Strength and conditioning is more than just gym work. You'll help athletes to develop the speed, agility, endurance and strength they need to compete at the highest levels. With athletes progressing from basic rehabilitation exercise up to reconditioning for return to play, the role of the strength and conditioning coach is becoming more and more prominent.
Our new degree course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to work with professional sportspeople, and it's aligned to UK Strength and Conditioning Association Standards. But there are opportunities outside of professional sport, too: our course recognises broader national concerns about low levels of physical activity. There's an emerging need for qualified healthcare professionals to work with a broad range of clients. We'll therefore encourage and support you to gain fitness industry qualifications.
Two of the core strands of strength and conditioning and rehabilitation are biomechanics and exercise physiology. We'll cover both of them in detail throughout the course, but from Year 2 you'll have the chance to specialise. If you're interested in the movements your players make, or the joint loading that could lead to injuries, biomechanics may be the path for you. Or if you're fascinated by a player’s capacity to perform at the end of a game, or finish strongly in a race, you can focus on physiology.
You’ll learn to work safely and ethically as a strength and conditioning coach in our accredited labs in the Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Science. As well as gaining practical knowledge that's in demand from top-level clubs and sporting organisations, you'll also develop your research skills. In Year 3, our final year research project gives you the chance to complete an in-depth investigation into an area of sporting practice.
By studying at ARU, you'll benefit from highly-experienced lecturers, including practising strength and conditioning specialists, sport therapists, coaches, health and exercise professionals and world-leading researchers. Our team currently includes a Paralympian World Record holder, Scottish Women’s Rugby player, and judo champion. We also host visiting guest speakers as part of our Excellence in Sport seminar series.
Modules
Year 1: Organisation and Structure of Sport Anatomy and Physiology Pedagogical Principles in Sport Introduction to Human Movement Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Applied Sport Pedagogy Research Methods for Sport and Exercise Sport and Exercise Psychology Year 2: Applied Research Skills Physiological Profiling for Endurance Functional Rehabilitation Practical Competencies in Biomechanics Applied Research and Employability Strength and Conditioning Year 3 Placement Year 4 Applied Teaching and Coaching Long-term Athlete Development Rehabilitation for Performance Developing Performance Athletes Advanced Strength and Conditioning Advanced Strength and Conditioning Research Project (Dissertation) or Advanced Work Placement Optional modules Year 1: Gym Instructor (REPs Levels 2) Year 2: Biomechanics: analysis of Motion Physiological Profiling for Strength and Power Personal Trainer (REPs Levels 3) Year 4: Physiological Basis of Training Theoretical Aspects of Biomechanics Applied Biomechanics Physiological Responses to Training
Assessment methods
Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help you measure your progress. These include presentations, practical skills tests, scientific reports, case study critiques, online assessments and a research project. We’ll also encourage you to reflect on your work, and participate in peer assessment.
Tuition fees
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What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Sport and exercise sciences
Teaching and learning
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Sport and exercise sciences
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sport and exercise sciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£17k
£23k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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