Sports & Exercise Therapy

UCAS code: CB6X

Here's what Leeds Beckett University says about its Sports & Exercise Therapy course.

Become the clinician athletes trust, helping them to return stronger. Develop the expertise to assess, treat, and rehabilitate sport and exercise injuries.

Injury can change everything, but the right expertise can change it back. This sport and exercise therapy degree – accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists – ensures you’ll develop the clinical knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to support athletes and physically-active individuals. Depending on your interest, this could be anything from minor training injuries or physiotherapy strategies to full elite performance recovery. You’ll build a rigorous foundation in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and rehabilitation science, while developing the hands-on skills to assess injury, design treatment plans, and deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions.

As part of this course, you'll:

• Study a broad range of sport, exercise, and therapeutic modules, building your scientific understanding alongside applied clinical expertise

• Complete supervised clinical placements to accrue the working hours required to register as a qualified sports therapist

• Apply theory in our specialist rehabilitation labs, refining your skills in sports massage, injury assessment, treatment planning, and rehabilitation programming

• Enhance your practical skills by working with real clients in our dedicated sports and exercise therapy clinic

• Learn the latest therapeutic and rehabilitation insights from experts within a research-led academic community

By the time you graduate, you’ll be a practice-ready clinician with real experience, professional accreditation, and the confidence to thrive in fast-paced sporting and healthcare environments.

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Real patients, real experience You’ll gain hands-on clinical experience in our professionally run, eight-bed Sports & Exercise Therapy Clinic. This student-led service offers free treatment to university staff and students, giving you the opportunity to work with real patients presenting real injuries and rehabilitation needs. Under expert supervision, you’ll develop practical skills in assessment, including analysing range of movement before planning appropriate treatment such as sports massage and rehabilitation exercises.

Placements: learn in the real world Your clinical development continues beyond campus through supervised placements in a variety of professional environments. These may include university clinics, local sports therapy providers, and other self-sourced settings that spark your interest.

You’ll also have opportunities to volunteer at local and national sporting events, delivering pitch-side support and gaining invaluable experience treating athletes in real performance environments. These experiences build confidence, clinical reasoning, and professional identity.

Your community As a student at Leeds Beckett, you’ll join one of the UK’s most vibrant sporting communities. With more than 40 sports clubs and a dynamic, performance-driven culture, there are countless ways to get involved, whether you compete, coach, or simply enjoy staying active.

Why Study the BSc Sports and Exercise Therapy course at Leeds Beckett University?

• Become highly employable - 93.9% of graduates in work or further study 15 months after graduation*

• State-of-the-art learning spaces - 92% of students were positive about the availability of specialist facilities**

• Professional recognition – accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists, indicating the quality of teaching on the course

• Outstanding placement opportunities - develop your clinical skills through industry placements with local sports and therapy providers

• Research-led teaching – learn from active therapeutic and rehabilitation sciences researchers, shaping the future of sports therapy practice

*Percentage of respondents from this course, HESA Graduate Outcomes 22-23

• *National Student Survey 2025

Year 1 Core Modules:

• Anatomy & Function for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Assessment & Pathology in Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Massage for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Professional & Academic Skills for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Therapeutic Interventions 1 for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Physiology of Testing & Training for Sports & Exercise Therapy

Year 2 Core Modules:

• Therapeutic Interventions 2 for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Clinical Decision Making in Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Sports Trauma Management for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Exercise for Referred Populations
• Investigation & Inquiry in Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Rehabilitation & Exercise Prescription for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Applied Biomechanics for Sports & Exercise Therapists

Year 3 Core Modules:

• Professional Practice & Placement for Sports & Exercise Therapists
• Dissertation for Sports & Exercise Therapy
• Management of Injury & Illness in Sports & Exercise Therapy In addition, choose from a list of Year 3 option modules. Please check our website for a full and up-to-date list.