Undergraduate BSc (Hons)
Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
with a Foundation Year
Discover the world of sports therapy and learn to diagnose, treat and prevent sporting injuries.
Discover the world of sports therapy and learn to diagnose, treat and prevent sporting injuries.
Make a difference by studying a degree in Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation.
Sports therapy and rehabilitation is one of the fastest-growing areas in the sports and healthcare sector and at Kent we are dedicated to giving you the best start to a career in this exciting field. From diagnosis and treatment to the prevention of injuries, studying Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation at Kent equips you with the extensive knowledge and skills needed to work in a range of environments.
You'll gain a good mix of theoretical knowledge, and valuable laboratory and clinical skills. Get hands-on experience in our excellent facilities including laboratories and custom-built teaching spaces, and complete a placement to put your learning into practice. You'll develop the expertise to treat elite athletes, teach specialist exercise groups or set up your own business as an independent Sports Therapist and Rehabilitator.
Together with our dedicated careers and employability support, studying at Kent gives you the edge in pursuing a career in a range of areas including research and development, within a sports club and sports rehabilitation.
Our foundation year offers you the flexibility to progress to degrees across our Division of Natural Sciences. You may choose a degree in Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, but equally you could opt for a degree within another area of Sport and Exercise Sciences, or Biosciences, Chemistry or Forensic Science.
Dr Kyra De Coninck explains the skills you'll gain from the Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation degree at Kent.
Sports Science at Kent scored 85% overall in The Complete University Guide 2024.
You'll gain invaluable real-world experience in our laboratories and clinics.
The course is accredited by the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT).
You'll gain invaluable practical experience and confidence in your ability to work with clients at all levels of fitness.
Our typical offer levels are listed below and include indicative contextual offers. If you hold alternative qualifications just get in touch and we'll be glad to discuss these with you.
CDD including either a Science subject (i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Sport, Psychology or Mathematics at grade D OR CCC including at least two subjects from the following areas: humanities, computing, art and design, English language or literature.
MMP in Applied Science, Biomedical Science, Medical Science, Sport or Sports Coaching. All other subjects are considered on a case by case basis.
80 tariff points - typically H5, H4, H4 from three HL subjects including HL Science subject, Sport, Psychology or Maths at 4 or SL Science subject, Sport, Psychology or Maths at 6.
Maths and English Language at grade 4/C
N/A
Pass overall in Science with C or more in the core components.
The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer would be to obtain Access to HE Diploma with 45 level 3 credits, including at least 6 at Distinction, 18 at Merit and 21 at Pass. This will then be reviewed by the School.
Please contact the School for more information at studynats@kent.ac.uk.
The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.
In your foundation year, you study modules in biology, chemistry and scientific methods. On successful completion of the foundation year, you will have reached a standard above A level and so you'll be fully equipped to tackle a BSc degree course.
Since the dawn of time, humans have explored the natural world that surrounds us. Questions like, “What is life?” and “How did it all begin?” are essential because they intersect with virtually every aspect of human thought and activity, from the search for knowledge and meaning to the practical implications for science, ethics, and society.
The foundations of biological and chemical sciences are built on a set of fundamental principles and concepts that underpin the structure, behaviour, and interactions of matter and life. These foundations are vital for understanding the complexity of living organisms and the chemical processes that sustain them.
In this module you’ll begin an exciting journey into these scientific principles, starting from the structure of simple atoms and molecules to the incredible complexity of the human genome. You’ll investigate the building blocks of matter and examine how atoms form complex molecules, which ultimately give rise to living organisms.
Experiments are the building blocks of scientific enquiry, and in our Scientific Methods and Data Handling module, you will ignite your curiosity while gathering critical practical experience, skills and confidence in conducting scientific experiments.
You will test hypotheses with a series of engaging laboratory classes that investigate the science that surrounds us. You will analyse your own experimental data, develop your numeracy and data handling skills and use appropriate software to draw meaningful conclusions.
By blending theoretical understanding with practical laboratory investigations within natural science disciplines, you’ll be equipped with the tools necessary to progress in scientific inquiry and analysis. By the end of the module, you’ll have the competence and confidence in your academic abilities to operate effectively in a professional scientific context.
How and why are molecules fundamental to human life? What reactions take place in the cells of every organism to make them work? In this module, you’ll continue your journey into the foundations of scientific theory and method and find answers to questions like these.
You will learn the essential proteins and enzymes that exist in everyday life, the metabolic processes that allow us to create energy, and some of the chemistry that underpins these processes such as equilibria, acids and bases. Through engaging problem-solving exercises and interactive, thought-provoking lectures, you will deepen your academic knowledge in these areas, and explore the factors that drive chemical and biological processes.
After completing the module, you’ll be familiar with essential scientific principles. This will help you develop your interests further within your selected degree course and set you up for future success.
What is science, and how does research help advance scientific understanding? What are the steps to the scientific research process and what are the things to consider when conducting it? In this module, you’ll outline the essential steps associated with undertaking scientific research, and consider issues related to the experimental process and statistics.
You’ll undertake experiments that develop proficiency in collecting, analysing, and interpreting large data sets. You’ll also develop your ability to communicate with authority as a scientist and improve your skills in academic writing and referencing, information retrieval and analysis, and effective presentation.
By the end of this module, you’ll be able to think and operate professionally as a scientist, so you can explore the questions that matter to you and get answers. You’ll build on your scientific abilities and develop the transferable skills needed for both further academic study and future employability.
Sport science is a multi-faceted discipline, with important applications in performance and clinical settings. In the health sector, exercise is prescribed for general health and the management of many diseases, but how do the core natural sciences integrate with the study of sport and exercise science?
You will be introduced to fundamental principles and concepts, and examine these in real-life sport and exercise contexts and scenarios. You will learn to identify human anatomy and physiology, and understand how this relates to sport, exercise, rehabilitation and massage. You’ll learn how to assess amateur and elite sporting performance via performance testing and scientific analysis. You’ll also examine the psychology of sport and exercise and the biomechanics of human movement.
Once you complete the module, you’ll recognise the importance of physical activity and exercise for health, and understand how it can be applied to the whole population to enhance public health and wellbeing.
Do you want to unlock the mysteries of life within us? Studying human biology and genetics provides insights into the workings of the human body, from fundamental cellular processes to complex physiological systems. Grounded in fundamental biological principles, you’ll explore the intricate functions of human tissues and organs, gaining insight into their roles in sustaining life.
You’ll examine the essential principles of genetic inheritance and the factors driving genetic variation, laying the groundwork for understanding the diversity of human traits. By understanding the processes that keep our organs working well, you’ll begin to understand how diseases emerge. By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a thorough and holistic understanding of the human body, health and disease onset, all of which help to shape out understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.
Why do chemical reactions occur? How do we analyse and understand the composition of substances? What techniques do we use to uncover the mysteries of chemical reactivity? In this module, you’ll begin a journey into the fundamentals of organic and inorganic chemistry, and learn to apply spectroscopic methods in analytical chemistry.
You’ll examine the different groups of the periodic table, uncovering the unique properties of each element and the fascinating chemistry exhibited by each distinct group. You’ll immerse yourself in the captivating world of organic chemistry and the different molecular classes, functional groups, and key reaction mechanisms that compose this discipline.
You’ll discover how spectroscopic and analytical techniques are used to identify, analyse, and quantify different substances. You’ll also come to understand how chemistry functions as the central natural science, connecting other fields of knowledge like physics, biosciences, sport sciences, and forensics.
What does it mean to be at the cutting edge of science? Evidence-based practice is the idea of making professional decisions based on what is proven to be effective. But how do we know if something is really ‘effective’? The answer is through scientific research.
Using examples of contemporary scientific research across the fields of sports performance, therapy and rehabilitation, and health, you’ll compare different methods of scientific testing. You’ll also determine what we consider ‘best practice’ and examine the challenges and limitations associated with conducting research with human participants.
You’ll get to grips with research terminology, start to understand how research studies are designed, and discover how data can be analysed. You’ll learn to dissect information, determine what is credible evidence and gain an understanding of the implications and impact of research findings in an applied context. Practical and seminar sessions will provide hands-on experience in conducting applied research and effectively communicating scientific information and results to drive improvements in sport and exercise science as a field.
Understanding human anatomy and movement is key to injury rehabilitation. Your study of anatomy will focus on the key regions of the lower limbs, upper limbs, spine and thorax, and you’ll learn to identify the associated bones, joints, soft tissue structures, muscles and nerves of each of these regions. Through the practice of palpation, you’ll also be able to identify key anatomical landmarks in the body.
Throughout the module, your lecturers will emphasise functional anatomy through sporting movement and injury. After finishing the module, you’ll be able to apply your knowledge of human anatomy to your role as a sports therapy and rehabilitation practitioner.
Have you ever wondered why your ankle throbs after injury, or why we're told to ‘ice and elevate’? Have you ever asked yourself which injuries are most common, and why? In this module, you'll learn about what goes on beneath the skin, the physiology of the human healing process, and the body’s response to musculoskeletal injury.
You'll look at ways we can enhance healing using evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as electrotherapy, ice or heat, and you will learn to treat and manage different injuries based on their location and tissue type. You'll discover the latest evidence in this field, and examine data to understand why certain injuries may be more common in some sports than others and how they can be prevented or treated.
The skills you learn in this module will give you the knowledge to identify musculoskeletal injuries and initiate the patient treatment process, which is essential for a career in sports therapy and rehabilitation.
Do you want to learn how to give an effective sports massage? Start a journey that could change your life by applying the fundamentals of sports massage. You will learn about the dos and don'ts of setting up a sports massage practice, how to communicate with your client, how to ask the right questions and plan and carry out a full-body sports massage. Additionally, you will explore how to adapt massage techniques for various needs and health conditions.
You’ll get plenty of practical, hands-on experience and learn how to combine several different massage and stretching techniques. You’ll also integrate what you have learned about anatomy and physiology, and physical assessment skills, which you can then apply in a professional context to treat individual clients throughout your career in sports massage therapy.
How do you know what injury an athlete has sustained? As part of this module, one of your first tasks will be to perform a clinical assessment, which is a carefully structured examination of the body to gain information about what could potentially be wrong.
You'll learn how to conduct this logically and methodically, concentrating on the main joints of the upper and lower limbs as well as the spine. You'll find out how to assess joint range of movement, strength, and ligamentous stability and learn how and when to apply tests to help identify the structure(s) at fault.
Throughout the module, you'll develop skills in problem-solving and clinical reasoning, through the process of asking questions which will help guide your subsequent clinical assessment. This will give you the professional tools to assess clients with a variety of needs and help them on the first step towards recovery.
Do you want to know how your body's physiological systems work, and how your body responds and adapts to exercise? And do you want to be to plan and deliver effective exercise sessions to help other people understand their own body's physiological systems?
In this module, you’ll learn and discuss exercise physiology, human movement and training principles. The teaching is based on a practical approach to movement analysis, common exercises and movement patterns. You’ll develop your practical skills and build confidence in delivering, designing and planning effective exercise sessions. The knowledge you gain will provide the foundation for the remainder of your degree, as well as setting you up for an exciting and successful career.
What does it take to be a well-rounded scientist in the fields of sport and exercise performance, therapy and rehabilitation, and health? How would you go about designing a study, collecting the data, and analysing the results? How will the knowledge you develop improve our understanding?
In this module, you’ll gain an understanding of research methods typically used in a sport and exercise and/or a therapy and rehabilitation setting. You’ll develop the ability to select, employ and interpret statistics in your research. This knowledge is central to being an effective sports scientist, sports therapist or rehabilitator.
By the end of this module, you’ll understand the fundamentals of forming a feasible and appropriate study. You’ll also have the tools and techniques you’ll need to conduct independent research in the final year of your degree.
Once you have identified an injury and the bodily structure(s) involved, a sports therapy and rehabilitation practitioner needs to deliver appropriate treatment to restore normal movement and function. Manual therapy is the art and science of skilled hand movements and mobilisations for therapeutic effect.
You’ll learn the key concepts and theories that underpin manual therapy techniques and put them into practice alongside other complementary therapeutic modalities such as taping. One of the most common presentations that you are likely to see as a qualified practitioner is injury to the spine. You’ll therefore focus on the spine and associated spinal pathology so that you are confident in managing common spiral injuries. You’ll also acquire essential skills in relevant manual therapy interventions. These skills are essential to you in starting a career in sports therapy.
Global healthcare systems are increasingly challenged by populations living longer and living in poor health. What if some health conditions could be easily prevented before they were diagnosed?
You’ll attempt to answer this question and provide solutions, deepening your understanding of the role physical activity and other lifestyle factors play in the prevention of a range of chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and mental health conditions.
You will be able to identify key risk factors, explain the physiological underpinning for how conditions develop, and explore how physical activity can be employed in the prevention and pre-clinical management of these conditions. Using evidence-based practice, you’ll tailor physical activity for the benefit of different conditions, whilst considering some of the key contraindications and concurrent health challenges that pre-clinical populations may face. Finally, you will evaluate current public health messaging and guidance for target audiences, and apply your own knowledge and the latest research to develop guidance, resources and solutions of your own.
Rehabilitation is an essential and highly effective skill for any sports therapy practitioner. You will learn the core principles of rehabilitation such as how to improve strength, range of motion, flexibility, power, speed and agility. These are all principles that are applied when evaluating every athlete and individual you work with, whether the aim is reducing pain or return to sport after injury.
You’ll implement the principles of rehabilitation in each stage of injury and discover how you can adapt exercises according to the specific injury, its stage in the healing process, and the nature of the sport involved. After finishing the module, you’ll have the fundamental tools to make appropriate and evidence-based judgements to support injury recovery. You’ll be able to use these in future modules, within practical and work placement opportunities and your future career.
What are the steps needed to take an athlete from the moment of injury to a return to their sport? This module will show you how to apply your knowledge of anatomy, physiology, clinical evaluation and rehabilitation to specific injuries.
You’ll consider the structures of injuries you’re likely to frequently encounter, assess and manage in rehabilitation when working with injured individuals. You’ll formulate sport-specific rehabilitation programmes for athletes and individuals for the duration of their injury journey, from the first day of initial injury and acute management through to key rehabilitation stages.
By the time you finish this module, you’ll be able to develop evidence-based and end-to-end rehabilitation plans for an athlete, supporting their ongoing care and minimising re-injury by assessing when they are physically and mentally ready to return to sport.
Sport and physical activity is for everyone, and the way we choose to participate and perform changes through our life course.
When it comes to physical activity and sport, there is no ‘one size fits all’, and diverse guidelines exist to meet the specific needs of children, youth, females, pregnancy, disability, adults and older adults.
Each week you will examine a different life course stage, and you will consider specific physical activity and training modifications that can be applied to maximise health, fitness and performance potential according to individual goals and needs. You’ll explore the physiological, biological and psychosocial changes we all experience throughout our lives and learn how to consider these when we are working with people from all stages of their own lives.
Upon completion, you'll be equipped to provide relevant and tailored recommendations to individuals to support health improvement, training for performance, and lifelong participation. Improving your ability as a practitioner and supporting more people getting involved in sport for health.
Clinical practice is key to becoming a confident and competent sports therapy and rehabilitation practitioner. This module will integrate your academic knowledge and skills into professional patient-facing experience.
Under supervision from staff, you’ll encounter real-life patients in our in-house student-led injury clinic, where you can put your clinical and rehabilitation skills into authentic practice, helping clients recover from injury and preventing future injuries.
You’ll have the opportunity to develop both professionally and personally as you build your skills. Accompanying lectures will focus on personal reflection and development, building your profile so that you have all the necessary professional tools to succeed in the industry after you graduate.
Research into sports therapy and rehabilitation shapes current and future practice, and this module allows you to conduct research of your own by designing, conducting and completing an extended project on a specialist topic of sports therapy and rehabilitation. You’ll put the skills you’ve developed during your studies into practice, and comprehensively engage in a topic that you’re interested in and passionate about.
After identifying an appropriate research question, you’ll expand your knowledge by forming a search strategy, reviewing the literature and critically evaluating the current body of research. You’ll apply your understanding of research methods to designing an experimental approach and collecting data which you can analyse, present and report in scientific communications. You’ll be supported by lectures that cover the planning, management and dissemination of the project. However, a majority of the learning experience will be led by you, with support from a project supervisor.
Your supervisor will advise you on methodology, analysis and presentation, and will create an environment which will cultivate independent work and thinking. The qualities and skills that you develop during your dissertation will set you up for postgraduate study or a career as an evidence-based sports rehabilitation practitioner.
A critical role for sports therapy and rehabilitation professionals is reducing the likelihood of injury for the athletes they support. In this module, you’ll cover risk factors for specific injuries and learn how to apply this knowledge to help reduce the risk of injury in different sports. As well as learning to analyse injury incidence data across different sports and injury types.
You’ll evaluate injury prevention models and injury prevention programmes using best practice and emerging research, including strategies for athletes to recover from training, matches and competitions. This will help you minimise injury risk for your clients and enhance their recovery so that they can perform at their best for longer.
Building on the experiences gained during the Clinical Practice and Professional Development module, you will integrate clinical reasoning and critical analysis skills to address more complex spinal and peripheral joint injuries within the in-house student-led injury clinic.
You will begin to master your skills in clinical assessment and patient handling whilst using more specialised and advanced rehabilitation equipment and techniques based upon the latest evidence-based research.
Throughout the module, emphasis will be placed on critical evaluation and reflection of your skills and your patient's rehabilitation journey, with a view to transforming you into a confident and competent autonomous practitioner ready to succeed in industry upon graduation.
Why is strength and conditioning of key importance for athletic development and in maximising physical performance? Drawing on contemporary and traditional research, you will critically analyse the scientific principles of strength and conditioning, then apply those principles into practical coaching delivery.
You will consider and evaluate a range of contemporary and traditional training approaches, to determine best practice for a range of athletes across different sports. Finally, you will consider how coaching skills and delivery styles could impact athlete development and reflect on your coaching delivery to optimise effectiveness and develop sector-wide professional skills.
How do we prepare athletes to succeed at the very top level of sport? You will evaluate and integrate various testing and monitoring approaches with different populations and interpret that data to determine an optimal programming approach.
You will consider the technical models for compound and Olympic lifting modalities, and critically analyse the effects of biomechanical deviations on performance. Programming and coaching adjustments for a range of different populations will be considered. Finally, you will apply best practice in coaching delivery, and reflect on your own delivery of training programme, in an applied setting, to build transferable professional skills to help you launch your career.
Why do some athletes bounce back faster from injury and rehabilitation compared to others? Why is mental health and wellbeing talked about so much in sport? Why is it important for sports rehabilitators to understand and be aware of the psychological responses to injury and rehabilitation?
You will learn about psychological and emotional responses to sports injuries and chronic conditions. You will also learn about implementing psychological interventions to support athletes and clients with psychological responses to injury and rehabilitation. The psychological skills you will practice and learn about are important, as these will help you to develop into a fully-rounded practitioner using multi-dimensional approaches to rehabilitation, so you can step into your career ready to succeed and make a real different to people’s lives.
Do you want to take your massage skills to the next level? You will build on your sports massage skills and learn to adapt soft tissue techniques to a wide range of people with injuries or life-long conditions.
You master a range of advanced techniques such as Myofascial Release, Soft Tissue Release, Neuromuscular Techniques, Kinesio Taping, Trigger point techniques, tool-assisted massage and Scar tissue techniques.
You will learn how to apply these soft tissue approaches in an integrated and effective manner, to support your client's recovery, to improve movement and reduce pain, and promote return to an active life, exercise and training.
The course involves taking part in practical therapy sessions, clinical practice, designing training, small group seminars and private study. You are taught by a combination of lectures, practical sessions and seminars each week. You also spend additional time developing your clinical skills and experience through placements and in the student clinic.
The methods of assessment vary and predominately involve coursework, observed assessment, practical tests and clinical assessments. Some modules also feature written examinations.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.
Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
You graduate with an excellent grounding in rehabilitation knowledge and extensive hands-on experience. In addition, you also develop the key transferable skills sought by employers, such as:
This means that our graduates are well equipped for careers across a range of fields and have gone on to work for companies such as The King’s School, NHS, and for Oxford United Football Club.
*The Government announced on 4 November 2024 that tuition fees in England for Home students will increase to £9,535 from £9,250 for the academic year 2025/26. This increase requires Parliamentary approval, which is expected to be given in early/mid 2025.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
You will require regular access to a desktop computer/laptop with an internet connection to use the University of Kent’s online resources and systems. Please see information about the minimum computer requirements for study.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can apply through UCAS or directly on our website if you have never used UCAS and you do not intend to use UCAS in the future.
We welcome applications from students all around the world with a wide range of international qualifications.
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