4 years with the foundation
This year will prepare you for the rest of your course. We’ll focus on general skills such as researching and referencing, numeracy and ICT, and communication. But we’ll also start to look at sports psychology, and scientific disciplines including biology, chemistry and physics. Plus, there’s a focus on using maths to understand and manipulate data.
Introduction
Immerse yourself in the world of sport, exercise and injury rehabilitation. Get applied hands-on practice as a sport therapist in our Cambridge clinic and set yourself up for an exciting career using our extensive network in the sports and health community.
All sportspeople need support, and that’s where sport therapists come in.
Accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists, our course covers injury identification and management, the principles of rehabilitation techniques and exercise science, so you’ll graduate ready to work as a professional sports therapist.
We're proud to be ranked number 1 in the country for sports science courses in the Guardian League Table 2021.
Join us, and train to work safely and ethically as a sport and exercise therapist in our specialist clinic space and sports science labs, accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). You’ll be learning a range of skills including; providing pitch-side first-aid, dealing with spinal injuries, delivering sport massage, diagnosing and rehabilitating injuries, planning and delivering strength and conditioning training, and more. Find out more about our approved and accredited courses.
You'll also gain an understanding of the range of populations you may be working with (e.g. young, older, minority groups etc). You'll additionally develop an in-depth understanding of exercise physiology, giving you an additional skill set to take forward into your career. No two days are ever the same.
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Our Sport and Exercise Therapy degree course will give you the skills to work with a range of individuals, using evidence-based practice to bring them back to optimal levels of fitness and performance.
You're likely to find yourself working pitch-side, dealing with a range of emergencies, behind the scenes, helping athletes recover from injury and also advising on how to train for optimum performance.
But there are opportunities outside of professional sport too. Our course recognises broader concerns about low levels of physical activity, leading to poor health and an increased susceptibility to injury. We are all living longer, and with that, we need professionals to help support an increasing range of ages and not always working in the sports environment. There is an emerging and urgent need for qualified healthcare professionals to work with different groups or individuals in rehabilitation and exercise referral. This means you, as a sport therapist, will be busy when you graduate!
Our BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Therapy students are based in the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences. Here, you’ll learn from expert staff who include practising sport therapists, coaches, psychologists, nutritionists and conditioning specialists. There’s the chance to hear from world-leading guest speakers too, through our Excellence in Sports seminars.
As you’d expect from a university that’s passionate about sport, you’ll find an array of sports clubs and societies here. And to top it all off, there’s financial support for talented athletes.
Specialist equipment
At ARU you’ll be based in our Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Science. Its specialist exercise testing and human movement labs feature:
- a dedicated sports therapy teaching and clinical suite
- a 3D motion capture suite
- notational analysis software
- heart-rate monitors
- GPS monitoring equipment
- breath-by-breath oxygen-analysis systems
- haematology suites
- accelerometers
- a strength and conditioning suite.
Multiple ways to learn
All our Sport and Exercise Therapy students can:
- gain experience working in the sport therapy clinic
- gain experience supporting different populations in the area of strength and conditioning
- learn from highly experienced lecturers, including practising sport therapists, coaches and conditioning specialists. Our team currently includes a Paralympian World Record holder, a Scottish Women’s Rugby player and a judo champion
- take an optional placement year, and gain valuable work experience
- join student-led sports clubs and societies
- hear from guest speakers at our Excellence in Sport seminars.
The Society of Sports Therapists
Our degree course is accredited by The Society of Sports Therapists, the leading professional body in the UK.
Careers
You'll graduate as a healthcare professional from a course accredited by The Society of Sport Therapists.
Sports therapy professionals are increasingly in demand. They can work for sports teams or organisations or be self-employed, with an increasing number of graduates taking positions within the NHS supporting physiotherapists.
You could pursue a career in a sports medicine team, supporting professional players back from injury. Or you might choose to work with the increasing number of 'weekend warriors' and recreational athletes, who also need support to recover from injury. Alternatively, you could focus on working with the wider community – perhaps those who are inactive or older and need assistance to get back to functional fitness.
Whichever path you follow, you can be sure you’re graduating with the knowledge, skills and abilities that employers need. The Society of Sports Therapists help us review what we teach and how we teach it – and they offer hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.
While you're studying at ARU, we'll encourage you to make connections with industry. We have links with a range of sporting organisations, such as:
- Living Sport (Cambridge and Peterborough Sports Development)
- Addenbrooke's Hospital
- British Paralympic Association
- Local sports clubs
- British Cycling
- England & Wales Cricket Board
When you first register as a student, you'll become a student member of The Society of Sports Therapists, which provides guidance and advice for the profession. Our course will also signpost opportunities to gain wider qualifications, such as CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activit) courses, to strengthen your CV.
Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and study a postgraduate degree such as our MSc Sport and Exercise Science. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
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