BSc (Hons) Placement year available

Strength and Conditioning with Rehabilitation

Learn about exercise science, movement, coaching and rehabilitation – and prepare for a rewarding career as a strength and conditioning coach.

This is an exciting course where you'll discover that strength and conditioning is more than just gym work.

Based in our accredited CASES labs in the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, you’ll learn how to help people develop their speed, agility, endurance and strength.

You can specialise in biomechanics or exercise physiology from Year 2. There’s also the option to gain fitness industry qualifications, and gain experience through work placements.

We welcome talented athletes and offer financial support through our Sport Scholarship.

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Course options

Course options

Key facts

Looking for different course options?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1 (Level 4)
  • Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 1 (30 credits)
  • Introduction to Sport Coaching and Development (30 credits)
  • Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 2 (30 credits)
  • Practical Delivery of Sport and Physical Education (30 credits)
  • Professional Development - Level 4
  • Into ARU
  • CIMSPA Level 2 Gym Instructor (0 credits) *
Year 2 (Level 5)
  • Applied Research Skills (15 credits)
  • Physiological Profiling for Strength and Power
  • Functional Rehabilitation
  • Practical Competencies in Biomechanics
  • Strength and Conditioning (15 credits)
  • Applied Teaching and Coaching (15 credits)
  • Ruskin Module (15 credits)
  • Professional Development - Level 5
  • CIMSPA Level 3 Personal Trainer (0 credits) *
  • Biomechanics: Analysis of Motion *
  • Physiological Profiling for Endurance *
Year 3 (Level 6)
  • Talent Identification and Development in Sport (15 credits)
  • Rehabilitation for Performance
  • Exercise Medicine (15 credits)
  • Advanced Strength and Conditioning (15 credits)
  • Undergraduate Research Project (30 credits) *
  • Advanced Work Placement (30 credits) *
  • Physiological Basis of Training *
  • Current Topics in Biomechanics *
  • Applied Biomechanics *
  • Physiological Responses to Training *
Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1 (Level 3)
  • Foundation in Sports Science
Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Year 3
  • Work Placement - Psychology and Sport Sciences (120 credits)
Module details

At ARU, you’ll learn from expert staff including 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.

Facilities

At ARU you’ll be based in our Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences, which houses specialist exercise testing and human movement labs.

The labs feature:

  • strength and conditioning suite (three lifting platforms, open physical conditioning space)
  • rehabilitation clinic
  • 3D motion capture suite
  • notational analysis software
  • heart-rate monitors
  • GPS monitoring technology
  • breath-by-breath oxygen-analysis systems
  • accelerometers.

Take a guided tour and meet our students.

Careers

As our course is aligned to UK Strength and Conditioning Association standards, you’ll be able to work as a strength and conditioning coach as soon as you graduate.

You also have the option to work as a gym instructor or personal trainer if you complete our optional modules, and become a qualified member of The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs).

This course is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), the professional development body for the UK's sport and physical activity sector, and the sector's only chartered professional body, meaning employers will view you as "job ready" for roles in sport and physical activity.

You might choose to be self-employed or work for a team or organisation, with professional or recreational athletes, or with inactive or older people.

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.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.

Entry requirements

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