University · Derby, East Midlands
Allied health courses at University of Derby
University of Derby runs 17 approved pre-registration allied health courses, training occupational therapists, diagnostic radiographers, operating department practitioners, physiotherapists, art therapists, dramatherapists, music therapists, osteopaths, paramedics and prosthetists and orthotists, based in Derby, East Midlands. Below: every course, the route and award each one leads to, the entry requirements where the university has published them, and how the offer compares with neighbouring providers.
What you can study here
University of Derby teaches 10 allied health professions at pre-registration level, training occupational therapists, diagnostic radiographers, operating department practitioners, physiotherapists, art therapists, dramatherapists, music therapists, osteopaths, paramedics and prosthetists and orthotists. Every course listed on this page is approved by its regulator, which is what makes it count: finishing an approved course is what entitles you to apply for registration, and registration is what lets you hold the protected title and be appointed to the job. 1 of the courses here is recorded as closed to new applicants, so check before you build an application around it.
Two ways in run side by side here. The undergraduate degree is the standard entry route from school or college; the pre-registration master’s is the accelerated route for people who already hold a relevant degree, and it compresses the same regulated content — including the placement hours — into a shorter, harder programme. There is also an apprenticeship route. That one works in the opposite order to everything else: you need an employer to take you on and sponsor the training first, and the university place follows from the job rather than the other way round. Course lengths here range from 2 years to 3 years.
A typical offer is published for 8 of the 17 courses here and not for the 9 others, so those rows are left blank rather than filled in with a guess. Where an offer is published, treat it as the shape of the offer rather than a guarantee — these courses are interviewed, and they carry DBS and occupational health requirements on top of the grades. 3 courses carry a UCAS code, so they are applied for through the central system rather than direct to the university.
- Location
- Derby
- Region
- East Midlands
- Nation
- England
- Approved courses
- 17
- Professions taught
- 10
- Routes offered
- pre-registration master’s, undergraduate degree and degree apprenticeship
- Campus locations
- Derby
Every allied health course at University of Derby
Side by side, so you can see where the routes and the course lengths actually differ.
Occupational therapist at University of Derby
Occupational therapists help people do the everyday activities that matter to them when illness, injury, disability or ageing gets in the way.
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
MSc Occupational Therapy
PG Dip Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapist entry requirements at University of Derby · All occupational therapists courses in the UK · How to become an occupational therapist
Diagnostic radiographer at University of Derby
Diagnostic radiographers produce and interpret the medical images that let clinicians see inside the body.
BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography
BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography Degree Apprenticeship
MSc in Diagnostic Radiography (pre-registration)
Diagnostic radiographer entry requirements at University of Derby · All diagnostic radiographers courses in the UK · How to become a diagnostic radiographer
Operating department practitioner at University of Derby
Operating department practitioners are perioperative specialists who look after patients through the three phases of surgery.
BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice
Operating Department Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship
Operating department practitioner entry requirements at University of Derby · All operating department practitioners courses in the UK · How to become an operating department practitioner
Physiotherapist at University of Derby
Physiotherapists assess and treat problems with movement and function caused by injury, illness, disability or ageing.
Physiotherapist entry requirements at University of Derby · All physiotherapists courses in the UK · How to become a physiotherapist
Art therapist at University of Derby
Art therapists use drawing, painting, sculpture and other visual media as the main means of communication in a therapeutic relationship.
Art therapist entry requirements at University of Derby · All art therapists courses in the UK · How to become an art therapist
Dramatherapist at University of Derby
Dramatherapists use role play, storytelling, movement, puppetry, improvisation and script work as the main therapeutic medium.
Dramatherapist entry requirements at University of Derby · All dramatherapists courses in the UK · How to become a dramatherapist
Music therapist at University of Derby
Music therapists use improvisation, songwriting, listening and shared music-making as the main means of communication with people who find talking difficult or impossible.
Music therapist entry requirements at University of Derby · All music therapists courses in the UK · How to become a music therapist
Osteopath at University of Derby
Osteopaths are primary care practitioners who assess, diagnose and treat problems of the muscles, joints and connective tissue, most often back, neck and limb pain.
Osteopath entry requirements at University of Derby · All osteopaths courses in the UK · How to become an osteopath
Paramedic at University of Derby
Paramedics are autonomous practitioners who assess and treat patients in urgent and emergency settings, usually outside hospital.
Paramedic entry requirements at University of Derby · All paramedics courses in the UK · How to become a paramedic
Prosthetist/orthotist at University of Derby
Prosthetists design, make and fit artificial limbs for people who have lost a limb through amputation or were born without one; orthotists provide braces, splints, insoles, footwear and spinal supports that support, align or correct weak or deformed limbs.
Prosthetist/orthotist entry requirements at University of Derby · All prosthetists and orthotists courses in the UK · How to become a prosthetist/orthotist
Paying for it in England
Student support for allied health courses is set nation by nation, so what applies here is decided by the fact that University of Derby is in England — not by the university.
NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF)
The NHS Learning Support Fund is extra, non-repayable money for students on eligible pre-registration nursing, midwifery and…
Undergraduate-rate student finance for pre-registration postgraduate (MSc/PGDip) courses
This is the single most misunderstood point in AHP student funding. If you take a designated pre-registration postgraduate…
Postgraduate Master's Loan (England)
The Postgraduate Master's Loan is a single contribution towards fees and living costs for a standalone master's degree, paid…
Degree apprenticeship funding (England)
A degree apprenticeship is a job, not a student place. Your employer pays you a wage from day one and the cost of the training…
Other universities in East Midlands
Applicants normally hold several offers at once, and the realistic alternatives are the providers whose placement circuits cover the same patch.
De Montfort University
diagnostic radiographers, paramedics and speech and language therapists
Nottingham Trent University
occupational therapists and paramedics
University of Leicester
diagnostic radiographers, operating department practitioners and physiotherapists
University of Lincoln
diagnostic radiographers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, paramedics and speech and language therapists
University of Northampton
occupational therapists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and paramedics
University of Nottingham
physiotherapists and dietitians
Next steps
- All universities — Grouped by nation and region
- Every approved course — Compare providers side by side
- Compare training routes — Degree, master’s or apprenticeship
- Degree apprenticeships — Employed and paid while you train
- Funding and bursaries — What you can claim while you study
- NHS pay bands — What the job pays once you qualify
Where this page’s data comes from
- HCPC approved programmes directoryHealth and Care Professions Council · No open licence stated; HCPC copyright · checked 3 September 2026
- HCPC register summary and registrant snapshots (aggregate)Health and Care Professions Council · No open licence stated; HCPC copyright · checked 3 September 2026
- NHS Learning Support Fund guidanceDepartment of Health and Social Care (administered by NHS Business Services Authority) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · updated annual · checked 3 September 2026Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Agenda for Change pay scales and NHS terms and conditions handbookNHS Employers (NHS Confederation) · No open licence stated; NHS Employers copyright · checked 3 September 2026
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