Overview

The details

Course: Musculoskeletal Practice

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 3 - 4 years

Location: Colchester Campus

Based in: Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences (School of)

Within our multidisciplinary School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, we offer research supervision in a broad range of areas related to the musculoskeletal speciality.

As a research student at Essex, you work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. Our School offers an environment with an excellent reputation for research and teaching. Many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and other local health agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day, and practice.

Undertake your research with access to a range of specialist facilities, including:

a wide range of ergometers and treadmills
force plates
isokinetic dynamometers
a Vicon motion capture system
electronic timing gates
a variety of EMG systems
ultrasound systems for high-quality musculoskeletal imaging

We also offer an MPhil in this subject. Both full-time and part-time study can be supported, and you can start in October, January and April.

Why we're great.

Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences offers a multidisciplinary environment with an excellent reputation for research and teaching.
Our degree is responsive to the needs of a range of professionals and clinicians. Specialised physiotherapists, medics including rheumatologists and general practitioners, hand therapists including occupational therapists, therapy service managers, and other clinicians in the musculoskeletal specialism are supported with their research.
Our staff work with local NHS Trusts and other local agencies, enhancing our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day, and practice.

Our expert staff

Our staff are multi-professional, and include clinically-qualified lecturers, sociologists, and social policy and management specialists, so they have clinical and academic credibility.

Our School has a proven track record of excellence in teaching, research and applied sports science. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our research is not just about academic excellence. It has a wide-ranging societal impact in areas as diverse as professional governance, sports performance, cardiac health, and childhood wellbeing.

You will be allocated a supervisor who will guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.

The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience, and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.

Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

Specialist facilities

The School is housed within the Essex Sport Arena. This state-of-the-art, £12-million development brings together education, rehabilitation, exercise, and research, with facilities including a sports hall the size of three basketball courts, two labs for sports therapy training, a sports therapy clinic, and dedicated physiotherapy labs.
Key to the success of all research and teaching within a university is sufficient resources. Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences is well equipped and centrally resourced by technical staff who provide a service to all our staff and students.
Our successful Human Performance Unit (HPU) provides educational and coaching services, health-related exercise programmes and athlete testing, as well as unique opportunities for you to further your studies and research in these areas.
We have a study room for our postgraduate research students. This has been designed in collaboration with our postgraduates, and grants our PhD students office space. This provides a focal point for our postgraduates, facilitating good communication and a strong sense of community.
Our laboratories use the latest equipment and IT facilities to assist you with the effective learning and acquisition of new skills.

Your future

Following completion of our course, our students' career development opportunities are enhanced considerably. Some choose to retain a clinical focus and integrate their research skills into professional roles; others decide to follow research-based careers and contribute to health care policy, efficiency, and delivery.

Sport scholarships

Sport scholarship applications for October 2025 entry are now closed.

Our Performance Sport Scholarship programme has been created for talented athletes playing at regional, national or international level, and offers a range of benefits. We want students competing in our focus sports - basketball, volleyball, tennis and football - as well as other team sports and as individual athletes to contribute to our performance sport programme.

Our scholarships can include fee discounts of up to 100%, offered to athletes who demonstrate sporting excellence. Athletes who are awarded the scholarship may also receive a host of other benefits, including:

free kit
access to state-of-the-art facilities
performance coaching
the option to live in our Athlete Village (accommodation fees may vary)
a support package valued up to £1,500

These benefits are designed to help athletes focus on their training and development, and to enable you to reach your full potential alongside your studies.

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

You will need a good honours degree or Masters degree, or equivalent, in a related subject. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

You will normally be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5, or equivalent, with a minimum of 5.5 in all other components.

Structure

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components and modules explained

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science - Research

(0 CREDITS)

This module is for PhD students who are completing the research portions of their theses.

View Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science - Research on our Module Directory

Assessment

The aim of undertaking your PhD is to train as an independent researcher who can critically assess other research work, and have a comprehensive knowledge of at least one area.

Our PhD programme is usually three to four years duration. All our students are initially registered as MPhil/PhD students, then transferred to the PhD in the first half of their second year of study if they have made satisfactory progress. In your second and third years, you work towards your PhD.

Dissertation

You must attend two formal supervisory board meetings each year where you submit literature reviews and research reports to the Board members prior to the meeting. At these meetings, such documents are discussed with you and your progress is assessed.

Your PhD thesis is generally completed within three to four years and has a maximum length of 80,000 words. Great importance is given to the completion of PhDs within a four-year period from the time of initial registration.

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£5,006 per year

International fee

£19,650 per year

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

Masters fees and funding information

Research (e.g. PhD) fees and funding information

What's next

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, graduate employability, student support and more
talk to our Fees and Funding team about scholarship opportunities
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

2025 Open Days (Colchester Campus)

Saturday 20 September 2025 - September Open Day

Saturday 8 November 2025 - November Open Day

Find out more

You can apply for this postgraduate course online. Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we'll ask you to provide as part of your application.

We encourage you to make a preliminary enquiry directly to a potential supervisor or the Graduate Administrator within your chosen Department or School. We encourage the consideration of a brief research proposal prior to the submission of a full application.

We aim to respond to applications within four weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply' information.

A sunny day with banners flying on Colchester Campus Square 4.

Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.

Find out more

View from Square 2 outside the Rab Butler Building looking towards Square 3

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.