Bachelor of Applied Exercise Science / Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology

Your practical training starts in year one, giving you time to build your confidence as a healthcare professional. The structure of the program allows for a broad range of clinical placements. This breadth of practical training across a range of environments will ensure you become a well-rounded, competent practitioner. This broad experience also gives you the opportunity to try out different areas to discover what you're interested in and what career path you'd like to pursue. 

• We offer 140 hours of exercise science placements and 360 hours of exercise physiology placements throughout your degree.
• You'll complete 'work and learn' placements. These involve a one-day placement each term at a variety of sites, such as sports high schools.

Best practice healthcare requires a high degree of collaboration among professionals from different disciplines. This degree has an embedded professional practice stream, where you’ll learn with students from our dietetics and food innovation, physiotherapy and pharmacy programs.

The stream provides an opportunity to start building connections with your future health colleagues and mirrors real-world practice, where professionals work in integrated healthcare teams. You’ll gain an understanding of how different teams work together to improve patient outcomes, such as how and when to refer a client to another health professional. 

Our professional practice stream will teach you critical interprofessional skills in:

• professionalism and communication
• teamwork and collaboration
• evidence-based and value-based healthcare
• ethics and law
• leadership and business management skills
• innovation and entrepreneurship
• advocacy
• investigation and creative problem-solving

We have connections with some of Australia’s best hospitals, private practices and health organisations. We're affiliated with the Sydney Swans, NSW Waratahs and Sydney FC. You'll have contact with industry professionals throughout your degree, giving you the opportunity to grow your professional networks while you study and gain a head start in your career.

As one of the world's top medical schools*, we're creating the health leaders of tomorrow. Our diverse community of students, educators, clinicians and researchers are working together to tackle the world's most pressing health challenges. Our internationally recognised research centres and institutes are translating ground-breaking research into cures, treatment strategies and therapies.

This degree offers research opportunities to develop your investigative skills and provide a pathway if you want to pursue a career in research. You’ll gain a strong understanding of research methods and the application of research to practice. The principles of evidence-based practice and value-based care will inform your clinical decisions. We also offer a research internship, where you'll have the opportunity to spend two terms with an academic who will mentor you alongside other research students. 

^{*Ranked 54th globally according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024}

In just four years and one term, you'll gain two qualifications and a head start in your career. The combination of two disciplines also enhances your career prospects as you'll gain the breadth of knowledge, skills and experience that employers are looking for. Our current exercise physiology graduates are highly sought after with an employability rate of 96% in the year following graduation.

From year one, you'll be learning content that’s directly applicable to your future profession. Rather than offering a science degree with an exercise component, we've integrated the basic sciences with exercise physiology courses and interdisciplinary knowledge (e.g., sports nutrition, sports psychology). This structure offers greater career security as you can draw upon your interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to adapt to changes in the industry. 

At the end of year two, you'll have the necessary skills required to independently accredit as a sports trainer with Sports Medicine Australia (SMA)* and as a level 1 coach with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA).* This allows you to work in the sports and fitness industry from your third year.

When you graduate, you're eligible to become a member of the national accreditation body - Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) - as both an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) and Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES).* By the end of year three, you'll have your AES accreditation*, which allows you to work as an exercise scientist while you complete your degree. 

^{*This program has qualifying accreditation from Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) at the level of Exercise Science and Exercise Physiology. The program will be submitted for consideration of full accreditation at the required stage.}

Significant industry consultation was conducted to ensure this program aligns with industry needs, both in contemporary and future practice.

Your coursework explores existing and emerging areas of practice, which allows the degree to continually adapt to industry changes. You'll be learning from passionate educators who bring a wealth of real-world experience to their teaching. We have clinicians that teach into the degree while still doing external clinical work, giving you an insight into current industry trends. 

We're building a community of effective and empathetic healthcare practitioners. This degree will equip you with the knowledge, skills and experience you need to work with diverse populations. Our professional practice stream provides training in mental health, cultural safety and advocacy to ensure you can provide all people with the care they need.

You'll learn how to manage patients holistically through case studies and clinical placements. Rather than learning about diseases in isolation, you'll learn to examine patients as a whole, with an understanding of everything that's going on for that individual (e.g., the impact of comorbid conditions). 

UNSW Medicine & Health offers a diverse range of facilities across our Kensington campus, rural and metropolitan teaching hospitals and our world-class research centres and institutes. You’ll be learning in our exercise physiology laboratories and purpose-built research spaces.

The UNSW Health Translation Hub (UNSW HTH), which will form part of the wider Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct, reflects our commitment to transforming healthcare. The UNSW HTH will integrate health education, training and research with healthcare services to drive improvements in patient care and health outcomes. Through the UNSW HTH, you’ll have opportunities to work in interprofessional clinics and pursue research interests.

Our UNSW Lifestyle Clinic brings together some of Australia’s most innovative teams of healthcare professionals and researchers. The Clinic provides a practical learning environment where you can gain hands-on training, complete clinical placements and engage with the community.