Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)

at University of South Australia - City East Campus Australia

Start your unstoppable career in the world of human health and wellbeing, with a double degree in exercise and sport science, combined with nutrition and food science.

The exercise and sport science component will equip you with expertise on the impact of exercise and physical activity on the biological, physiological, psychological and social aspects of human life. The nutrition and food sciences component will give you hands-on experience in innovating foods; promoting and managing diets and lifestyles; and conducting meaningful research for enhanced wellbeing. 

With this double degree your career opportunities are diverse. You could be at the forefront of innovation in the food and nutrition industries, with opportunities to go into scientific and advisory roles. You could also design, deliver and assess exercise and physical activity programs to improve the health and wellbeing of clients, their performance, or to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. Further study opportunities may include a Master of Research (Health Sciences) or Master of Health Services Management.

What you'll learn

Through theoretical and practical learning, you’ll become an expert in all aspects of exercise and sport science, and graduate with the skills needed to design, implement and evaluate exercise and physical activity programs.

The exercise and sport science component prepares you to provide exercise advice, deliver strength and conditioning services, biomechanical analyses, and skill acquisition knowledge to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of generally healthy individuals, ranging from children to elite athletes to older persons.

The nutrition and food sciences component will teach you to understand diets and lifestyles for optimum health and the associations between nutrient intake, energy output and obesity. You’ll also learn how to manage and improve nutrition and diet related to physical activity and lifestyle changes, and how to maximise physical performance for healthy active people.  

During the first two years you’ll learn about nutrition and study exercise and sport science courses, which will give you a solid foundation in:

• Human anatomy and physiology
• Fundamental movement skills
• Skill acquisition
• Chemistry and biology

The third and fourth years have a strong practical focus. You'll develop critical thinking and practice-based skills through learning about:

• Exercise prescription and delivery
• Relationship between food bioactives, functional foods and medicines
• Developing personalised dietary and exercise plans to manage weight
• Nutrition for sports, exercise and activity

You'll learn how to expertly provide midwifery care, along with the legal and ethical responsibilities of midwives. You'll also explore the political, socio-cultural, economic and technological influences on midwifery practice today. 

There is a strong focus on theory and practical experience, so much of your learning is done in our clinician-led, simulated hospital environment. Here you'll have the opportunity to practice your skills through real-life scenarios and feel confident and prepared for clinical practice. This simulated hospital environment and community of women is the only one of its kind in South Australia.

All midwifery students will need to complete clinical placements and Continuity of Care experiences in South Australia. They must be completed on a full-time basis, and shift work will be required over a seven-day roster. Due to the on-call nature of 'continuity of care', students may be required to carry these out over more than one study period.

Start your unstoppable career supporting people's health and wellbeing, with a double degree in exercise and sport science, combined with counselling and interpersonal skills.

This unique double degree – the only one of its kind in South Australia – will develop your expertise in physical, social and psychological science. You'll be prepared for work providing counselling to athletes, enhanced rehabilitation services and enhancing the physical health and mental wellbeing of the population.

This double degree can form the first part of a pathway to becoming a practising Psychologist (including sports psychologist) with further study in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), and the first part of a pathway to teaching with further study in the Master of Teaching (Secondary).

What you'll learn

This unique double degree will provide you with expertise in the science of exercise and sport, human thought and behaviour. You’ll develop cognitive and creative skills to solve real-world scientific problems and apply your knowledge in diverse contexts such as sports and mental health.  

You'll learn how to provide exercise advice, deliver strength and conditioning services, do biomechanical analyses, and share skill acquisition knowledge to enhance people's physical and mental wellbeing from children, to elite athletes, to older people. 

Your courses in psychology theory and counselling will help you enter the workforce with a strong understanding of the analytical, communication and interpersonal skills needed to work with individuals, groups and communities.

In the first two years, you’ll study exercise and sport science courses, with an introduction to psychology, which will give you a solid understanding of:

• Human anatomy and physiology
• Fundamental movement skills
• Skill acquisition
• Physical activity and health

The third and fourth years have a strong practical focus. You’ll develop critical thinking and practice-based skills to:

• Develop influencing skills and intervention strategies
• Gain knowledge of psychological disorders, including their causes and range of treatments
• Study the relationship between psychology and physical activity

The Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management will extend your skills to excel in leadership and management roles.

In just one year of full-time study, (or two years part-time equivalent) you’ll develop the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions in a managerial capacity in the health and aged care sectors.

What you'll learn
You'll develop the skills and knowledge to:

• Understand theoretical and practical knowledge of organisational behaviour and the psychology of individuals and groups, including motivation and leadership.
• Lead a multi-stakeholder environment and handle social leadership challenges responsibly.
• Learn what it means to be an effective and responsible leader.
• Provide planning, budgeting and identify cost efficiencies to contribute in financial decision-making.
• Effectively plan, manage, execute and deliver projects to completion.
• Develop and enhance your understanding of the quality, safety, and risk management standards which apply in health and aged care.
• Prepare for leadership roles in health within Australia and internationally.

Project management is a highly regarded discipline, with demand increasing for individuals with project management skills in the Australian workforce1. Many industries rely on specialist project and program professionals with excellent practical skills and essential knowledge to plan and deliver projects on time, within budget, objectives, specifications, and outcomes that ultimately deliver value to their organisation and stakeholders.

This Graduate Diploma will equip you with advanced knowledge, tools and techniques in project management to manage complex projects and apply them across a broad range of industries.

This degree utilises the Standard for Project Management and A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) as a learning framework as well as relevant other industry standards in the field that are widely recognised and applied across different industries, businesses and government institutions.

This postgraduate qualification is offered as part of a suite of four programs (Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master(s)). Each qualification extends to the next, so you can easily transition to a master level qualification.

What you'll Learn
Throughout this program, you will learn advanced knowledge in project management, its widely applicable tools and techniques, and attain a versatile range of skill sets that you can apply to any complex project.

Our lecturers and facilitators come from both academia and industry. They are project management experts and practising industry professionals with extensive knowledge and experience.

You’ll get unconventional teaching and industry-relevant materials that support learning and upskilling needs.

This double degree is for students who want to combine their passion for health and exercise with their interest in nutrition.

Through theoretical and practical learning, you’ll become an expert in all aspects of nutrition and food sciences. Most importantly, you’ll be ready to improve the nutritional and physical health, fitness and wellbeing of the community.

You'll learn from world-class industry experts in an environment full of opportunities for practical learning; and have the opportunity to complete a work placement with valuable industry experience. You can also tailor your degree to align with your career goals by choosing a primary stream in either Health and Physical Education, or Exercise and Sport Science.

What you'll learn

This double degree offers a strong blend of theoretical, practice-based and industry learning.

During your first year of study, you'll develop a strong foundation in: 

• Physiology
• Health and physical activity
• Nutrition and food sciences
• Chemistry
• Motor development and ageing
• Group and team psychology
• Evidence based practice and research methods

From your second year, you can choose to tailor the human movement component of the degree using the electives to suit your career goals, through primary streams in Health and Physical Education or Exercise and Sport Science.

In addition to studying core subjects in your final years, the stream subjects focus on areas like exercise prescription, exercise delivery, fitness and lifestyle management, and outdoor leadership. Alternatively, you can opt not to study a stream, and instead choose to study a broad range of elective subjects to give you a multi-disciplinary perspective. 

What you'll learn

The Bachelor of Human Movement offers an exciting combination of theoretical, conceptual and hands on learning. From your first year, you can select from primary streams in either Exercise and Sport Science or Health and Physical Education. If you choose to study the Exercise and Sport Science stream, you can also study a secondary stream in Advanced Exercise and Sport Science, Rehabilitation Sciences, Sports Coaching, Health Promotion or Nutrition. If you pursue the Health and Physical Education Stream, you can study a second learning area chosen from a wide range of options including Outdoor Education, Mathematics, Science, English and Nutrition. Visit the Health and Physical Education (H&PE) teacher page to find out more.

During your first year of study, you'll develop a strong foundation in:

• Human anatomy and physiology
• Human movement
• Health and physical activity
• Motor development and ageing
• Group and team psychology

Second year studies will focus on:

• Motor learning and control
• Human nutrition
• Exercise physiology
• Biomechanics

This degree teaches you practical skills and effective communication techniques to interact confidently with clients and peers, complete client screenings, conduct laboratory and field testing, interpret scientific research, and design and implement exercise and training programs.

Occupational therapists empower people to live full and rewarding lives, every day. With UniSA, you'll learn how to help people overcome constraints caused by injury or illness, as well as emotional, developmental, environmental, societal, age-related and psychological limitations.

What you'll learn

The first year will focus on core health subjects including anatomy, physiology, and an introduction to occupational therapy practice and evidence.

From second and third year, you‘ll focus on the application of your skills in mental health, occupation rehabilitation, chronic conditions, community focus, primary health care and participatory community practice.

In addition to field placements, you‘ll attend workshops in a range of industry settings. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit regional settings in your third year, on the annual Country Road Trip.

Throughout your degree you’ll be exposed to many different hands-on activities, such as:

• Splint making
• Dressing adaptation for people with self-care impairments
• Wheelchair measurement tutorials
• Home modification and assistive technology plans
• Adult neurological rehabilitation techniques
• Completing skill demonstrations to become familiar with real-life occupational therapy scenarios

This Australian Physiotherapy Association accredited master’s degree is for qualified Physiotherapists who want to gain advanced clinical skills and knowledge in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. This is a critical specialisation within physiotherapy, as the skeleton provides a framework for the muscles and other soft tissues. Together, they support the body’s weight, maintain posture, and help a person to move freely.

What you'll learn

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists assess and manage a wide range of patient problems within a biopsychosocial framework. With your master’s degree, you'll gain advanced biomedical and psychosocial knowledge, advanced physical and psychosocial examination skills, and advanced clinical reasoning.

You'll learn to communicate effectively with clients, community and industry partners to provide advanced physiotherapy management. This incorporates an appreciation of cultural diversity in promoting health and well-being in diverse clinical environments and among diverse populations – across both patients and peers.

This master’s degree is for qualified Physiotherapists who want to gain advanced clinical skills and knowledge in the prominent field of sports physiotherapy.

This degree accelerates your skills with an advanced qualification in sports physiotherapy practice, enhancing your sports specific knowledge, reasoning and clinical skills for future work with sporting organisations and in private practice.

Many of our sports physiotherapy graduates work at amateur, elite, national and international levels in a wide range of sports including Australian Rules Football, soccer, tennis, netball, gymnastics, swimming, water polo, dance, circus or acrobatics, skiing, Paralympic sports, softball, baseball, basketball and cricket.

What you'll learn

Sports Physiotherapists assess and treat sports and other injuries in field and outpatient settings. They need quick decision-making skills to triage injuries during events; perform pre-season screening; and develop injury prevention strategies for teams and individuals. When traveling with sports teams, the Sports Physiotherapist needs management, organization, and leadership skills.