南澳大学

This degree prepares you for a rewarding career as a registered physiotherapist in the fast-growing physiotherapy industry, where you will be eligible to work as a first contact professional and valued member of allied health care teams.

Your studies will develop your capability to assess, treat and prevent human movement disorders, enabling people to lead more functional lives. As part of your honours studies, you will also have the choice to undertake advanced research training, preparing you for further study or a career in research.

You will learn from registered physiotherapists and above world-class researchers1, and experience first-hand what it’s like to work in clinical practice in our state-of-the-art Physiotherapy Clinics, located on-campus.

What you'll need

Students who undertake activities where interaction with patients/the public is required for their degree, such as field or clinical placements/visits and in University clinics and gyms, must demonstrate they meet mandatory pre-placement conditional requirements. These include criminal history clearance, child related employment clearance and immunisation requirements.

Your career

As a registered physiotherapist you will address a diverse range of movement disorders related to sport, musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, and neurological conditions present over the life span in a variety of settings including:

• private practice
• sport and exercise services
• rehabilitation centres
• hospitals
• home and community services
• disability services
• aged care facilities
• women's health and paediatric services
• occupational and health promotion units
• research

You may also choose to pursue a career in research – graduates with honours degrees are highly sought after by prospective employers, particularly within academia and research settings.

What you'll learn

Physiotherapists assess, treat and prevent human movement disorders across various areas of practice, including sport, musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological conditions in people of all ages.

During your first years of study you will focus on normal movement and basic medical science courses, such as human anatomy and physiology. The remainder of the degree focuses on abnormal movement and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability.

You will be trained not only as a member of a healthcare team concerned with the physical and psychosocial rehabilitation of people who are ill or disabled, but also as a first-contact practitioner concerned with prevention and management of disability and illness in the workplace or community.

Throughout your learning you will participate in:

• laboratory classes, where you will develop manual and technical skills, and
• professional practical experience at our on-campus Physiotherapy Clinic and during field placements.

As an honours student you will also undertake advanced research training courses in research methods and ethics.

Alternative Pathways

There are other pathways you can follow to study this degree, including:

SAIBT Diploma of Health Science

Future study opportunities

Masters by Research

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy (Musculoskeletal)

Master of Advanced Clinical Physiotherapy (Sports)