The program offers a comprehensive education in the area of health and exercise with a focus on the use of physical activity as preventative and rehabilitative therapy. Four years of full-time study leads to the award of a Bachelor of Exercise Physiology. A total of 192 units of credit must be successfully completed for the award of this degree. Graduates may expect to find employment as Exercise Physiologists in rehabilitation clinics and hospitals working in post-acute rehabilitation, sports medicine clinics, corporate health, specialised fitness centres, government departments establishing policy guidelines regarding physical activity and preventative health, and private practice for rehabilitation/exercise prescription for people requiring specialist guidance (e.g. workplace rehabilitation). The Bachelor of Exercise Physiology is accredited by Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA). Graduates are eligible to become members of the professional body, Exercise and Sports Science Australia, and accredited Exercise Physiologists.

The degree is committed to excellence in teaching in the medical and exercise sciences and in clinical training. The degree is designed to enable students to:

Foundation science courses are an important component of the early stages of the program and include chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, statistics and psychology. Building on this knowledge base, the medical sciences of anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology are studied concurrently with the exercise science sub-disciplines of, biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor control and exercise psychology (the latter of these incorporated in courses on exercise programming) to develop an integrated understanding of human function in health and disease and how this is impacted by exercise. The professional role of Exercise Physiologists is emphasised from the commencement of the program in stage 1 exercise science courses. Clinical courses in stage 3 cover the four broad areas of practice for Exercise Physiologists, being the primary prevention of disease in apparently healthy populations (1), and the management of chronic diseases under the broad categories of: cardiopulmonary and metabolic conditions (2), musculoskeletal conditions and work hardening (3) and neuromuscular conditions (4). Courses offer a mixture of traditional and interactive/case study approaches to learning.

Clinical practicum is a major component of this program with 100 hours completed across stages 1 to 3 (as an element of course work) and 400 hours in dedicated courses in stage 4. Clinical placements include the University's Lifestyle Clinic, and hospitals and private practices. Research electives are also completed in stage 4 to refine skills for independent learning and to further develop understanding of research and the scientific method and how this informs clinical practice.

Elective courses in stages 3 and 4 provide flexibility in the program and allow students to select courses according to their areas of interest and career specialisation. Electives include courses in nutrition, public health, exercise for special populations, musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, clinical and experimental pharmacology, neuroanatomy, and health psychology. It is possible for students to tailor their program in years 3 and 4 choosing appropriate electives, which would allow them to focus on one or more of several relevant areas. For example, these include (i) cardiopulmonary conditions (ii) metabolic conditions (iii) musculoskeletal conditions (iv) neuromuscular conditions (v) nutrition and (vi) clinical gait analysis. Further information is available in the program guide for enrolled students.

General Education is a requirement of all undergraduate courses at this university and can be taken in Stages 3 and 4. Elective and general education courses in stages 3 and 4 provide flexibility to facilitate international exchange in the latter stages of the program, whilst still completing the core courses and practicum required to be eligible to become an accredited Exercise Physiologist.

Plus a further 6 UoC of General Education or Elective (listed below)

Plus a further 6 UoC of General Education or Elective (listed below)

Plus any one of the following:

Plus a further 12 UOC to complete remaining general education or electives (recommendations listed below).

Clinical practicum and research projects are available in Semester 1 or Semester 2 or Summer Term.

Clinical Practicum A and Clinical Practicum B are usually completed in consecutive semesters, but this may be varied with approval from the program authority. Approval may be dependent on availability of elective courses, international exchange opportunities or clinical placements.

Commencing a research project prior to completing HESC4501 Exercise Physiology Research Seminars requires permission from the Program Authority and Course Convenor. Permission may also be granted to complete two research projects (HESC4551 and HESC4571) in place of doing HESC4501 and HESC4551 as the 12 UOC of core research courses. For students seeking to undertake both HESC4551 and HESC4571, with permission from the course convenor(s) and the program authority, students may be able to undertake components of a single larger project across HESC4551 and HESC4571, either concurrently or consecutively. Alternatively, entirely separate projects may be completed for HESC4551 and HESC4571, again either concurrently or consecutively.

Students enrolled in Exercise Physiology must complete 12 units of credit of General Education, across stage 3 and/or 4 of the program. The rules for General Education can be found by clicking here. Please note that students must complete their General Education requirements with courses that are from faculties other than Medicine. This means that courses offered by the Faculty of Medicine (including GENM and GENS courses) cannot be counted as General Education.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

A senior first aid certificate must be completed before commencing the stage 3 clinical courses and CPR certification must be maintained throughout the remainder of the program. Criminal record checks, prohibited persons declarations and immunisations are a requirement of many clinical placement providers and any such requirements should be met prior to the stage 3 clinical courses.