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Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science / Doctor of Physiotherapy

Program overview

Our fast-track trimester timetable makes it easy to tackle a double degree at Bond. In fact, you can complete two degrees here in less time than you could graduate with just one at most other universities.

Graduates of Bond’s Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and Doctor of Physiotherapy will be eligible for registration as a physiotherapist in Australia in just four years of study.

The Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science program will equip you with an understanding of health and human movement, providing a strong foundation for the Doctor of Physiotherapy.  

Bond’s Doctor of Physiotherapy program is renowned for its unique blend of problem-based scientific learning, practical application, and more clinical hours than any other physiotherapy degree in Australia!  

Immerse yourself in clinical experiential learning, with clinical placements included in the core subject listing, and a further internship offered as an elective. Placements are sought in a variety of settings that cover the lifespan of client services (paediatric, adult, ageing) across the full spectrum of clinical areas including orthopaedics, cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, neurological, ortho-geriatric, rehabilitation, chronic disease, disability, occupational, and sports practice.

Your classes will primarily be delivered at the world-class, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, where you will have access to the most advanced testing equipment available today.

Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science CRICOS code: 080641D
Doctor of Physiotherapy CRICOS code: 111801K

About this program

The Bond University Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science equips you with comprehensive knowledge and applied skills in health, fitness, and sport performance. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the basic and applied sciences as they apply to personal and community health and fitness, and sport performance at all levels. Areas of study include human anatomy and physiology, exercise and sport physiology, exercise biochemistry and molecular biology, biomechanics, motor learning and control, exercise and sport psychology. The program focuses on real-world learning delivered through significant practical experience and authentic assessment to maximise employment outcomes for graduates. Delivery of the program is primarily at the Bond Institute of Health and Sport where you will gain high-quality and practical learning experiences in our internationally recognised High-Performance Training Centre, as well as our exercise and sports science teaching and research laboratories. These facilities provide sports science testing, training, and recovery services to a variety of elite and sub-elite athletes including state, national and international athletes and teams, providing an exceptional and authentic learning experience for students.  Throughout the degree, you will engage with and deliver a wide range of athlete testing, performance analysis, exercise prescription, and delivery for healthy individuals and non-athletes, as well as strength and conditioning opportunities for athletes. You will also learn, engage and collaborate with other allied health professional students including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nutrition and dietetics, which models the current best practice for allied health care. The program prepares graduates for exciting career opportunities in exercise science, sports science, and strength and conditioning as well as provides an accelerated undergraduate pathway to graduate-entry studies including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, dietetic practice, and high-performance sports science.

The Doctor of Physiotherapy program offers an innovative problem- and case-based learning model of physiotherapy education to prepare entry-level physiotherapists for their roles and responsibilities as first-contact practitioners. The program integrates the clinical, pathological, and related basic sciences with the physiotherapy knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours and attitudes required to examine, diagnose and treat physiotherapy clients. The Doctor of Physiotherapy assists students to progressively develop and apply their knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes and behaviours to undertake physiotherapy practice and places a strong emphasis on clinical experiential learning with up to 1400 hours of learning in a clinical environment. Clinical practice experiences are designed to produce work-ready, entry-level graduates who are competent to practice across the lifespan in a range of environments and settings.

Variable experiences across the lifespan are sought in a range of clinical settings. These will include acute care (such as general cardiorespiratory and orthopaedics), inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation, and musculoskeletal outpatients (such as hospital outpatients or private practice). Students may also have the opportunity to experience a diverse clinical setting in line with their interests, such as paediatrics, women’s/men’s health, specialist acute care services, sports, and rural, remote, or international placements, dependent on placement availability. 

 

Program specific scholarship

Elite Sport Program

Many exercise and sports science students at Bond are Tier 1 athletes of the Elite Sport Program.

Learn more
Behind the scenes of an elite exercise and sports science placement

What you'll be studying in your bachelor's

  • Semester 1

    In your first semester, begin your journey by understanding the foundations of human physiology and be introduced to the sub-disciplines of exercise and sports science. You will complete one of three core university subjects providing you with essential skills in critical thinking and communication.

  • Semester 2

    In semester two, gain knowledge in functional anatomy and exercise biochemistry, which will be integral for application to subsequent advanced subjects. You will complete two of three core university subjects providing you with essential skills in collaboration and leadership.

  • Semester 3

    Exercise and sports science content accelerates to specialised areas of biomechanics and motor learning in the final semester of your first year, where you will understand the science of movement and skill acquisition, the psychology of sport, and the physiology of exercise.

  • Semester 4

    Semester four begins with essential learning of research methods and pathways in applied health sciences which is important to underpin evidence-based practice as an exercise scientist. This semester also provides skills in exercise prescription and delivery, together with your first work experience/practicum (70 hours) of applying knowledge into practice. You will complete the final core university subject on responsibility, integrity, and civic discourse.

  • Semester 5

    Your fifth semester of study includes advanced subjects that provide high levels of academic understanding and practical implementation of biomechanics, physiology, exercise prescription and delivery, and the psychology of behavioural change. Each of these subjects is essential to undertaking a Capstone Project within your final semester the program.

  • Semester 6

    The 20-credit point Capstone Project enables you to practically apply your knowledge, skills and attributes gained. Combine the various sub-disciplines in exercise science into a project that includes initial assessment of participant health and fitness, an eight-week exercise-based intervention and concludes with a reflection on the project’s effectiveness.

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Program features

A strong foundation

Graduates of the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science will be equipped with a broad understanding of human anatomy, exercise and sport physiology, exercise biochemistry and molecular biology, biomechanics, motor learning and control, and exercise and sport psychology, providing a strong foundation for the Doctor of Phyisotherapy.

Placement opportunities

Obtain 140 hours work experience in a variety of sport, exercise, fitness, and healthcare environments; and build your network with valuable industry contacts through work placements, group research projects, internships, and event volunteer opportunities. Many graduates have been offered work based on these placement opportunities. 

Learn by doing

Gain over 1200 hours of hands-on, patient experience in the full spectrum of clinical settings. Before working with actual patients, you will get to practise your skills in a simulated environment enabling you to combine the theory learned in class with realistic execution.

State-of-the-art facilities

During relevant clinical placements, teaching sessions and research projects, you will have access to advanced testing, training, and recovery technologies in a suite of health science and sports research laboratories at the Bond Institute of Health and Sport. You will also get to work with a variety of clinical and athletic populations in the institute’s testing and training facilities.

Hear from our Bondies

  • "As a student, I couldn’t believe the opportunities students have access to including the High-Performance Training Centre being part of our classroom, and the industry connections provided to us within the program. My end goal was to become a physiotherapist and the Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science program helped me achieve this!"

    Shannon Gill - Alumna and physiotherapist
  • I enjoyed the content and was constantly intellectually stimulated. The program enabled me to develop a referral network in Australia and globally as Bond facilitated in my international registration so I could work in the UK. Head of the Physiotherapy Program, Professor Wayne Hing, provided me with a number of contacts within the industry, which ultimately helped me secure a job in London.  

    Jared Powell - Doctor of Physiotherapy Alumnus
  • "What makes this program so exciting is its flexibility. Students can learn the science of exercise and sport, but then customise their program in line with their career ambitions by choosing from 15 majors including marketing, big data, entrepreneurship and innovation, global studies and tourism management – to name just a few."

    Associate Professor Vernon Coffey - Head of Program
  • Some of the unique characteristics that we have here at Bond are the strong relationships between our academics and students due to the smaller cohort numbers that we take in every year; our open-door policy; and the passion and the interest that our academics have for teaching. We also have the highest placement hours here in Australia which makes our students work-ready upon graduation.  

    Natalie Rando - Assistant Professor
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