Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences

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

The exercise and sport science component will equip you with the skills to 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.

The nutrition and food sciences component will allow you to be ready to improve the health, fitness and wellbeing of the community by innovating foods, promoting and managing diets and lifestyles and conducting meaningful research for enhanced wellbeing.

Become immersed in an environment that provides practical learning opportunities, whilst being guided by world-class industry experts.

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, a Working with Children Check and immunisation requirements.

Please visit the Clinical Placement Unit for information on key requirements, and to access the full student checklists.

Entry requirements

Admission criteria

The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.

Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent AND

• Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
• Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
• Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.

Recent secondary education ATAR profile

OR Higher education study

• Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
• Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above

OR Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Diploma level or above

OR Work and life experience

• Qualify for Special Entry, or
• Complete a UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
• Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past

Essential requirements for admission

Prerequisites

Assumed Knowledge

Deferment

This degree is available for deferment. This option is made available by responding to your offer during the application process via the SATAC website. Applicants who receive an offer into a midyear degree are eligible to defer for six months.

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, a Working with Children Check and immunisation requirements. Please visit the Clinical Placement Unit for information on key requirements, and to access the full student checklists.

This double degree will provide you with expertise in the areas of exercise and sport science, and nutrition and food science. You will graduate with a specialised set of skills to meet emerging market needs. Through theoretical and practical learning, you will 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 will 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 will 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, where you will 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.

Full-time students will also have the unique opportunity to register as an Exercise Professional with Fitness Australia at the end of third year (if certain course requirements are met). UniSA is the only university in South Australia that enable you work as a personal trainer whilst studying. This is a great way for you to network with other members of Fitness Australia and industry professionals before you graduate.

For each course you study, you will need to allocate time for various classes such as lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Plus you will need additional hours to study in your own time to complete assignments, readings and projects and contribute to online discussion forums (independent study). So as a general rule, if you are studying full-time you would need to allocate 12 – 26 hours of study when at university and 14 – 28 hours of independent study per week.

Your studies will incorporate practical, professionally focused and research-based learning, so assessment types will vary. You can expect them to include:

We have teamed up with a number of community, local and elite sporting organisations, such as the Adelaide Football Club, Adelaide United and Basketball SA, providing you with excellent networking opportunities.

You will also complete a minimum of 140 hours of exercise science industry placement across a variety of settings. This may include working with children at a kindergym, older adults in community aged-care facilities, athletes at amateur or elite sporting clubs or returned service men and women as part of the Invictus Pathways Program, further enhancing industry networks and relationships.

We also host regular University-wide employee master classes and employment expos, and alumni events in Australia and overseas.

Your career

As the health, nutrition, exercise and wellness industries continue to grow, employment prospects for graduates of this double degree are promising. Careers to consider include:

• Exercise Scientist: assist people to increase their fitness, sporting performance and general health using a combination of biomechanics, physiology and performance analysis.
• Physical Training Specialist: advise clients on exercise, health, wellbeing and nutrition; develop and implement individual training plans.
• Sports and Fitness Nutritionist: responsible for improving the health and optimising the performance of athletes and exercisers.
• Researcher: plan and conduct laboratory-based investigations, experiments and trials, and analyse results in order to broaden scientific understanding.
• Community Nutritionist: create changes in attitude toward nutrition and health; provide advice, guidance and support to the community.
• Health Promotion Officer: plan and coordinate health promotion programs for various community groups.
• Community Sports Project Officer: develop, coordinate and manage programs delivered by community sport organisations.
• Health Promotion Officer: use social and environmental interventions to improve the health of groups and individuals.

Applying to study with us:

• go to the top of this page and make note of the SATAC code, then click Apply
• you will be redirected through to the SATAC website to continue your application

Our campuses have fantastic facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, workshops, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments. But you’ll also discover that your journey at UniSA is about social experiences, healthy living and getting involved. You’ll find student sports and fitness facilities, community clinics, tech zones and chill-out spaces. There are campus sport activities to keep you active, and if you are keen to explore the social side of university life, there are movies, cooking demonstrations, parties and loads more.

Adelaide has a variety of accommodation options to suit different requirements and budgets. Options include dedicated student accommodation or private rentals. See our long-term accommodation pages for plenty of options. If you need somewhere to live, our new student accommodation by urbanest is on Bank Street in Adelaide’s lively cultural precinct, an ideal perfect location for students. It is within easy reach of UniSA’s city and metropolitan campuses, Rundle Mall shopping, the Central Market, Chinatown, and the West End’s vibrant nightlife. It is also across the road from the Adelaide train station, and on bus and tram routes.

Our student support services will make your life at university easier. We want you to be successful, and if you need help, we're here to assist. We provide a full range of support services, including:

• academic counselling
• personal counselling
• social support services, including family support and nearby childcare

We have six campuses in metropolitan and regional areas, each with advanced facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, laboratories, and areas that simulate real work environments.

You will have access to:

• Exercise Physiology Clinic
• High Performance Sport Centre
• Environmental Chamber
• Exercise physiology laboratory
• Biomechanics laboratory
• UniSA Sport Gyms
• Sensory laboratory
• Chemistry laboratory
• Microbiology laboratory
• Commercial kitchen
• Anatomy laboratories
• Physiology Laboratory
• Human performance and resistance training laboratory.