Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)

at University of South Australia - City East Campus Australia

Start your unstoppable career in the discovery, formulation, approval, evaluation and marketing of medicines, with this unique double degree.

Offering the only degree of its kind in Australia, at UniSA you'll be equipped with a breadth of skills to research, develop and advise on the use of effective treatments and products for the benefit of human health.

You’ll also learn how to deliver expert patient care to ensure that medicines are used to enhance health outcomes and minimise harm, as you embark on a pathway towards becoming a registered pharmacist.

What you'll learn
This double degree will equip you with the knowledge, expertise and practical skills needed to embark on a range of diverse roles in the ever-changing fields of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science.

You’ll develop a strong understanding of drug product development, drug use in the community, and trends affecting drug formulation in the future. 

As part of this degree, you’ll complete a pharmacy-related research project and be able to tailor your study to particular areas of interest when you select from a range of specialist courses. In addition, you’ll get practical industry experience with a field placement or an industry-focused research project under the supervision of an academic or staff member.

In this degree, you will get a grounding in key business disciplines through industry and business-focused courses. Your management specialisation will give you the knowledge and skills to manage resources and projects in a global business environment. You will learn to address emerging issues, and to recognise the need for innovation as you progress in your career. You will also have the valuable opportunity to embed an internship, mentoring or work integrated learning into your degree.

What you'll learn

The degree starts with core courses in business theory. These will give you a solid grasp of business fundamentals such as international business, economics, and business intelligence. You can gain valuable insight and career skills while you study with advanced career-focused electives and internships in the industry.

In your management specialization, you'll study areas such as international management ethics and values; organizational leadership, and behavior.

Public health practitioners address social and environmental factors which prevent disease and prolong the lifespan of the greater public. You’ll work with individuals, groups, communities and organisations across public and private sectors. You’ll learn diverse approaches including policy development; data analysis and reporting; media and advocacy; public events; community-based education and interventions to create positive change. These methods may be used to tackle global health issues such as COVID-19, heart disease, cancer and mental health.

What you'll learn
Your studies will equip you with an understanding of the social and commercial determinants of health and wellbeing. You will learn how to engage with communities and populations to promote wellbeing through locally-relevant information and activities. You will learn the principles and purpose of evaluation in public health, the importance of lived-experience perspectives, the role of advocacy, and the responsible dissemination of public health information. You’ll also learn epidemiological techniques to identify patterns in population health, such as the prevalence of mental health conditions or cardiovascular disease, novel associations between risk factors and diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and COVID-19.

During your first year you’ll understand core areas of practice and in your second year you’ll get to apply that knowledge. In the final year, there will be an emphasis on becoming a public health practitioner and entering the workforce, and career development. You will also have the opportunity to showcase your industry project and placement experiences at the annual student conference.

Throughout the degree, you’ll focus on equitable access to health programs and services for priority population groups such as, but not limited to, people experiencing homelessness, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse people, veterans, people living in rural and remote locations, young people, and older adults.

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

What you'll learn

The Master of Physiotherapy (Graduate Entry) will teach you to assess, treat and prevent human movement disorders across various areas of practice, including sport, musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, and neurological conditions in people of all ages.

The beginning of the degree will cover topics in evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning skills, professional practice skills, the mechanisms and management of pain; and the theory, assessment, and management for cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions. A central component of this master’s degree in clinical placements, which commence in the second half of your first year of study, in the area of acute care.

As medicine experts, pharmacists are important members of the healthcare team. Pharmacists provide expert patient care to ensure that medicines are used to enhance health outcomes and minimise harm. Using cutting edge technology in dedicated pharmacy laboratories, you’ll develop skills in pharmaceutical and biological sciences to understand and prepare medicines. As an honour's student, you’ll develop advanced skills in research, focusing on an area of specialisation in pharmacy and related sciences. 

What you'll learn

You’ll learn how to deliver the best patient care, review medications, accurately dispense medicines and provide expert knowledge to consumers and be part of a healthcare team.

As an honour's student, there is a strong focus on research in this degree. You’ll graduate with the skills needed to undertake and manage research projects in a health-related setting. 

Key focuses of this degree include:

• Chemistry and human physiology
• Professional pharmacy practice and patient-centred care
• Providing personalised drug information and expert advice for patients
• Preparing, studying and monitoring medicines and their use
• Inter-professional practice and communication
• Clinical placements in community and hospital pharmacy sectors

Over the first two years you’ll study:

• Foundations in pharmaceutical sciences and clinical skills
• Common diseases and their management
• Understanding healthcare systems and the roles of healthcare professionals
• Collecting and interpreting health information to provide individualised patient care
• Ethical pharmacy practice including responsible and legal control and supply of medicines

During the third and fourth years you’ll study:

• Clinical decision-making principles and interprofessional practice
• Compounding and formulation of medicines
• Advanced pharmacy practice service delivery
• Quality use of medicines
• Research skills and professional communication
• Clinical trials and international regulation of medicines

What you'll learn

Nuclear medicine technologists need to know how to confidently prepare and administer radioactive substances (radiopharmaceuticals), to evaluate the function of an organ or body system and diagnose and/or treat diseases. Throughout your degree, you’ll learn how to work with radioactive substances, and complement your clinical skills with valuable interpersonal skills such as communication and collaboration.

During your first year, you’ll focus on basic sciences at the core of the study and practice of medical radiation science. You’ll cover a range of topics, including anatomy, physiology, pathology and radiation physics. These core subjects introduce you to the scientific principles surrounding medical radiation.

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.

As the only degree of its kind in South Australia, the Bachelor of Outdoor and Environmental Leadership combines foundational environmental science and outdoor leadership concepts to equip future outdoor education professionals with a unique set of skills and knowledge.

This industry-relevant degree provides the foundational skills and knowledge for a rewarding career in nature-based tourism, environmental interpretation, education, adventure therapy or adventure-based leadership. Develop the reflective, evaluative and critical-thinking skills required to implement and lead culturally aware and environmentally sustainable outdoor experiences.

What you'll learn
This degree explores an integrated range of industry-relevant topics balancing core concepts of bioscience and social science. Through your studies, you’ll develop core knowledge and skills in biodiversity, ecology, coastal environments, earth systems, sustainable ecosystems and caring for Country.

Your final year will strengthen your understanding of professional practice and advanced environmental science, as well as develop your specialised management skills to transition you into the workforce.

As well as placement opportunities within leading industry environments, you can apply your learned skills through intensive fieldwork including:

• Leading an introductory kayaking or canoeing experience for UniSA students
• Planning and implementing a four-day experiential learning program
• Conducting interpretive experiences such as a ‘Water Workshop’ at a primary school
• Undertaking a week-long immersive field trip including a day of service learning in areas such as the Nantawarrina Indigenous Protected Area