Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Helping people heal through movement

Learn the science behind body movement and gain valuable knowledge, understanding, and insight about the amazing machine we call the human body - with the UC Bachelor of Physiotherapy.

This four-year comprehensive course will help you explore the human body in detail, and analyse how each muscle, bone, joint, and ligament enables human movement and development across a variety of age ranges and disabilities. You will also develop a sophisticated understanding of how the lungs, heart, brain, and nerves work together, and how to improve peoples’ lives through exercise and movement.

Your study of advanced functional human anatomy combined with training from expert clinicians means you will be able to diagnose and offer effective therapeutic management solutions for a wide range of human movement disorders, across age groups and genders.

Once you graduate, you’ll open doors to further study, specialisation, or a Ph.D. in Physiotherapy. This course also offers an embedded Honours program for high-achieving students looking to progress into physiotherapy research or academic careers.

The course is fully accredited by the Australian Physiotherapy Council, which means you are eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) from the day they graduate.

Admission to this course is based on an entrance rank. A rank can be achieved by the following means:
- Year 12 ATAR
- Other Australian Qualification
- Work Experience
- Overseas Qualification

Admission to this course is competitive. Applications will be assessed on the basis of academic merit and the number of available places. Domestic applications will open on the 1st September. First offer round applications must be received by 30th November with offers being released mid-December. Applications remain open while vacancies exist for ongoing consideration of offers.
Applications from international students are accepted on an ongoing basis while vacancies exist. Please refer to the key dates (https://www.canberra.edu.au/future-students/apply-to-uc/key-dates) for further information.

Additional admission requirements

All students in the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course are required to complete clinical practice placement in blocks of time, often outside teaching time. These clinical practice placements are essential to the program and will require students to provide physiotherapy management to all genders across all age groups. To prepare for these placements, students will demonstrate their skills on their peers of all genders in assessments prior to placement.

Prior to commencing clinical practice, all students need to present a complete immunisation schedule, and First Aid Certificates including CPR, as a requirement of the ACT and NSW health departments.

All students are required to undergo an Australian Federal Police record check prior to undertaking clinical experience in the ACT, and a NSW Police check before undertaking practice in NSW.

There are non-standard English language requirements for this course. To be eligible you must have an overall IELTS Academic score (or equivalent) of 7.0, with no band score below 7.0. For alternate/equivalent ways of meeting the English requirements for this course please view the English Proficiency Requirements document on the university website.

Career opportunities

* Further study required