Australian residents
International students
Intakes: 

2024: February, July

Duration: 
4 years
Location: 
Footscray Park
Fees: 

2024: A$16,700*
* fee per semester

Application due dates:
We are currently accepting applications for this course.
Apply

Overview

Aim for a career supporting community health, and helping athletes achieve their best. Our double degree in sport and psychological studies gives you specialised understanding of the human body and mind.

The Bachelor of Sport Science (Human Movement)/Bachelor of Psychological Studies includes subjects in the biological sciences, social sciences and humanities. It prepares you for a career in the sport and exercise professions, with a focus on psychology.

You’ll acquire knowledge and skills for rewarding work in the following areas:

  • exercise and sport science
  • rehabilitation
  • community fitness and health
  • sport policy
  • psychological counselling.

VU has world-class facilities, including sports labs to study biomechanics and physiology, and interaction labs for counselling practice.

You’ll also benefit from extensive work experience with sporting and community organisations.

With further graduate study, you can become a registered psychologist or teacher.

Victoria University has been ranked number 9 in the world for sport science education.

Our ground-breaking research, world-class facilities and partnerships with some of the world’s top sporting clubs have rocketed us to this position.

Studying with us means you benefit from all of the opportunities that come with our elite status – learning from academics who are connected with top organisations, researching with national sporting bodies and accessing our cutting-edge sport-science equipment.

The College of Sport, Health and Engineering has a $68 million high-technology teaching and research facility at Footscray Park.

Our 29 new labs are fitted with the latest technology and equipment. They are used by professional sports team and community organisations. Facilities include biomechanics, biochemistry, and exercise physiology labs, and our Altitude Hotel.

Learn from expert staff, including researchers in the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES). Our research in sports science achieved ‘well above world standard’ in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment.

We offer placement programs during your degree which give you invaluable work experience and industry contacts.

You’ll complete a compulsory 70-hour placement in second year and/or a 140-hour placement in the final year of your degree.

Placements are hosted by 350 different organisations in the following fields:

  • sport and exercise science
  • sport management
  • sport coaching
  • recreation
  • outdoor education.

Our Career Development & Employability program is designed to help you choose your career direction, and to teach you to market yourself.

We have over 200 partnerships and affiliations with peak sporting bodies, professional and community sporting clubs, and groups that focus on public health and education.

Our partnerships give you the best possible opportunities and networks to advance your career.

Partner organisations offer you placements and internships in Australia, and contacts within the industry to help you find a dream job on graduation.

Our Sport and Recreation Industry Pathway (SARIP) program supports secondary-school students to achieve their aspirations in sport. It is available to all secondary-school students and their teachers.

The SARIP program offers a sport-based curriculum supporting students’ study in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). If you’re a student with a passion for sport, it gives you invaluable experience and industry links. You’ll be offered a pathway to additional qualifications, tertiary study and workplace opportunities.

As part of the SARIP program, students come to VU to participate in physiology and biomechanics testing and other exciting projects.

At VU you can spend part of your degree studying overseas all while gaining credits towards your course.

Immerse yourself in a new culture and learn from a new perspective, while building experiences that will help you to stand out in the competitive job market.

Learn in our cutting-edge labs when you study the Bachelor of Sport Science (Human Movement) / Bachelor of Psychological Studies.

Careers in sport & psychology

Graduates will have the skills to work in many areas, including the following:

  • exercise and sport sciences
  • fitness
  • athlete counselling
  • coaching
  • welfare
  • community services
  • human resources.

With an added postgraduate qualification, you can become a registered psychologist, teacher or social worker. For example, you can also study our: 

Salaries

Use Labour Market Insights to find average salaries in Australia for various professions:

Starting salaries for graduates may be different. 

How Carlie is becoming a leader in sport

How Carlie is becoming a leader in sport

Chancellor’s Scholarship recipient Carlie Bauer’s sporty background led to her Exercise Science degree.

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Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC) Accredited Course logo

Our Bachelor of Sport Science (Human Movement)/Bachelor of Psychological Studies is accredited by the Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC).

APAC conducts accreditation activities that ensure graduates receive a high-quality education and are equipped to use their psychological knowledge and skills in the community.

To become a practising psychologist, you’ll need to progress to postgraduate study in psychology.

Course structure

To attain the Bachelor of Sport Science (Human Movement) / Bachelor of Psychological Studies, students will be required to complete 384 credit points consisting of:
96 credit points First Year Core units
48 credit points Core units

240 credit points of Professional Core units

First Year Core Units

Year 2, Semester 1

Year 2, Semester 2

Year 3, Semester 1

Year 3, Semester 2

12 credit points of Psychology elective units from the list provided.

Year 4, Semester 1

12 credit points of Psychology elective units from the list provided.

Year 4, Semester 2

Psychology Elective Units

We are the first Australian university to use a 'block' model of learning, where you study one unit at a time rather than juggling several at once.

Introduced in 2018, the VU Block Model has improved our student results and achievements, and has won awards for innovation and excellence. Initially for first-year students, it now applies to all students studying at our Melbourne campuses.

You'll study in short bursts, called blocks, of three 2-3 hour face-to-face teaching sessions per week.

Each block focuses on one unit (subject) and is only four weeks long, with up to four days between. Our two semesters have four blocks each, and there are optional blocks over winter and summer where you can catch up on a missed unit.

Some courses have labs and pracs too, and these are generally scheduled on the same days as teaching sessions. There are also workshops where you'll develop your study skills and prepare for your future career.

Find out more about the VU Block Model.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Integrate conceptual understandings of training and conditioning needs, program design, service delivery, performance evaluation, barriers to participation and relevant sport and exercise science principles, with advanced specialist knowledge within the discipline of psychological studies;  
  2. Critically analyse theoretical and technical knowledge in diverse contexts, and adapt and apply related counselling and psychological skills to the effective and professional delivery of sport, exercise and active recreation programs;  
  3. Critically review and apply information with initiative and judgement in order to both anticipate and creatively solve problems related to the delivery of sport, exercise, and active recreation services in contemporary settings;  
  4. Exhibit professional judgment, ethical standards, and social sensitivity by adapting knowledge and skills to make decisions, either individually or collaboratively, that provide inclusive, sustainable, and culturally relevant sport, exercise, and active recreation experiences;  
  5. Reflect on personal learning and skills in relation to career goals with a view to implementing creative strategies to promote lifelong learning, and establishing pathways for the attainment of further professional development and educational training;  
  6. Apply personal and interpersonal competencies, work-group skills, and leadership abilities to the professional delivery of exercise, fitness and conditioning programs. This will be done while also accommodating the divergent and complex cultures of Australia and other regions around the world; and  
  7. Contribute to the organisation and delivery of sport, exercise, and active recreation programs with personal accountability, integrity, and social responsibility for outcomes, and do it through dynamic 21st Century work-teams that use resources efficiently, provide high levels of participant satisfaction, and deliver widespread social utility.  

What's a unit?

A unit or 'subject' is the actual class you'll attend in the process of completing a course.

Most courses have a mixture of compulsory 'core' units that you need to take and optional elective units that you can choose to take based on your area of interest, expertise or experience.

Credits

Each unit is worth a set amount of study credits based on the amount of time you study. Generally, 1 credit is equal to 1 hour of study per week.

Admissions

Victoria University is committed to providing a transparent admissions process. Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency.

Applicants for this course will need to have met the academic requirements and prerequisites for this course outlined below.

Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry into this course. Past academic performance may be considered.

Inherent Requirements

'Inherent requirements' are the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of a course. These should be met while preserving the academic integrity of the university’s learning, assessment and accreditation processes.

You need to be able to demonstrate that you hold, or can acquire, the inherent requirements for this degree.

We may be able to make reasonable adjustments to help you manage circumstances that impact your studies – provided these don't fundamentally change the academic integrity of the degree.

Read more about inherent requirements.

Entry requirements

Completion of an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate (VCE or equivalent) including Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or 20 in any other English (or equivalent).
OR:
Completion of an Australian Advanced Diploma or Diploma (or equivalent).
PLUS:
IELTS (or equivalent): Overall score or 6.0 (with no band less than 6.0 in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking).
OR:
Completion of a Foundation course or equivalent.

Find out if you meet the entry requirements, including English language and academic requirements.

Additional information

Students will require a Working with Children Check and National Police Check to be eligible to undertake and participate in workplace visits, placements or projects. Use the following site links to obtain additional information:
http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=274.

Pathways & credits

There are many ways you can start your education journey at VU. Pathways offer an easy transition between courses at different levels, so that you can start with a certificate and progress right through to postgraduate study.

If you have completed any of the following course(s), you will be guaranteed a place in this course. In some cases you may receive credit for your previous study, reducing the time it takes to complete your course.

Diploma of Remedial Massage HLT52021

You will be guaranteed entry only.

Foundations at VU JYAC

You will be guaranteed entry only.

Find out more about pathways and credits.

If you have completed any of the following course(s), you will be guaranteed a place in this course. In some cases you may receive credit for your previous study, reducing the time it takes to complete your course.

Diploma of Sport

SEDA Group, Australia

You will be guaranteed entry only.

Diploma of Sport

SEDA Group, Australia

You will be guaranteed entry only.

Find out more about pathways and credits.

Use our credit calculator to find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

If you have completed study with another university or institution and believe you are eligible to receive credit for skills and past study, you can apply for advanced standing.

Applications for advanced standing can be made after a discussion with your course chair or academic adviser.

Credit Calculator

Find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

CALCULATE YOUR CREDIT

How to apply

We are currently accepting international applications, and we welcome you to apply for this course.

Click 'apply' to begin, and we will guide you through the application process.

Apply

If you have questions, please get in touch:

Information and fees listed above are for non-resident students. Fees are accurate at the time of viewing and will be subject to annual increases. Some courses require students to purchase equipment or clothing that they will need in the course. These equipment or clothing costs are not included in the course fees listed above – check your Letter of Offer for an estimate on non-tuition-fee-related expenses.

VU takes care to ensure the accuracy of this course information, but reserves the right to change or withdraw courses offered at any time. Please check that course information is current with the Student Contact Centre.