Study Sport Science
Human
Movement in Australia
Author
Professor Kevin Norton University
of South Australia
Sport and physical activity play an important role in the lives of most Australians. Over 90% of
Australians either participate in sport or are sport spectators. Many writers both in Australia and
from overseas have described Australia as the 'sporting nation'. We have also been described as 'the
lucky country' and in 'Sports Illustrated' as 'the land inundated with athletes'. Our climate, natural
beauty and open space and generally carefree nature all contribute to these
descriptions
In response to such strong student and
cornrnunity demands for education
in sport and physical activity, there
are a large number of tertiary courses
available.
Human movement is a generic name
often given to the study of physical
education, kinesiology, or sport and
exercise science. In Australia, there are
about 26 universities that offer degree programs in these areas. Programs
are usually very flexible, in that they can
be tailored to suit special interests such as
sports coaching, administration, sociology, physiology and physical education,
amongst others.
The programs vary in duration, but the
basic degree usually runs for three years,
although fast-tracking through summer electives may also be possible.
Combination degrees are becoming very popular,
so that graduate-entry 'add-ons' are appearing for specialist qualifications in
teaching, physiotherapy, medicine and
rehabilitation. The initial degree is in human movement, and the specialist
training then continues in the graduate pro-
gram. Many institutions will specify the
focus of their programs, so it is important to do some homework. Several places
also offer study majors in outdoor education, often in combination with health
and physical education teaching qualifications. Overall, these types of programs
in Australia are of excellent quality, and
typically have an applied focus.
Human movement courses begin with
foundation studies in basic human
biosciences and social sciences. It is not
uncommon for these classes to be run in
combination with other health sciences
students, for example in nursing, physiotherapy and pharmacy. A series of core
subjects make up the essential part of the
degree, and then the student is free to
pick and choose the combination of subjects they want to complete the degree requirements and that best suit
their vocational interests. At the Univer-
sity of South Australia, for example, the School of Physical Education, Exercise and
Sport Studies offers about 20 different elective subjects to its human movement
students. These include / streams/ or /pathways/ of studies in sports biochemistry
and nutrition, biomechanics, physiology,
information technology and outdoor education. Students may also move out
of university to take subjects in business, law, psychology or almost any other
elective area in which they are interested.
One of the most popular elective study adopted for other areas of study
pathways taken, particularly among international students, is in outdoor
education. This presents a great opportunity to study and see many natural wonders of
Australia. Subjects taken in outdoor education often require field trips where
nature/ survival skills and environmental management are studied. Most often
these subjects are recognised by independent/ external bodies who oversee the
certification of field skills in bush-walking (trekking), kayaking, rock-climbing
and the like. In this way, students have portable qualifications that open up
opportunities for employment locally and internationally. This is also the structure
in human movement degrees; for example, many programs include internationally
recognised and accredited components of their courses and subjects. One area is in
the study of anthropometry or the techniques of human measurement, which is
standardised and accredited internationally. Another area is in monitoring
physical activity patterns in adults or children. Similarly, there are dual qualifications
offered to human movement students in fitness instruction and testing, sports
training and rehabilitation, coaching and pre-exercise screening. The good part
about these qualifications is that they are almost always 'built-in' to the basic
degree structure. In this way, both the degree requirements and the certificate
requirements are satisfied concurrently,
with the structure forming a series of small quality control checks along the way. They
are important and transportable qualifications in addition to the degree itself,
offering possibilities for part-time employment as you study, and for future
involvement in longer-term employment or further study.
A relatively large percentage of human movement graduates continue to study
at the post-graduate level - a consistent finding throughout the world. Because
the foundation studies are generic and quite broad, many students like the
opportunity to specialise in one area of human movement. Each university has its
own specialist post-graduate programs in human movement, so it is important to
pick these carefully. Most programs are research-based, although some coursework masters degrees are available.
Australian research in human movement, and particularly in exercise and sport
science, is well respected around the world.
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Website:
www.unisa.edu.au/peess
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