Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology
Deakin course code	H743
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Online	No
Duration	1.5 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	The course map for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025. Full-time option Part-time option Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	072823J Burwood (Melbourne)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Deakin’s Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology has a national reputation for teaching excellence, world-class facilities and graduate employability. This award-winning course creates a simple pathway towards becoming an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, and the 300-plus hours of industry experience you undertake will open the door to exciting opportunities.

Want to study alongside the brightest minds in the field at our purpose-built Deakin Clinical Exercise Centre?

This course gives you all the tools you need to become a successful clinical exercise physiologist. You’ll study in world-class facilities, learn from brilliant teachers who are leaders in the field, benefit from extensive practical experience and grow your professional network through our long list of industry partners. If you love the feeling of helping people manage or overcome chronic conditions through exercise, we can help you channel that passion into a long-lasting career. Equally, if you want to enhance your skills in a high-performing, nurturing environment, this is the course for you.

Build on your current expertise and develop a deep understanding of advanced principles within clinical exercise physiology. Everything you learn is grounded in science and the evidence-based techniques you explore allow you to deliver better outcomes for your patients. When you graduate, you will be able to confidently treat a diverse range of chronic conditions, injuries and disabilities. You will also learn about the effects of acute and chronic exercise on physiological and pathophysiological processes in individuals with injury and disease. Some of the conditions you will cover include:

musculoskeletal injury and disease
cardiovascular disease and diabetes
cancer
mental illness.

Looking to become an Accredited Exercise Physiologist? Deakin’s Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology is an approved pathway towards accreditation with Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA). In fact, it’s the first clinical exercise course in Victoria to gain accreditation. On top of that, graduates will be eligible to apply for provider numbers with Medicare Australia, WorkSafe Victoria, DVA, TAC and other compensable funds and schemes.

One of the best parts of the course is being able to test your new skills in real clinical settings. You’ll undertake 300-plus hours of clinical placement that gives you a taste of your future role and provides valuable opportunities for professional development. If your dream is to work one-on-one with patients in a clinical setting, you will find this experience incredibly rewarding. An accredited exercise physiologist (or qualified professional) will guide you through your placement units, which are designed to optimise your exposure to a wide range of clients, practitioners and institutions. Some of these placements lead directly to future employment.

When you’re not on external placement, you will also be getting practical experience at the award-winning Deakin Clinical Exercise Centre (DCEC). DCEC was developed specifically for Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology students. At the centre, students can work alongside accredited exercise physiologists to apply their clinical knowledge to real clients. Students also have access to our multi-million dollar Specialised Indoor Exercise and Sport Science Teaching Building and Elite Sports Precinct. To give you a more rounded education, the curriculum is balanced with a research component. You will plan and execute your own research project, and the skills you learn will allow you to critically analyse, reflect on and synthesise scientific research to better inform clinical reasoning.

Ultimately, you will be joining a program with a proven track record of excellence. This course, along with our graduates, has received a number of ESSA awards, including runner-up exercise physiology practice of the year (2012), supervisor of the year (2014) and graduate of the year (2014). Better still, our school of exercise and sport science has been ranked number one in Australia for three years running.

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, practicals, placements and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time. Teaching, placements and assessment tasks may take place outside of Deakin University teaching periods.

Professional recognition

Deakin’s Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology is the first exercise physiology course in Victoria to be accredited by Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA). Students can apply to become an Accredited Exercise Physiologist upon completion of the course, and are then eligible for provider numbers with Medicare Australia, WorkSafe Victoria, DVA, TAC and other compensable funds and schemes.

Note: This course is accredited at the date of publishing. Eligibility for students seeking accreditation is subject to meeting the requirements of ESSA. Deakin University makes no representation that students will meet those requirements.

ESSA has implemented a new English requirement for all individuals seeking initial accreditation or reinstating accreditation to show English language competence, please refer to this webpage for more information.

Career opportunities

Individuals with chronic conditions can now have treatments from an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) covered by Medicare and many private health insurers. This has increased the career opportunities for those with an AEP-recognised qualification, and puts graduates of this course in a strong position for career progression.

Your practical experience, technical knowledge and problem-solving skills will allow you to thrive in a variety of settings including:

hospital and clinic rehabilitation
occupational, community and sports rehabilitation
private practice
case management through compensable schemes such as Medicare, Worksafe and the TAC.

When you are on clinical placement, it’s always a good idea to put your best foot forward. Some of these placements lead directly to future employment.

Explore more careers information for this course

Participation requirements

The course involves compulsory clinical placements of 360 clinical hours across the course. These hours are completed in 3 blocks, one internal practicum experience and two external practicum experiences. These practicums may require travel to regional or rural areas.Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.

Students are required to complete units in Trimester 3.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Working with Children Check

Applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) for the relevant state prior to undertaking placements as part of this course. Further information and guidance will be provided to students when they enrol into their placement units. Learn more about the Working with Children Check.

Police record check

Applicants will be required to hold a valid National Police Record Check for placements as part of this course. Further information and guidance will be provided to students when they enrol into their placement units.

Pathways

This course can be a pathway to the Graduate Certificate of Health Research Practice (H541)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Apply knowledge of clinical exercise physiology to provide appropriate exercise prescription.
Communication	Communicate clinical exercise physiology theory and practice effectively to a range of audiences.
Digital literacy	Utilise various forms of information and apply them to authentic problems in clinical exercise physiology.
Critical thinking	Utilise research to inform appropriate clinical exercise physiology decision making.
Problem solving	Apply evidence based practice clinical exercise physiology solutions to chronic and complex clinical conditions.
Self-management	Reflect on practice and become an adaptable and responsible clinical exercise physiology practitioner.
Teamwork	Work effectively within clinical exercise physiology and interdisciplinary teams.
Global citizenship	Be professional and ethical in clinical exercise physiology practice.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology students must pass 12 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
HSE070 Exercise and Sport Laboratory Safety (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
12 credit points of core units

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Note:

Students cannot complete the course in less than 18 months.

Course structure

Core units

Teaching, placements and assessment tasks may take place outside of Deakin University teaching periods.

Year 1 - Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)

HSE070

Exercise and Sport Laboratory Safety (0 credit points)

HSE703

Mental Health and Exercise Behaviour

HSE705

Exercise Physiology for Cardiopulmonary Disease

HSE707

Exercise Physiology for Musculoskeletal Injury and Disease

HSE711

Pre Clinical Practice 1

Year 1 - Trimester 2

HSE702

Exercise Physiology for Neurological and Neuromuscular Disease

HSE704

Exercise Physiology for Metabolic Disease

HSE712

Pre Clinical Practice 2

HSE714

Clinical Practicum 1

Year 1 - Trimester 3

HSE715

Clinical Practicum 2

Year 2 - Trimester 1

HSE709

Exercise Physiology Across the Lifespan

HSE717

Clinical Practicum 3

HSE706

Research in Clinical Exercise Physiology

Work experience

Work-Integrated Learning

This course provides you with the required knowledge and necessary skills, developed through theoretical and pre-clinical units to enable you to take full advantage of the three clinical placements on offer. The clinical placement program consists of a fully integrated internal and external placement system. The internal placements occur in the award winning Deakin Clinical Exercise Learning Centre (CELC) and Baker IDI Clinical Exercise Service, with supervision provided by expert AEPs. The external placements are in a wide variety of settings aligned to the scope of practice for clinical exercise physiologists and sometimes lead directly to future employment. All placements are organised by MCEP staff who will provide you with professional industry links, reinforce your understanding of the role of an AEP and give you extensive opportunities to gain practical knowledge, skills and competencies that will enable you to practise confidently in this field.

Additional costs incurred for clinical placement may include:

Police check, up to $46, however a lesser rate is available when signed by the University Placement Officer
Vaccinations: Students are expected to show evidence of vaccinations as per external placement requirements. Costs incurred will depend on the student’s vaccination status.
Current First Aid and CPR certificate
Deakin Clinical Exercise Polo shirt, approximately $25

In addition, students may be required to complete a placement in a setting away from their current residence, i.e. a regional or rural placement. Any costs associated with this placement will be at the expense to the student. Further information for student financial support can be found at General Student Loans.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Fees

There are limited CSP places in the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology. Therefore CSP places are not guaranteed and are allocated according to time of receipt of a completed application.

Applications for CSP usually closes in mid-late November each year. Applications after received after this time are considered for full-fee places only.

Income support

Domestic students enrolled in this postgraduate coursework program may be eligible for student income support through Youth Allowance and Austudy.

Further information can be found at Deakin University's Fees website.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Third party arrangements

Cross Faculty placement sites are organised at the Faculty level. School specific agreements are signed by the Head of School-Exercise and Nutrition Science and Dean for Faculty wide agreements.

This involves 30⁺ Clinical Partners. Partners provide a pivotal role in 360 clinical practicum hours required for accreditation of course and graduates. Clinical Supervisors offered Deakin sponsored clinical supervision training biannually and professional development annually, MCEP course accredited with Exercise and Sport Science Australia which includes audit of clinical practicum.

Nature of third party arrangements

Clinical partners complement our internally supervised practicum placements where all supervisors are Accredited Exercise Physiologists or equivalent. Supervisors mentor and assess competency in MCEP students. Supervisors provided with supervisor manual containing all requirements and receive site visits from practicum coordinator and teleconference contact annually.

Quality assurance arrangements

All MCEP students undertake one out of three practicum unit placements at Deakin and each practicum unit has assessment requirements independent of nature of external placement. External supervisor assesses competency but overall assessment provided via practicum unit chair. Assessment follows best practices guidelines with respect to learning design, marking rubric, second assessors etc.

Research and research-related study

1 credit point equivalent, HSE706 Research in Clinical Exercise Physiology

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.