University of Melbourne
Graduate Certificate in Physiotherapy (Exercise and Women's Health)
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
Designed for applicants with a prior qualification in physiotherapy who wish to advance their skills and knowledge of exercise and women's health.
Course overview
The course covers sound musculoskeletal clinical assessment with a strong emphasis on clinical reasoning, differential diagnosis and effective evidence-based physiotherapy management. Participants will develop their skills as primary contact practitioners in women's health clinical practice and design and apply evidence-based exercise prescription skills across the lifespan. Adolescence, the childbearing year, menopause, older age and musculoskeletal disorders in athletes will be explored.
Key facts
What you will study
To earn the Graduate Certificate in Physiotherapy (Exercise and Women's Health), students must complete three subjects or 50 credit points. Unless otherwise indicated, each subject is worth 12.5 credit points.
Core subjects
Complete all of the following:
- Exercise for Women
- Physiotherapy Professional Portfolio (25 credit points)
- Musculoskeletal Disorders in Women
Entry requirements
To be considered for entry into this course, you must:
- Hold a qualification that allows you to practice as a physiotherapist.
- Have a minimum of two years of clinical practice, with one year preferably in the area of this course specialisation.
Please note: in this course, you must be registered to practice physiotherapy in Australia, where required. If you are an international or otherwise non-registered applicant, you must acquire temporary registration for the purposes of postgraduate study through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
English language requirements
All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in several ways, including a recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test. If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:
- IELTS (Academic) – 6.5, with no band less than 6.0
- TOEFL – 79+, with writing 21; speaking 18; reading 13; listening 13
- Pearson – 64+, with no communicative skill below 60
- Cambridge – 176+, with no skill less than 169
Contact the university or visit their website for more information.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Prior studies may be credited towards your degree and potentially reduce the duration of your course. This is known as Advanced Standing (also known as credit or recognition of prior learning).
All applicants must submit a professional portfolio as part of their application and will be assessed for credit for the subject Physiotherapy Professional Portfolio.
Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course, graduates will be able to demonstrate the following specific skills:
- An advanced knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology applied to a specialist physiotherapy area.
- An advanced understanding of the recent knowledge base in a specialist physiotherapy area.
- Advanced clinical skills and techniques applicable to a specialist physiotherapy area.
- An ability to promote evidence-based practice in a specialist physiotherapy area.
And the following generic skills:
- A capacity for self-directed learning and the motivation for lifelong independent learning.
- An advanced level of oral and written communication.
- An ability to critically evaluate and synthesise research literature.
- A capacity to manage competing demands on time.
- An appreciation of the team approach to learning in complex areas.
Career outcomes
This course benefits current physiotherapists working in private practice and hospitals by improving their clinical skills and clinical reasoning.
This degree can provide career advancement opportunities for:
- Graduates are seeking to make their skill sets more competitive.
- Experienced physiotherapists wishing to update their evidence-based assessment and management skills.
- Physiotherapists wanting to focus their practice on women's musculoskeletal conditions.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative first-year and total course fee in 2026: $24,496 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Unless otherwise noted, the indicative total course fee shown above assumes a study load of 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) commencing semester one of the listed year, except for courses with a duration of less than 1 EFTSL.
Fees are subject to annual review by the University, with any new rates effective from the beginning of each calendar year.
A student’s fee may vary depending on:
- The number of subjects studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of subjects.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
You may also need to pay the student services and amenities fee.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students.
