Explore career options in clinical exercise physiology
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a clinical exercise physiology program may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
A qualification in exercise physiology provides a strong foundation in the physical, biomedical and psychological sciences, and the application of knowledge and skills to current and developing models required for careers in rehabilitation, exercise, sport, and health industries.
Graduates will be prepared for work in a range of professional areas as a dual-accredited exercise scientist and exercise physiologist. Your deeper knowledge of the human body and how exercise affects it will enable you to assess, design and deliver exercise-based programs that manage and prevent chronic and complex medical conditions and injuries, and improve health, fitness and functioning.
Career fields
- Exercise prescription and assessment
- Hospitals – public and private
- Government health departments
- Rehabilitation services
- Cardiac testing and monitoring
- Respiratory testing and monitoring
- Strength and conditioning
- Sleep research and testing
- Bioinstrumentation
- Sports coaching
- Fitness centres
- Injury management
- Self-employment
- Sports institutes
- Defence forces
Employment roles
- Accredited exercise physiologist
- Accredited exercise scientist
- Rehabilitation consultant
- Cardiac technician
- Pre-employment health consultant
- Health advisor
- Health injury management consultant
- Trainee echo cardiographer
- Therapy assistant
- Polysomnographic technologist
- Respiratory scientist
Occupation snapshot
Employed
5,100
Future growth
3.5%
Weekly earnings
$1,067
Part-time share
38%
This data is based on the occupation profile for exercise physiologists, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website, YourCareer website, and the Seek Explore Careers website October 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Australian Defence Force recruitment
- Adzuna Exercise-Based Jobs
- CareCareers
- Jobs in clinical physiology
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Seek Exercise-Based Vacancies
- Sportspeople
- Sports Medicine Australia Jobs
- Your World Healthcare
Notable alumnus: Darren Smith
Darren Smith, a Griffith University alumnus, has been a respiratory scientist for over 20 years. He specialises in treating respiratory ailments, particularly among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Darren’s commitment extends to training the next generation of respiratory scientists, having supervised 43 students during their university placements and mentoring them throughout their careers.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Exercise and Sport Science Australia
- Australian Council For Health, Physical Education and Recreation
- Australian Health Promotion Association
- Sport Management Association of Australia and NZ
- Physical Activity Australia
- Australasian Institute of Digital Health
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career outcomes
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.