Master of High Performance Sport (Coaching)

Upon successful completion, students should be able to:

1. Describe specialised technical skills in conjunction with advanced principles and strategies of strength and conditioning, fatigue management, recovery and nutrition to enhance athlete and team performance and reduce the likelihood (and/or duration) of injury and illness.
2. Understand the context of specialised technical skills in conjunction with advanced principles and strategies of strength and conditioning, fatigue management, recovery and nutrition to enhance athlete and team performance and reduce the likelihood (and/or duration) of injury and illness.
3. Design meaningful training interventions to athletes that enhance performance and reduce the likelihood (and/or duration) of injury and illness.
4. Deliver meaningful training interventions to athletes that enhance performance and reduce the likelihood (and/or duration) of injury and illness.
5. Evaluate meaningful training interventions in a multidisciplinary and collaborative high performance sports setting in an ethical manner that promotes the dignity of the athlete.
6. Interpret and transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in high performance sport settings relating to strength and conditioning, fatigue management, recovery and nutrition to enhance athlete and team performance and reduce the likelihood (and/or duration) of injury and illness.

The Master of High Performance Sport includes relevant, professional practice-related learning, independent research and project work, and an opportunity for an industry-based internship. This degree can also provide you with a pathway into further research study, for example a PhD.

The Coaching specialisation enables students to add to their knowledge in athlete monitoring, strength and conditioning, and understanding the relationships between fatigue, adaptation, performance and injury developed through the Master of High Performance Sport degree. A series of units directly relating to the field of Coaching will ensure students are able to outline, design, deliver, and evaluate relevant concepts relating to coaching theory, coaching practice, athlete management and performance analysis in high performance sport settings.

The program structure also provides the opportunity for elective choices to allow students to tailor the degree to their specific needs. This includes the flexibility to elect additional units in research training to provide students with a pathway into future higher degree research, an opportunity for an industry based internship, as well as additional units from fields such as sports science, rehabilitation, psychology, leadership, management and business.

Recommended study pattern

For the Master of High Performance Sport with a Coaching Specialisation:

• 60 cp from Specified Units
• 40cp of Coaching Specialisation Unitsand
• 20cp of Coaching Project Units

Specified Units:

EXSC510 Strength and Conditioning for Performance and Rehabilitation 10 CP

EXSC512 Leadership and Culture in High Performance Settings 10 CP

EXSC513 Data Analysis and Interpretation for High Performance Sport 10 CP

EXSC650 Fatigue, Recovery, Adaptation and Performance 10 CP

EXSC651 Sports Injury Prevention 10 CP

EXSC668 Performance Nutrition 10 CP

Coaching Specialisation Units:

EXSC648 Coaching Theory in High Performance Sport 10 CP

EXSC649 Coaching Practice in High Performance Sport 10 CP

EXSC658 Performing Under Pressure 10 CP

EXSC659 Athlete Development: Strategies, Capabilities and Wellbeing 10 CP

Coaching Project Units:

EXSC656 Minor Project 20 CP (Topics selected for EXSC656 Minor Project must be a Coaching related topic)

EXSC657 Industry Internship 20 CP

Award requirements

To qualify for the degree, a student must complete 120 cp from the schedule of subject offerings.

Exit points

• A student who has completed 80 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings may exit with the Graduate Diploma in High Performance Sport.
• A student who has completed 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, including EXSC510 and EXSC513, may exit with the Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport.

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Indicative total fee $41,217

The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

Australian Catholic University – So much more

An Australian Catholic University (ACU) education is grounded in the Catholic understanding of faith and reason working together in the pursuit of knowledge, promotion of human dignity, and advancement of the common good.

ACU aims to transform lives and communities. Students are challenged to look beyond the classroom, solve real-world problems, develop their own search for meaning and cultivate strong professional ethics. They are invited to stand up for people in need and causes that matter.

Opportunities for personal and professional growth are critical to ACU. It is a university of service – so much so that it is built into the curricula. All ACU courses offer work placements, internships or volunteering opportunities.

Learn more about Australian Catholic University

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QS World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

33

Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2026, within Australia:

27

To be eligible for admission to the the Master of High Performance Sport, an applicant must:

• hold a Bachelor degree or higher in Exercise Science, Sports Science, Human Movement or a related discipline; AND
• have evidence of relevant industry experience; AND
  • submit a supporting professional referee's report regarding suitability for this postgraduate program and/or experience in the industry; OR
• hold a Bachelor degree in Exercise Science, Sports Science, Human Movement or a related discipline, with a grade point average of at least 4.8 on the ACU 7 point scale; AND
  • submit a supporting professional referee's report regarding suitability for this postgraduate program and/or experience in the industry; OR
• have completed one of the following ACU degrees:
  • Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport
  • Graduate Certificate in Performance Analysis
  • Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport Leadership; OR
  • Graduate Certificate in Exercise Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries.

NOTE: Applicants holding a Bachelor degree (or higher) in a related allied health discipline will be considered, dependent upon specific qualifications and evidence of industry experience.

NOTE: Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Diploma in High Performance Sport will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 80 credit points.

NOTE: Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport, Graduate Certificate in Performance Analysis, Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport Leadership, Graduate Certificate in Exercise Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries, or Graduate Certificate in Sports Analytics will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of up to 40 credit points.

An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy .

Students must meet English Language requirements as follows:

• IELTS: Overall score 6.5, Individual score of 6.0 in all test.
• PTE: 58 with a minimum of 50 in all four communicative skills.
• TOEFL: Internet based total of 79: minimum 21 in writing, 18 in speaking, 13 in reading and 12 in listening.
• ACU English Language Test: B (65-74%).
• CAE: Overall CAE of 176, Minimum individual score of 169 in all tests.

Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Diploma in High Performance Sport will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 80 credit points.

Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport, Graduate Certificate in Performance Analysis, Graduate Certificate in High Performance Sport Leadership, Graduate Certificate in Exercise Rehabilitation for Sports Injuries or Graduate Certificate in Sports Analytics will be eligible for recognition of prior learning of 40 credit points.

If you have already studied at university level or have significant relevant work experience, you can apply for credit towards your ACU course. Credited units replace units you would otherwise study, so you can finish your course earlier.

The Master of High Performance Sport is designed as a program of structured learning that includes relevant professional practice-related learning, independent research and work integrated learning, as well as the opportunity for an industry based internship.