Coaching Major

This degree prepares you for a coaching career in sport, recreation, health and physical education, and the growing area of coach development.

Coaches work with athletes of all skill levels, from beginners to high-performance athletes, and there’s a large number of coaching positions available in the areas of performance analysis and performance sports.

Gain understanding of the coaching process, and work with athletes of different skill levels through your workplace experience.

Key Features

• Modern athlete-centred coaching practice
• Workplace experience with national and regional sporting bodies or schools
• Wide-ranging coaching skills, from beginners to high-performance athletes

Exercise Science & Nutrition Major

The Exercise Science and Nutrition major covers the skills to help people make healthier choices. You study approaches to lifestyle management and healthy living to prevent lifestyle-related diseases.

Exercise science and nutrition are becoming more and more important as the developed world struggles with the effects of our modern lifestyle. There’s an increasing focus on lifestyle choices, physical activity, exercise, nutrition and other factors that affect health in the community.

The Exercise Science and Nutrition major is supported by the AUT Human Potential Centre, a research centre for physical activity and nutrition based at AUT Millennium.

Key Features

• Workplace experience in district health boards, schools and health organisations
• Closely linked to the AUT Human Potential Centre
• Major research and postgraduate opportunities

Health & Physical Education Major

Health and physical education is vital in helping young people develop the confidence and skills to be connected and active members of society. This major prepares you for this rewarding career.

The Health and Physical Education major is unique, integrating hauora, health promotion and the socio-ecological aspects that support health and physical education in New Zealand schools. You explore how people learn and how to support learning in health-related and movement-based subjects.

Key Features

• Progressive approach to health and wellbeing
• Foundation for a career in health and physical education
• Hands-on experience through workplace experience

Management Major

Develop expertise in sport management, marketing, facilities and events management, sponsorship, sport development, high performance sport leadership, law and finance.

Management skills are needed across the sport and recreation industries. The sports field isn’t like a traditional business and neither are the management skills needed to succeed in this area. With the large number of professional athletes, sports organisations, facilities and events in New Zealand, people with specialist business and management skills are in high demand.

Key Features

• Sport management skills are in demand in New Zealand and overseas
• Workplace experience in major New Zealand sporting bodies
• Covers a broad range of expertise

Outdoor Education Major

A qualification in outdoor education gives you the skillset to work in the outdoor and adventure industry, teaching and leading others.

AUT outdoor education graduates work in many fields. They teach in schools, work in outdoor pursuit centres, operate adventure tourism ventures and often progress into management.

Encounter New Zealand’s unique environment and learn from some of the country’s most experienced staff in outdoor education. AUT staff have worked and adventured in some of the world’s most exciting places including Antarctica, Nepal, North and South America, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Alps of France, Austria and Switzerland.

Key Features

• Workplace experience in outdoor education camps, adventure tourism centres or schools
• Passionate staff with first-hand experience in outdoor education and adventure

Sport & Exercise Science Major

Sport and exercise science focuses on improving sports performance, based on anatomy, biomechanics, nutrition and physiology, fitness assessment and exercise prescription.

The Sport and Exercise Science major is supported by the Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), based at AUT Millennium. Investigate issues related to human movement, physical conditioning, sports and exercise nutrition, exercise prescription and assessment, movement, exercise physiology and strength and conditioning.

Key Features

• Workplace experience with high-performance and recreational athletes, fitness centres, schools and sporting bodies
• Access to the latest ideas from the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand
• You can register with REPS (Register of Exercise Professionals)

Standard pathway

Love sport and recreation, and want to study papers from across our majors? Tailor your study to your interests with the flexible Bachelor of Sport and Recreation standard pathway, and select papers from different disciplines within sport and recreation.

Key Features

• Flexible – tailor your degree to your interests and career goals
• Prepare yourself for a career in a fast-paced environment
• Offered at the AUT North or South Campus