Master of Physiotherapy (Pelvic Health) FAQs

This course will help you advance your career and become highly qualified in the specialty of Women's, Men's and Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

• Undertake comprehensive advanced clinical skills training
• Receive expert tutor feedback
• Apply the latest research evidence and clinical reasoning to your practice
• Develop meaningful interventions and projects
• Flexible face-to-face and online study options

You will challenge and extend your clinical reasoning and your clinical skills in the assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and pelvic floor disorders across the lifespan, inclusive of biologically female, biologically male, transgender people and children.

You will also become an expert evaluator and consumer of research, developing a high level of competence in conducting professional or research projects that contribute to the body of knowledge in this emerging area of physiotherapy.

• Course content is internationally relevant and is mapped to the Australian Physiotherapy Association's (APA) career pathway competencies for Titling. The Master of Physiotherapy (Pelvic Health) course is recognised on the academic pathway for the APA's Women's, Men's and Pelvic Health career pathway. Graduates of this course will be eligible to apply for the title 'APA Titled Women's, Men's and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist'.

This course is designed to produce leaders in best-practice physiotherapy.

This course is a blended program with a combination of face-to-face subjects taught in intensive blocks on campus and 100% online subjects.

• 6 core subjects
• 4 elective subjects
• 1 capstone (research or professional) project

See the course structure page for details.

For experienced Physiotherapists, RPL will be awarded for previous completed University of Melbourne (UoM) subjects and for relevant subjects from other universities that match UoM learning outcomes. Up to 50% of RPL can be awarded for this course, which will reduce course fees.

Please contact us if you have completed UoM subjects more than 10 years ago for special consideration or any other specific RPL questions.

Choose four from more than 11 elective subject options. Choose from a wide variety of electives to suit your interests and career needs. Some Physiotherapists choose diverse electives from other parts of the university such as Sports Medicine, Teaching, Business and Leadership, Global Health, Cancer Sciences or Positive Psychology. Search for any elective subject here.

NB it is recommended that students choose the Advanced Physiotherapy Clinical Practice subject as an elective to develop and demonstrate an advanced level of safe and effective clinical practice. This elective is required to progress towards the standards required for recognition of APA Titling.

FEE-HELP can cover all or part of your tuition fees. You’ll make repayments through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) whenever your income is above the threshold, or you can make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time. FEE-HELP is not means tested and there is no loan fee for graduate study.

If you already have a HECS-HELP loan from your undergraduate studies, you can still access a FEE-HELP loan. The Australian Government’s Study Assist website provides more information about FEE-HELP.

The capstone subject gives you the choice to do research.

The Research project capstone gives you the opportunity to undertake research as part of a research team. You will be supported through the research process and work in collaboration with an experiences researcher.

If you do not have an interest in research, you have the option to have a mentor in the Professional project capstone. You will be supported to develop and create a project relevant to your clinical practice or clinical context.

Online study is NOT just watching lectures online. It is interactive, dynamic and supportive. You will connect online and learn from your tutors, other national and international students and experts. Learn more here.

Not so confident with technology? Not to worry, there is a dedicated online student support team to help you. The team is available from 8am-9pm to provide you with tech support so that you can focus on your learning.

The APA Physiotherapist “Title” is a measure of career progress. It represents a physiotherapist who is highly qualified in a particular area of practice. The Master of Physiotherapy (Pelvic Health) has been mapped to the APA career pathway standards for titling (level 3, highly-developed clinician).

The University of Melbourne is excited to announce that the Master of Physiotherapy (Pelvic Health) course is recognised on the academic pathway for Australian Physiotherapy Association's (APA) Women's Men's and Pelvic Health career pathway.

Graduates of this course will be eligible to apply for the title 'APA Titled Women's, Men's and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist'

You can study at your own pace, to fit in with your existing work and life commitments.

• Full-time 18 months (2 subjects per term)
• Part time 3 years (1 subject per term)

Part-time students will have up to 5 years to complete their Masters qualification and longer in special circumstances.

The workload in this program varies depending on the subject you are enrolled in.

For the face-to-face campus-based subjects, learning will be through full-time attendance for up to six days per subject with independent study to consolidate your learning and to complete assessment tasks.

For online subjects, it is anticipated that you will spend approximately 12 to 15 hours per week learning and preparing your assessment tasks, but this varies for each student and depends on your task management and planning, familiarity with the material, reading style and speed.

The Masters course design is flexible to allow you to tailor your program to your buy work, study and family life. Intake occurs twice a year (April and June). Highly recommended starting subjects for new students are:

• Autumn (Term 2) April intake:
  • Term 2 - Rehabilitation for Women's Health (elective) - 100% online
  • Term 2 - Pelvic Floor function and dysfunction (core) - face-to-face intensive

or

• Mid year (Term 3) June intake:
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders for Women (core) - face-to-face intensive

Refer to the study sample plans for further online examples and options.

Submit your CV with 2 years of relevant clinical experience in Women's, Men's and Pelvic Health Physiotherapy here.

Applications close for Autumn (Term 2) - April 2025

Applications close for Mid-Year (Term 3) - June 2025