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#1

in Queensland for full-time employment outcomes* *Good Universities Guide 2022, PG Health Services

#1

in Australia for median graduate salary, $110,400* *Good Universities Guide 2022, PG Health Services

Five stars

for learning resources* *Good Universities Guide 2022, PG Health Services

Online

Online: February, July

$28,440.00^{^}

^{^}estimated annual tuition fee for a full-time study load

Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
Fee deferral and scholarships available if eligible

1.5 years full-time

or part-time equivalent

AQF level 7 bachelor degree in a relevant health discipline; or B Physiotherapy, B Occupational Therapy, or B Speech Pathology

114804

What to expect

Choose from a coursework degree or incorporate a research element to open doors to a future PhD. You will gain a broad understanding of rehabilitation and important topics including chronic conditions, evidence-based practice, and cultural principles.

Select from majors in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology, or general rehabilitation.

Consult the handbook for more information.

Majors

General Major in Rehabilitation

Take the General Major in Rehabilitation to advance your career. Learn high-level skills to deliver assistance to individuals overcoming illness and injuries. Your additional therapeutic qualifications and advanced skillset will equip you for a range of roles to support clients in their daily life.

Occupational Therapy

Choose the Occupational Therapy Major with a specialisation in rehabilitation for a highly-valued qualification. Add a significant skillset to your resume to successfully assist individuals in overcoming illnesses and injuries which impair daily living activities.

Physiotherapy

Major in Physiotherapy with a specialisation in rehabilitation to enhance your existing qualifications. You will be equipped for roles in assisting clients at an advanced level. Help people to overcome mobility-impairing illnesses and injuries.

Speech Pathology

Gain advanced skills with the Speech Pathology Major. Assist individuals of all ages with communication and swallowing-related issues. Build your career and support clients confronting illnesses and injuries.

Career Opportunities

Grow your career in rehabilitation with the Master of Rehabilitation at JCU. Benefit from unique experiences in tropical, rural, remote, and regional areas and familiarity with Indigenous communities and their health.

JCU’s Master of Rehabilitation gives you the contemporary knowledge and experience to update your clinical practice and expand your career prospects.

You will gain advanced skills in your specialisation and valuable expertise in tropical, Indigenous, rural, and remote practice.

Graduates pursue careers in various areas including acute wards and rehabilitation settings with public and private health providers, aged care, private practice, policy development, or research. Additionally, you could go on to study a PhD.

Handbook

Master of Rehabilitation

Handbook year	2022
Course code	114804
Course type	Masters Degree (Coursework) (AQF Level 9)
Owner	Division of Tropical Health and Medicine
College	Healthcare Sciences

Award Requirements

Admission Requirements

Course pre-requisites	Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor degree in a relevant health discipline, from this or another university (General major); or Applicants must have completed at least a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy or Speech Pathology at an Australian University or hold an equivalent international entry level qualification in one of these professions (Physiotherapy major, Occupational Therapy major or Speech Pathology major). Note: Completion of the Master of Rehabilitation will not enable Australian registration of overseas qualified health professionals.
Minimum English language proficiency requirements	Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 3a – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy. For students undertaking the Speech Pathology major, an overall IELTS of 7.0 with a minimum writing score of 6.0; speaking score of 8.0; reading and listening score of 7.0 is required.
Additional selection requirements	Information published by JCU or otherwise made available to students when applying, may specify additional criteria to be considered in ranking applicants in order of merit if the number of applications exceeds a quota or other limit on the places made available for the course. Information provided by applicants during the application process and any other information obtained by JCU in the application process may be used by JCU to rank applicants in order of merit by reference to those additional criteria.
Post admission requirements	Telephone and computer access with internet. Some subjects will require mixed mode attendance at the Townsville campus.

Academic Requirements for Course Completion

Credit points

36 credit points as per course structure

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of the Master of Rehabilitation coursework degree graduates will be able to:

Apply and adapt an advanced and integrated body of theoretical knowledge, skills and technical competencies across diverse contexts as a health professional
Design assessment, management and evaluation plans across the lifespan, for culturally and demographically diverse peoples, especially in tropical, rural, remote and Indigenous communities
Retrieve, critically evaluate, synthesise and apply established and evolving evidence in order to develop solutions for complex problems in health professional practice
Communicate theoretical propositions, methodologies, therapy concepts, treatment options and professional decisions to specialist and non‐specialist audiences using advanced oral and written English language and, where appropriate, numeracy skills
Demonstrate high-level responsibility and accountability for future professional development requirements based on reflection on current skills, knowledge and attitudes
Apply knowledge of research principles and methods to design, analyse and ethically implement research and critically reflect on implications of findings for clinical practice.

Course Structure

Students can choose from 2 streams: (1) coursework or (2) coursework and research; and from 4 majors: General, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy or Speech Pathology. If students enrol in this course as a pathway to a PhD, they must complete the coursework/research stream.

CORE SUBJECTS

RH5200:03 Rehabilitation Research and Evidence-Based Practice

RH5202:03 Rehabilitation for Chronic Conditions

OT5202:03 Cultural Competency Principles in Australian Healthcare Practice

OPTIONS

Select a major (discipline area) from Table A

TABLE A (MAJORS)

Type of major	Mandatory, single
Credit points in major	9 credit points

MAJOR	AVAILABLE AT	NOTES
General	External	Some subjects may require face-to-face attendance on campus in Townsville
Occupational Therapy	External	Some subjects may require face-to-face attendance on campus in Townsville
Physiotherapy	External	Some subjects may require face-to-face attendance on campus in Townsville
Speech Pathology	External	Some subjects may require face-to-face attendance on campus in Townsville

PLUS

Select Option 1 (Coursework) or Option 2 (Coursework/Research)

OPTION 1 (COURSEWORK)

Select 15 credit points of specified subjects from List 1

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any postgraduate subject (can be cross-institutional if approved by the Course Coordinator)

List 1

HS5102:03 Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals

HS5800:03 Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine

HS5801:03 Health Coaching and Behaviour Change

HS5802:03 Models of Care and Innovation in Lifestyle Medicine

HS5803:03 Lifestyle Medicine Assessment and Prescription

NS5342:03 Principles of Education for the Health Professional

OT5200:03 Advanced Practice within the Rural and Remote Context

RH5201:03 Rehabilitation for Disability across the Lifespan

RH5205:03 Palliative Care for Health Professionals

RH5206:03 Assistive Technology Strategies to Enable Personal Autonomy

TM5516:03 Biostatistics for Public Health

TM5528:03 Health Promotion

TM5540:03 Public Health and the Workplace

TM5541:03 Managing Effective Health Programs

OPTION 2 (COURSEWORK/RESEARCH)

RH5203:06 Research 1: A Literature Review – Part 1 of 2

RH5204:06 Research 2: A Research Project – Part 2 of 2

PLUS

Select 6 credit points of specified subjects from List 2

List 2

HS5102:03 Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals or TM5524:03 Qualitative Research Methods for Tropical Health Practitioners

TM5515:03 Epidemiology for Public Health

TM5516:03 Biostatistics for Public Health

Location

COURSE AVAILABLE AT	NOTES
External	Some subjects may require face-to-face attendance at the Townsville campus

Candidature

Expected time to complete	1.5 years full-time or equivalent part-time
Maximum time to complete	6 years
Maximum leave of absence	1 year

Progression

Course progression requisites	Nil
Course includes mandatory professional placement(s)	Yes
Special assessment requirements	At the discretion of the College Dean, students may be required to undertake a prescribed English language test to ensure that they have an acceptable level of English language proficiency, including at least at the level required to be admitted to the course, to safely participate in professional experience placements.
Professional accreditation requirements	Not applicable
Supplementary exam for final subject	A student who has failed the final subject towards the award and who gained 40% or more of the marks for that subject may be granted a supplementary examination in that subject. However if that subject is required for accreditation, then the criteria specified by that accreditation will apply.

Credit

Eligibility	Students may apply for a credit transfer for previous tertiary study or informal and non-formal learning in accordance with the Credit Transfer Procedure.
Maximum allowed	12 credit points; unless students have completed the Graduate Diploma of Rehabilitation, in which case they may be eligible for up to 24 credit points of advanced standing for appropriate subjects.
Currency	Credit will be granted only for studies completed in the 5 years prior to the commencement of this course.
Expiry	Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 11 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if, by then, the student has not completed the course of study prescribed for this course.
Other restrictions	Not applicable

Award Details

Award title	MASTER OF REHABILITATION
Approved abbreviation	MRehab
Inclusion of majors on testamur	The major shall appear on the testamur
Exit with lesser award	Students who exit the course prior to completion, and have completed 12 credit points of appropriate subjects, may be eligible for the award of Graduate Certificate of Rehabilitation. Students who exit the course prior to completion, and have completed 24 credit points of appropriate subjects, may be eligible for the award of Graduate Diploma of Rehabilitation.
Course articulation	Not applicable

Fees and scholarships

Estimated annual tuition fee: $AUD28,440.00

A Student Services and Amenities fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.

A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.

Pathways to JCU

Consult the admission requirements section in the Handbook for prerequisites and pathways into this course.

How to apply

Complete an online application through our Online Application Portal.

Student

Tamara Matulick

Master of Rehabilitation

Doing the Master of Rehabilitation will help with career progression — especially in getting jobs I wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. You have to manage your time between work and study, but I think you’re more motivated as a learner because you’ve had situations where you can apply your experience and knowledge to.
Alumni

Daniel Behary

MBBS Student (JCU), MRehab (JCU), BPhty (USYD)

What inspired me to undertake Master of Rehabilitation at James Cook University is my passion for Interventional Cardiology and interest in Medical research. This course offered me the opportunity to explore the benefits of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation which is often required for patients with advanced heart disease.
Lecturer

Moira Smith

Course Coordinator, Rehabilitation

The Master of Rehabilitation is an exciting pathway in your healthcare career. There is a great variety of subjects to help upskill in the area of rehabilitation, addressing perspectives from many different disciplines. Whatever your aim, this course will assist the development of your skill set in rehabilitation.
Employer

Kathy Luke

RAR Therapy Director

This course provides practical and evidence-based clinical skills that apply to the community work environment and ultimately benefit our clients. With an increased need for highly skilled therapists in community settings, this course is perfect for extending therapists’ knowledge and skills for clinical practice.