Bachelor of Sport and Recreation – info for students who started before 2025

The Coaching major prepares you for a coaching career and the growing area of coach development. You gain a sound understanding of the coaching process, and work with athletes of different skill levels through your workplace experience. If you’d like a career in high-performance training or coaching, you should also be involved in playing or coaching in your alongside your studies at AUT.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPOR609 Teaching, Leading and Coaching
• SPOR612 Skill Acquisition and Sport Psychology
• SPOR613 Analysing Performance

Year 3 courses

• SPOR701 Integrated Coaching Practice
• SPOR707 Pedagogy and Performance

Plus two courses from

• SPOR601 HPE Principles and Practice
• SPOR607 Sport Development
• SPSC604 Applied Sports Biomechanics I
• SPSC605 Exercise Physiology

Refer to page 35 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

The Exercise Science and Nutrition major covers how to improve people’s health and wellbeing through physical activity, exercise and nutrition.

As a graduate from this major, you’ll be eligible for registration by the New Zealand Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs), which is recognised by the fitness industry across New Zealand and over 30 countries worldwide.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPSC602 Applied Anatomy
• SPSC603 Exercise Prescription and Assessment
• SPSC605 Exercise Physiology
• NUTR601 Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• SPOR606 Sport, Health and Wellbeing

Year 3 courses

• SPSC703 Clinical Exercise Physiology
• NUTR701 Lifestyle Nutrition

Refer to page 38 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

Health and physical education is vital in helping young people develop the confidence and skills they need to be connected and active members of society. As part of your studies, you’ll explore hauora, health promotion and the socio-ecological aspects that support health and physical education in New Zealand schools.

When you’ve completed the Health and Physical Education major, you can choose to continue with a one-year graduate diploma in teaching* after graduating to become a health and physical education teacher and teach in New Zealand schools.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPOR601 Sport, Health and Physical Education Studies
• SPOR606 Sport, Health and Wellbeing
• SPOR609 Teaching, Leading and Coaching
• SPOR612 Skill Acquisition and Sport Psychology
• SPSC604 Applied Sports Biomechanics

Year 3 courses

• SPOR706 Health and Physical Education Philosophy and Pedagogy
• SPOR707 Pedagogy and Performance

Refer to page 44 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

_{*AUT’s School of Education offers a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching. Enrolment in this programme is subject to selection criteria set by the School of Education.}

The Management major helps you develop a range of skills that can be applied to the management of organisations, programmes and events in the sport and recreation industry.

You could also study this major as part of double degrees, combining the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation with a Bachelor of Business.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPOR604 Sport Marketing
• SPOR605 Sport Management
• SPOR607 Sport Development
• SPOR614 Sport Finance

Year 3 courses

• SPOR702 Sport Events and Entrepreneurship
• SPOR705 Leadership in Sport and Recreation

Refer to page 29 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

The field of outdoor recreation and education offers some fantastic life choices for people who want to work in the outdoors. The Outdoor Education major covers the skillset to work in this environment; teaching and leading others. You’ll explore outdoor education theory and apply it through active participation, develop instructing techniques, and an understanding of risk analysis, environmental awareness and leadership.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPOR602 Roto-Awa: Lakes and Rivers
• SPOR603 Motu-Moana: Islands and Sea
• SPOR609 Teaching, Leading and Coaching
• SPOR618 Contemporary Approaches to Outdoor Education
• SPOR619 Maunga-Ngahere: Mountains and Bush

Year 3 courses

• SPOR708 Outdoor Education
• Choose one of:
  • SPOR702 Sport Events and Entrepreneurship
  • SPOR707 Pedagogy and Performance

Refer to page 41 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

Please note that the practical courses within this major have significant extra course costs to cover the costs of the specialised equipment and instructors required.

The Sport and Exercise Science major explores sport and exercise in relation to improved fitness and performance. Starting with the foundations of sport and exercise science (anatomy and physiology, fitness assessment and exercise prescription), courses then focus on the biomechanics of human movement, exercise physiology, physical conditioning, and exercise prescription for special needs populations.

As a graduate from this major, you’ll be eligible for registration by the New Zealand Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs), which is recognised by the fitness industry across New Zealand and over 30 countries worldwide.

Courses in this major you need to complete

Year 2 courses

• SPSC602 Applied Anatomy
• SPSC603 Exercise Prescription and Assessment
• SPSC604 Applied Sports Biomechanics I
• SPSC605 Exercise Physiology
• NUTR601 Sport and Exercise Nutrition

Year 3 courses

• SPSC701 Athletic Conditioning
• SPSC702 Applied Sports Biomechanics II

Refer to page 32 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

The standard pathway (no major) in the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation consists of our most popular courses and gives you a broad-based qualification. This gives you the greatest flexibility when choosing your courses – you can choose courses from several or all of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation majors and up to 60 points from elective courses from other AUT degrees. This option is particularly suitable if you have a wide range of interests within sport and recreation.

You do need complete the core compulsory courses for the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation – refer to the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

The standard pathway can be fully completed at the AUT South Campus in Manukau. If you’re studying at the South Campus, you can also select courses offered at the North Campus but this involves travelling between campuses. Check your timetable carefully before enrolling to allow enough travel time between campuses (at least one hour by car or two hours if using the AUT shuttle bus).

Courses you need to complete in the standard pathway

Year 1 courses

• HEAL506 Knowledge, Enquiry and Communication OR SPOR522 Professional Practice I
• SPSC501 Sport and Exercise Science Fundamentals OR SPSC502 Exercise Physiology I
• SPOR501 Sport and Recreation in Aotearoa NZ OR SPOR523 Sport, Exercise and Health in Aotearoa New Zealand
• SPOR511 Skill Learning in Sport and Recreation OR SPOR521 Movement Theory into Practice
• Plus four courses from:
  • HEAL505 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
  • SPOR502 Innovative Planning in Sport and Recreation
  • SPOR503 Contemporary Issues in Sport and Recreation
  • SPOR504 Leadership in Sport and the Outdoors
  • SPOR520 Tauherea taiao ki ngā hunga
  • SPOR526 Sport for Social Change
  • SPOR527 Nutrition and Physical Activity Fundamentals
  • SPOR528 Outdoor Learning for Wellbeing

Year 2 courses

• SPOR610 Law and Ethics in Sport and Recreation
• SPOR624 Group and Individual Behaviour
• SPOR608 Evidence Based Practice

Year 3 courses

• SPOR709 Sport and Recreation Co-operative I
• SPOR710 Sport and Recreation Co-operative II

Optional courses

2025 List of Bachelor of Sport and Recreation courses

It’s possible for Bachelor of Sport and Recreation students to graduate with a double major. However, this will normally require more than three years of full-time study and more than the usual 360 points required for the degree.

If you want to do this, you need to carefully follow the requirements for both of your majors and make sure you choose the correct courses along the way.

For your Year 3 co-op placement you also need to find a placement with an organisation that meets the requirements for both of your chosen majors. This should be achievable in most cases.

Refer to page 47 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

A minor is smaller than a major. It usually consists of four courses.

Sport and recreation minors you could choose

• Health and Physical Education
• Outdoor Education
• Sport and Exercise Science
• Sport Coaching
• Sport Management

Refer to page 15 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook

View options from outside of sport and recreation

As part of your Bachelor of Sport and Recreation you could also complete a minor in a subject from outside of sport and recreation.

View more options from different AUT degrees

You could also combine your Bachelor of Sport and Recreation with a Bachelor of Business to graduate with two separate qualifications. It will take at least five years to complete these two separate qualifications.

We have worked with the AUT Business School to provide students with a pre-planned pathway that includes all the courses required for each of these two programmes.

Refer to page 58 of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Handbook