Teaching and Research

UniSA has an excellent reputation in teaching and learning and an enviable record of achievement in graduate employability. Our teaching focuses around preparing students to be work-ready through relevant and industry-informed curricula. UniSA ensures its teachers motivate, challenge and stimulate students’ learning, with our research activity informing our teaching across our broad discipline profile.

Teaching and learning excellence are at the centre point of our promotion criteria, performance management practices, and approaches to rewards and recognition for our academic staff.

Research at UniSA is inspired by challenges and opportunities, partnered with industry and communities, and underpinned by excellence. Our academics engage in interdisciplinary teams to translate their research into meaningful outcomes. Contributing to a research environment that is vibrant, responsive and outward-facing are the University’s research themes. The themes link our research strengths and address local and global socio-economic needs:

• An age friendly world
• Transforming industries
• Scarce resources
• Cancer
• Healthy futures
• Transforming societies

Our flagship institutes and strategic alliances include the Future Industries Institute, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Sansom Institute for Health Research and the Centre for Cancer Biology. Further information about our enterprising research and research centres and concentrations can be found at our Research page.

Industry Connections

Real solutions don’t happen without great partnerships. We have partnered with local icons and international heavyweights to drive the advancements behind a better society. Across the University, we seek to match our research capability and strengths with the opportunities, challenges and needs of our partners, and maximise the mutual benefits of engagement.

With a growing presence on Adelaide’s cultural calendar and as a partner across arts, culture and sporting events, we’re acting on a social mission to enrich our society. Our campus spaces stimulate and foster creativity and innovation, support new models of learning, support our enterprise researchers and connect with the community.

Professional staff

As a professional staff member you get exposure to the research and teaching at UniSA, and work closely with leading academics who through research and teaching, are shaping the professionals of the future.

Professional staff support both staff and students, and this ranges from career advice services to students, finance, HR, marketing, facilities and management, research support – all of these areas are critical to supporting the day-to-day operations of departments and the university as a whole. There are numerous benefits and opportunities for personal development at UniSA.

A successful occupational therapist is practical, logical, attentive and observant. You will enjoy working with people and be mentally and physically capable. This field of work is immensely rewarding and can offer exciting challenges, assisting people of all ages to overcome physical and mental barriers in their life.

As an occupational therapist you can gain employment in a range of settings across the various health, disability and community sectors, working with people across the lifespan including: 

hospital and acute services
private practice
community mental health services
ambulatory and rehabilitation services
aged care facilities
community services
home care programs
local council services
government departments
schools
not for profit and non-government sector
primary health networks.
There are also opportunities to work with both children and their families, to assist with the child’s development of functional skills and strategies to build their motor skills, social skills and self-care.

The degree prepares you for working overseas, qualification is recognised in most countries.

You may also choose to pursue a career in research – graduates with honours degrees are highly sought after by prospective employers, particularly within academia and research settings. 

Bachelor Degree or Masters by Coursework Degree - 2 years - 3 years (Adelaide)

Masters by Research - 3 years - 4 years (Adelaide)

PhD qualification - 4 years - 5 years (Adelaide)

Applicants must:

Have completed a recognised Bachelor Degree or higher within the past 10 years with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0
Have completed the prerequisite courses at a Bachelor level or higher within the last 10 years
All applicants are required to demonstrate their eligibility by completing the Additional Information Form and providing supporting evidence.

Prerequisite courses
Applicants are required to provide evidence of satisfactory completion of the following prerequisite courses:

0.125 EFTSL of Human Anatomy that includes musculoskeletal and systems anatomy; AND
0.125 EFTSL of Human Physiology; AND
0.125 EFTSL of either Human Psychology or Sociology/Anthropology; AND
0.125 EFTSL of Research Methodologies
Note: Applicants who are overseas trained occupational therapists and are eligible to apply for assessment by the Occupational Therapy Council of Australia to meet the qualification requirements for registration by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia are not eligible to apply for this program.

English language entry requirements
In addition, international students who speak English as a foreign language must have completed an objective English language test and obtained one of the following standards within the last two years prior to admission. Previous study/work in English will not meet the English language entry requirements. Possession of one or more of these standards, in addition to the academic entry requirements, does not, in itself, guarantee a place at the University of South Australia. Applications are considered on an individual basis and selection is competitive.
English language test
IELTS total [7.0]
IELTS reading [7.0]
IELTS writing [7.0]
IELTS speaking [7.0]
IELTS listening [7.0]