Dentistry 

It takes a minimum of 5 – 7 years to become a dentist in Australia. Currently, there are six universities who take undergraduate students directly into their dentistry courses while three courses have pathways available for high achieving year 12 students. Each University have different admission requirements to qualify. Some require an UMAT, some an interview, and many more.  

The ATAR requirements in 2018 entry range around 89 – 99. You may visit this link for the full list of ATARs in dentistry. 

Dietetics 

To qualify as a dietitian, students can take two pathways: undergraduate and postgraduate pathways. There are 7 undergraduate courses and 11 postgraduate courses. Take note that there are no dietetics courses in Tasmania and the Northern Territory. 

In 2018 the ATAR for dietetics ranged from 56 to 98. The comprehensive list of ATAR and OP scores for Dietetics in 2018 is available here. 

Exercise Physiology 

An Exercise Physiology course can take up to 4-5 years to complete, depending on which pathway to choose. There is an undergraduate pathway that takes 4 years and an undergraduate pathway that takes 3 years. The latter is followed by either a 1-year graduate diploma or 1 to 2 years of Masters. 

ATAR scores for 2018 entry in Exercise Physiology courses all over Australia ranged from the mid-60s to the mid-90s. Please visit our Exercise Physiology ATAR article. 

Exercise Science 

For Exercise Science, there is a 3-year and a 4-year pathway. Most 4-year pathway courses also offer accredited science physiology (AEP) qualification, such as the University of Sydney for Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise Physiology) and University of Wollongong for Bachelor of Exercise Science and Rehabilitation.  

There is only one postgraduate course for exercise science. It is a 1-year graduate diploma study in Science (Exercise Rehabilitation in the University of Western Australia. 

The complete list of ATARs for exercise science courses in 2018 can be found on this page. 

Medical Imaging 

There are 10 universities offering medical imaging courses. Each university have different ranges for their ATAR entry requirement. The highest ATAR entry requirement listed for 2018 was from the Queensland University of Technology in Gardens Point, which listed 99 for ATAR and 1 for OP for its Bachelor of Medical Imaging and Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Honours) courses. 

Charles Sturt University, specifically in Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga campuses announced an indicative ATAR of 70 for their Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) course. In Charles Sturt University’s ATAR profile the highest ATAR to receive an offer was 100 and the lowest was 64. 

The complete list of ATARs for medical imaging courses in 2018, is available here. 

Medicine 

Medicine courses require highly competitive ATARs. Furthermore, other requirements are considered to qualify for a medicine course such as UMAT, interviews, portfolio, written applications, and psychometric testing. 

Some universities have entry pathways to their postgraduate medical course for Grade 12 graduates provided you complete a relevant undergraduate degree at their institution. Some universities take a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students into their Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery 5 or 6-year degree. 

You will find more information regarding ATAR/OP for 2018, and other entry requirements on our Medicine ATAR/OP article. 

Midwifery 

There are three pathways available for a career in midwifery. Students can study a 3-year undergraduate midwifery degree, a 4-year undergraduate midwifery/nursing double degree, or a 3-year undergraduate degree followed by either a 1-year graduate diploma or 2-year master’s degree in midwifery. 

Currently, there are 8 double degree midwifery courses and 16 general undergraduate degree for midwifery all over Australia. 

The ATAR profiles for midwifery courses in Australia went within 60 and 90. More ATAR information will be found on My Health Career’s 2018 ATAR list for Midwifery. 

Nursing 

For entry into a university nursing course commencing in 2018, the ATAR ranged from the 60s to the mid-80s. When combined with another Bachelor’s degree such as midwifery or arts, the ATAR was sometimes in the 90s for a double degree. Detailed information on the ATARs for nursing in 2018 can be found on these tables. 

Bachelor degrees take 3 years, double degrees take 4-5 years, bachelor’s degree with a master of nursing to become a registered nurse takes 4 years. Graduate entry courses to become a registered nurse are also available. Most take 2 years while others like University of the Sunshine Coast and University of New England can take more than 2 years. 

Occupational Therapy 

There are around 20 universities which offer an occupational therapy qualification Australia, and the ATAR or OP required depends on the pathway you take to become an occupational therapist (OT). For entry into an undergraduate occupational therapy course commencing in 2018, the ATARs published by universities ranged from 69 to 95. 

Only Flinders University offer a direct entry to become an occupational therapist in their Bachelor of Health Sciences (Principles of Occupational Therapy) / Master of Occupational Therapy course that takes 5 years. This course offers guaranteed entry for those with ATAR scores of 95. 

For a list of ATARs for occupational therapy for every course in Australia in 2018, go to Occupational Therapy ATARs. 

Optometry 

There are five schools offering accredited courses in Optometry (with the University of Canberra to be added to this list in the coming years). It generally takes 5 years to become an optometrist but for two schools, Deakin University and University of Melbourne it varies from 3.5 years to 7 years.

Deakin University optometry course only takes 3.5 years as it implements a 3 trimester per year study program. The Chancellor’s Scholars Program in the University of Melbourne takes 7 years. It includes a 3-year undergraduate degree with pre-requisites followed by a 4-year Doctor of Optometry. 

A complete list of Optometry courses and ATARs for 2018 can be accessed here. 

Pharmacy 

In total, there are 23 accredited pharmacy courses in Australia, 17 of which are undergraduate programs and 6 of which are postgraduate courses. University-published ATAR varied between mid-60s to 90s. 

Most universities offer an equivalent honours degree program for their pharmacy courses. like University of Sydney and University of Canberra, both courses taking 4 years of study. 

Monash University and University of South Australia published respective ATAR scores for a guaranteed entry to the program. The guaranteed ATAR for Monash is 84 while the guaranteed ATAR for the University of South Australia is 85. 

Go to our Pharmacy ATAR 2018 article to find out more. 

Physiotherapy 

Around 29 undergraduate and postgraduate physiotherapy courses are offered at around 20 universities throughout Australia. The vast majority of undergraduate courses are 4 years in duration and require an ATAR of over 95. There are some physiotherapy courses where the ATAR required is in the 80s, which is an equivalent OP range of 6 to 8. 

In some universities like James Cook University and Monash University, aside from the ATAR scores, student aspirants also need to submit a written application or undergo an interview.  

A physiotherapy ATAR guide for 2018 is published in this page. 

Podiatry 

Studying podiatry can take as short as 3 years or as long as 5.5 years, depending on the pathway chosen by the student. There are undergraduate courses that take 3 years, health science degrees with master of podiatry that take 4 years, and undergraduate degrees followed by masters of podiatry that take 5.5 years. 

ATAR profiles published by all the universities offering podiatry courses range from 70 – 90. Click here for a podiatry course list detailing ATAR and OP entry requirements throughout Australia in 2018.

Psychology 

There are numerous psychology courses for each state all over Australia. In New South Wales alone, there are a total of 39 psychology courses offered, 35 in Victoria, 22 in Queensland and 20 online. Most undergraduate psychology degrees take 3 years, with an additional year for honours degree requiring a higher ATAR or OP. 

For entry into a psychology course commencing in 2018, the ATAR scores vary from 55 to 99.00. Check our Psychology course list and ATAR requirements. 

Photo by c@rljones on Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC 

More articles on My Health Career: 

• Podiatry Board of Australia prepares for the full implementation of the revised registration standard for endorsement for scheduled medicines 
• Two Canberran Occupational Therapists represent OTA in the inquiry of the ongoing problems in the implementation of NDIS in ACT 
• Opt-out period for My Health Record starts soon, but most Australians in favour of having a record