Use our strong links with communities and industries to graduate career-ready. Throughout the course of your studies at ACU, you'll have the opportunity to undertake professional placements, volunteer work or community service.
Make your studies work for you. Work Integrated Learning at ACU provides student placement opportunities for students in the Faculty of Education and Arts, or the Faculty of Health Sciences.
To learn more, please visit our Work Integrated Learning website.
Get hands-on experience in an industry that interests you. Browse workplace and industry placements by study area, including example undergraduate courses and professional experience hours.
Please note: These work experience examples are indicative only and subject to change. For more specific information, visit our course pages or download our course guides.
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As a Bachelor of Arts student, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a community engagement placement of up to 70 hours with an organisation relevant to your disciplinary study. There’s also a chance you can take your practical experience overseas.
During your business degree, you’ll get practical experience through two industry field placements. These placements are a key part of our business courses, helping you to launch your career before you graduate.
Volunteer commitment: 5-10 days or 35-70 hours
When: Second year of undergraduate degree
Credit points: 10 (core unit)
In addition to providing first-hand experience of the basics of business operations, the program provides students with a deeper understanding of the contributions of social enterprises to the economy. It also provides valuable experience in the provision of services through a not-for-profit organisation.
Students undertaking this course develop basic professional skills, knowledge of social enterprise models, learn about the role of social entrepreneurs in creating social change and deepen their understanding of the world around them.
Internship commitment: 15 days or 105 hours
When: Third year, second semester of undergraduate degree
Credit points: 10 (elective unit)
This second experiential program provides students with valuable professional experience/internship that matches their chosen major area of study in a real-world environment. Benefits for the students are that they gain hands-on industry experience, learn discipline-specific skills and gain a better understanding of how to apply what they have learnt into practice. A recent study showed 94% of our intern students were offered paid positions with their placement company after completing the professional experience program.
Professional work placement plays an important role in the Bachelor of Media Production. Students who have successfully completed the first two years of the degree will be eligible to partake in an internship with a media organisation suited to the student’s needs. Other voluntary opportunities in the field will be offered throughout the course.
Professional experience: 108 hours.
During your exercise and sports science degree, you’ll benefit from strong links with healthcare partners and sporting organisations around Australia. These links create opportunities for industry placements, community engagement projects and future employment.
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As a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science student, you’ll undertake two units of compulsory professional experience during the course.
Professional experience: 140 hours
As a Bachelor of High Performance Sport student, you’ll complete a practicum of appropriate professional experience as part of your course accreditation requirements.
Professional experience: 200 hours, with accurate record-keeping, starting in your second year.
As a Bachelor of Physical Activity and Health Science student, you’ll complete 140 hours of appropriate industry experience. These can be commenced, in part, in your second year and completed in your third year – or commenced and completed entirely in your third year.
Professional experience: 140 hours.
When you study a health science or allied health course at ACU, you’ll benefit from strong links with healthcare partners around Australia that provide fantastic opportunities for clinical placements and future employment.
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As a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy student, you’ll undertake fieldwork and clinical placements throughout your course.
Professional experience: 1,000 hours over four years, starting in your first year.
As a Bachelor of Physiotherapy student, you’ll undertake clinical placements supervised by a clinical facilitator. These placements allow students to use their knowledge of practical skills and apply them to the everyday needs of individuals in hospitals, private practice, aged care facilities and rehabilitation units.
Professional experience: More than 1,000 hours.
The Bachelor of Applied Public Health student incorporates up to 300 hours of professional placements, concentrated in the third year of the course. Some placements will be available during summer recess, and there are opportunities for interstate or international experience.
Professional experience: Up to 300 hours of combined community engagement and professional practice placements.
Students in the Bachelor of Speech Pathology undertake a range of professional practice placements to ensure they meet Speech Pathology Australia's graduate entry competency with regard to the management of disorders of communication and swallowing.
Professional experience: Clinical placement is a major component of the Bachelor of Speech Pathology, starting in your first year.
As an undergraduate law student, you’ll complete up to 160 hours of pro bono professional legal experience throughout your law degree – in community legal centres, NGOs, government departments, private practice, or other social justice agencies.
The pro bono program allows you to gain valuable work experience while also giving back to the community.
Professional experience is an essential component of our nursing and midwifery degrees. During your undergraduate course, you’ll benefit from the ACU Health Clinics and our strong links with healthcare partners. These provide opportunities for clinical placements, community engagement projects (locally and internationally) and future employment.
As a Bachelor of Midwifery student, you’ll undertake clinical placements at maternity hospitals and community facilities across Australia. The first clinical placement begins in the first year of the program. Our clinical partners are very important to us and range from small maternity units to large tertiary hospitals or rural health services.
Professional experience: Approximately 1,000 hours.
As a Bachelor of Nursing student, you’ll undertake clinical placements as part of a variety of clinical units throughout the course in maternity hospitals and community facilities.
Professional experience: At least 800 hours.
During your Bachelor of Paramedicine degree, you’ll get practical experience in both ambulance services and hospital settings. We’re also committed to community engagement, and offer you the opportunity to experience health care delivery on a variety of international placements.
Professional experience: As a Bachelor of Paramedicine student, you’ll undertake five clinical practice units in acute health care settings throughout your course.
During your science degree, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with relevant industry and community partners. This provides valuable experience for your career, as well as providing an opportunity to make a difference in your community.
As a Bachelor of Biomedical Science student, you’ll complete two units of workplace learning with an external organisation of your choice. You will also complete one unit of community engagement, providing an opportunity to engage with the community in order to enhance the dignity and well-being of people and communities.
Professional experience: 185 hours, including 80 hours of community engagement and 105 hours of industry immersion.
Professional experience: 80 hours of community engagement.
During your social work degree, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of health and human services agencies. With extensive supervised field education training built into the degree, you’ll get the practical skills you need to thrive in a career in social work.
As a Bachelor of Social Work student, you’ll undertake a field education placement, which includes a total of 1000 hours of supervised field education and training over the second, third and fourth years of the course. Students will also undertake 50 hours of community engagement experience in other units of study.
As a Bachelor of Human Services student, you’ll undertake a minimum of nine weeks or 300 hours of supervised professional practice across two field education units.
During your teaching or professional education degree, you’ll take part in workplace experience programs which provide a variety of professional practice opportunities in a diverse range of educational settings.
You’ll get to practice in a real school or childcare facility under the guidance of an appropriately qualified educator.
Professional experience: 80-95 days.
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