Unlocking career paths: A journey through the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise

Many students starting the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise enter study with a general interest in the area, but might not be fully aware of the variety of opportunities that the degree could lead to.

Sarah Munn, Ngā Puhi, began studying towards her Bachelor of Sport and Exercise at Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in 2019. After graduating in 2021, she worked as an Active Communities Advisor for Sport Manawatū, where she focussed on the Green Prescription Programme and community programme engagement.

Throughout her studies, Sarah had various part-time jobs, ranging from hospitality to fitness.

“In my final year of study, I was lucky enough to get my first job in the sports and fitness industry,” Sarah says.

“I worked as a junior fitness instructor at CLM Health and Fitness. This was a great job because it involved a little bit of everything; personal training sessions, group fitness classes, programming, pre-screening inductions, cleaning and much more. It was a perfect first job to complete during the final year of my degree as I could implement what I was learning in class to real life experiences in my job and learn a lot faster.”

During her final year, Sarah completed a 200-hour practicum with Sport Manawatū and the Green Prescription Programme. This ultimately led to a full-time position at the organisation once she finished her degree.

Sarah now works as a Student Fitness Officer at the University of Western Australia, where she focusses on student engagement and encouraging students to get active in their recreation centre.

“I really enjoyed studying at Massey. The choice to study a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise was an easy one for me. My studies incorporated my interests in both academic and practical theory. There is also an abundance of career pathways to take, dependent on what major you decide on.

“The first year had a taster of everything, which helped me decide to choose the exercise prescription major for my second and third year. Within these two years, I was able to experience how to work with athletes and general population clients, as well as completing courses in topics like nutrition, sport psychology and strength and conditioning. The variety of courses and learning topics is huge and differs between each major in the degree. People often underestimate the amount of career pathways you can take with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise.”

If you are interested in studying a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise, join us for our Sport and Exercise Human Performance Lab workshop on 11 July. You can find out more here.