If you’re passionate about sport, recreation and fitness, and want a career in these areas, this diploma programme is the ideal entry point.
This programme is also an ideal preparatory qualification for entry into other careers, such as NZ Police, NZ Defence Force, Sports and Physical Education and more! Our graduates have a wide range of careers using the knowledge and skills gained from this course.
One year full-time
or two years part-time
2024 Semester 2: 15 July to 22 November
2025 Semester 1: 17 February to 27 June
2025 Semester 2: 21 July to 28 November
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
International Fees can be found here.
This qualification will provide individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to operate independently, supervise others and work with stakeholders across the sport, recreation and exercise industries. Graduates will be able to operate within a framework of health and wellness in relation to individual, group and community needs. Graduates will contribute to the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Graduates of this qualification will be able to:
SE55121 Professional Practice in Sport, Recreation and Exercise in Aotearoa/New Zealand
SE55122 Health Aspects of Exercise and Nutrition
SE55123 Strength Conditioning and Industry Placement
SE55124 Functional Anatomy
SE55125 Physiology for Health and Exercise
SE55126 Managing Sport and Recreation
SE55127 Sport Performance
SE55128 Sport Pedagogy in Aotearoa/New Zealand
This qualification could lead to employment (paid or volunteer) in a variety of roles such as:
School Leavers
University Entrance - NCEA Level 3. Three subjects – at Level 3, made up of:
Mature Applicants Applicants over the age of 20 years will be considered where they can demonstrate the ability to succeed in a programme. This includes successful completion of a programme of study at Level 4 or above and/or commitment to a sporting code and/or recent experience working in a sport and exercise related capacity in a sports related business or Gym.
Additional CriteriaAll applicants will be required to undergo police vetting for criminal convictions. This information will be shared as required with any placement agency as the majority of agencies working with children and young persons now require this information to assist them in determining whether to accept students on placement. It is the agency’s right not to accept students and therefore some criminal convictions may seriously impede the student ability to complete the qualification.
Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- Level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English, or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL), orSuccessful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, orSuccessful completion of a Bachelors' Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, orSuccessful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment:
IELTS test - Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score of 5 TWE)
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 46 (with a writing score of 14)
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests
NZCEL - a) Expiring, Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (General) or (Workplace), b) Level 4 (General) or (Employment)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 42 with no band score lower than 36
Language Cert - B2 Communicator International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than merit in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise (Multi-sector) (Level 5), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:
A minimum of 120 credits in accordance with the Programme schedule for the New Zealand Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise (Multi-sector) (Level 5).
The student will normally be expected to complete the New Zealand Diploma in Sport, Recreation and Exercise (Multi-sector) (Level 5) full-time over one year or part-time over two years.
Please Note: Students failing to attend for 80% of the timetabled programme hours may forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.