Kick-start your career in sport! With a partnership between the Carlton Football Club and La Trobe University — one of Australia’s leading sports universities — this unique tertiary program provides the ultimate learning experience in a high-performance environment. Complete one of our one-year courses to land your dream job in sport.
Why study with us?
The Carlton College of Sport offers the unique opportunity to combine first-year tertiary study with work experience in an elite sporting environment. More than ever, sports employers are looking for relevant experience in addition to academic qualifications, and the Carlton College of Sport is designed to deliver graduates just that.
In 2019, the Carlton College of Sport was established to give students the opportunity to study a range of diploma-level sports qualifications embedded in an elite sporting environment. Graduates receive a Higher Education Diploma from La Trobe University — a tertiary qualification that will allow immediate employment opportunities or direct entry into the second year of related bachelor programs. Additional qualifications such as Certificate 3 and 4 in fitness (personal training) are also included in the program, depending on course selection. The Carlton College of Sport currently offers two courses: the Diploma of Sport Coaching and Development and the Diploma of Elite Sport Business, both of which are accelerator pathways into second-year tertiary study. The course content is delivered by La Trobe University staff at a teaching space at the Carlton Football Club, effectively making the Club a campus of La Trobe University.
Both diplomas are delivered in person three days each week (two days at Ikon Park, home of the Carlton Football Club, and one day at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus) across one year of full-time study. In addition to academics, students also undertake a minimum of 100 hours practical placement delivered by Carlton to enhance their learning experience and ensure they have job-ready CVs by the time they graduate the program. The nature of the program also gives students the ability to begin to cultivate a sporting network, which is a vital outcome for individuals seeking their first professional employment opportunity.
Placement opportunities
The Carlton College of Sport offers a unique opportunity for students to complete their 100 hours of placement in an elite sports environment at the Carlton Football Club. These hours are designed to enhance academic learning outcomes, but also allow students a behind the scenes look at the multitude of jobs that exist in sport. This allows for more targeted career planning and decision-making at the beginning of our student’s academic journey — a unique advantage of hands-on experience conducted early in tertiary academic study.
Placements for students studying at the Carlton College of Sport include but are not limited to:
- Game Day roles at MCG and Marvel Stadium
- AFL and AFLW training
- strength and conditioning
- Training and game analysis
- media and press conferences
- Carlton Football Club events (Best and Fairest, corporate events).
Students in both Diplomas work closely with high-performance coaching and administration staff at the Carlton Football Club, and have the opportunity to create a strong professional network that will open doors that other university graduates don’t have access to.
Our facilities
Located in the heart of Melbourne, just a 10-minute tram ride north of the CBD, the Carlton College of Sport is conveniently located at the home of the Carlton Football Club. Students study in an elite sporting environment, enjoying high-performance AFL and AFLW training facilities.
With lecture theatres and study rooms that look out onto the field at Ikon Park, students are immersed in the day-to-day operations of a professional football club.
Students spend two days per week at the Carlton College of Sport campus and one day per week at the La Trobe University Bundoora campus, enjoying a newly re-developed and state-of-the-art sports precinct.
Requirements and admission
To gain admission into either of the courses offered at the Carlton College of Sport, students must have successfully completed Year 12 (or equivalent) and achieve a study score of 20 in English or 25 in English as an Additional Language (EAL) but there is no minimum ATAR requirement. There are alternate pathways into our courses if students do not meet these specific requirements and will be assessed on an individual basis.
Relevant work, life and vocational experience will also be taken into consideration.
Open Day Listings
Carlton College Online Information Session
Due to COVID-19, we have cancelled our planned open days at Ikon Park and replaced them with Online Information Sessions. These presentations will go for roughly 45 minutes and provide information on Carlton College of Sport programs including course options, entry requirements, outcomes, facilities and extra-curricular activities.
Date: Wednesday 29 July at 5pm and Wednesday 2 September at 5pm
URL: https://carltoncollegeofsport.com.au/open-days/
