Careers › Health

How to become a Biokineticist

Uses exercise to treat injury and chronic disease and to improve health and performance.

Apply early

Selection programmes like this often close months before the standard application deadline, and marks alone don’t guarantee a place. See the Dates page for the exact closing dates.

What does a Biokineticist actually do?

More about this career

Prescribes exercise programmes to rehabilitate injuries and manage conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, working in private practice, clinics and sports teams. It is a four-year registered degree followed by an internship and HPCSA registration, distinct from a sport science or sport management qualification.

Where this degree can take you

  • Exercise Physiologist
  • Rehabilitation Specialist
  • Wellness Consultant
  • Sports Conditioning Coach

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy
  • Life Sciences

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the programmes we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 7 of 7 programmes
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 5 of 7 programmes
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 4 of 7 programmes
  • Mathematical Literacy – asked for by 3 of 7 programmes
  • Technical Mathematics – asked for by 2 of 7 programmes
  • Technical Sciences – asked for by 1 of 7 programmes

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each programme links to the page it came from.

Programmes that lead here

7 programmes at 7 universities. More are added as we verify them.

Nelson Mandela University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Health Science (Biokinetics)

Health Sciences · 4 years

NMU Applicant Score (AS) 370 out of 600

  • Mathematics: 50% OR Mathematical Literacy: 65% OR Technical Mathematics: 65%
  • Life Sciences: 50%
  • Medical report – A medical report is required.

New row, from the user-supplied NMU Z-Card admissions summary - AS 370 on the Mathematics route, 385 on the Mathematical Literacy/Technical Mathematics route.

Source: View the official page (mandela.ac.za) (opens the official page)

North-West University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Health Sciences in Biokinetics

Health Sciences · 4 years

NWU APS 32 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more) OR Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Medical fitness – Students must be medically fit for the physical component of the course before starting.

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from the user-supplied NWU 2026 Faculty of Health Sciences yearbook. Potchefstroom. Level 4 for the language of tuition. Applications close 31 July. NWU adds your six best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) on an 8-point scale, for a total out of 48 - read from NWU’s own APS calculator. The requirement shown is what NWU publishes.

Source: View the official page (health-sciences.nwu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Tshwane University of Technology

Selection programme

Bachelor of Health Science in Biokinetics

Science

TUT APS 24 points

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Technical Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more) OR Technical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

New row, from the user-supplied Science Faculty Prospectus (qualification code BPBK24, the current one - an older BPBK20 code is being phased out). Highly competitive, ranked selection. From TUT’s 2027 First-Year Course Information and General Information PDFs. Applications opened 1 April 2026 (fee R240).

Source: View the official page (tut.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Johannesburg

Bachelor of Biokinetics

Health Sciences · 4 years

UJ APS 32 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 5 (60% or more)

Read from the 2027 UJ Undergraduate Prospectus, page 66, programme code B9S15Q. APS 32 with Mathematics, 33 with Mathematical Literacy.

Source: View the official page (uj.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of the Free State

Selection programme

Bachelor of Biokinetics

Health Sciences

UFS AP score 30 points out of 49

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

New row, from the user-supplied 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus. A selection programme in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; closing date 31 May.

Source: View the official page (ufs.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of the Witwatersrand

No cut-off published

Bachelor of Health Sciences: Biokinetics

Health Sciences · 3 years

No points cut-off published for this one – see the note below.

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Life or Physical Sciences – Life Sciences and/or Physical Sciences at level 5.
  • NBT – The NBT must be written in person by 17 August.

Read from the live 2027 course-finder page on 2026-10-04: Wits Health Sciences uses a Composite Index (75% school average across 5 subjects, 25% NBT), not APS, and does not publish the cut-off. Applications close 30 June 2026; residence applications 30 September 2026.

Source: View the official page (wits.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of Venda

BSc Biokinetics

Health Sciences · 4 years

Univen APS 34

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from Univen’s 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (April 2026), faculty programme tables. Online applications are free and run 1 May - 30 September 2026.

Source: View the official page (univen.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every programme above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?