The Master of Clinical Rehabilitation is a postgraduate coursework degree designed for qualified health professionals who want to deepen their expertise in rehabilitation science and advance their clinical practice. The course prepares graduates to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based rehabilitation strategies across a wide range of clinical and community settings, from acute hospital care through to long-term community-based and home care environments. Core learning areas include the principles of best-practice rehabilitation, the physiology and pathophysiology of common conditions, exercise prescription, goal setting, health behaviour modification, physical activity measurement, fitness evaluation, and the selection of appropriate outcome indicators. Students also develop skills in health needs analysis, program development, grant writing for rehabilitation programs, and the use of emerging technologies in rehabilitative care.

The course is inherently interdisciplinary and is relevant to a wide range of allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, exercise scientists, nurses, medical doctors, podiatrists, prosthetists, and orthotists. Programs are typically structured around three major themes: theory and practice, research and innovation, and rehabilitation in context, allowing students to personalise their studies by focusing on specialisations such as women's health, paediatrics, neurology, acute care, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, cardiac and respiratory rehabilitation, and emerging digital health technologies. Some programs offer specialised streams such as neurological physiotherapy or neurological occupational therapy, with associated clinical placement requirements in accredited Australian rehabilitation hospitals.

Graduates are employed across a broad spectrum of settings including public and private hospitals, community health centres, NDIS service providers, aged care facilities, workplace rehabilitation organisations, sports medicine clinics, research institutions, and government health agencies. Employers include major hospital networks, aged care providers, disability services organisations, private rehabilitation practices, and federal and state health departments. The qualification is recognised nationally and, in many cases, internationally, enabling graduates to build careers in clinical leadership, advanced practice, program management, health advocacy, and research.

Most Australian providers of the Master of Clinical Rehabilitation require applicants to hold a bachelor degree (AQF Level 7) or equivalent in a cognate health discipline. Accepted disciplines typically include physiotherapy, medicine, exercise science, occupational therapy, and nursing, with some programs also accepting podiatry, prosthetics, orthotics, and other allied health fields. Specialised streams — such as neurological physiotherapy or neurological occupational therapy — generally require a degree specifically in that discipline, along with current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA). In addition to an undergraduate degree, applicants must typically demonstrate at least two years of documented post-registration professional clinical work experience. This experience is measured in full-time equivalent years and is central to the selection process, as programs are designed for practising clinicians rather than new graduates.

For international applicants or applicants whose first language is not English, English language proficiency requirements typically apply. Common benchmarks include an IELTS Academic score of at least 6.0 overall (with minimum component scores, particularly in Speaking and Writing), equivalent TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced, or Occupational English Test (OET) scores. Some providers may also accept the Duolingo English Test with a minimum overall score. Applications are typically assessed holistically, with selection committees considering academic results, professional experience, professional registration status, and in some cases a personal statement or referee reports. Meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee selection, as places in competitive programs may be limited.