Research aims: To determine the availability of externally delivered awards and topics in evidence based practice to health professionals.

Method: Cross-sectional survey of health related awards offered externally within the Australian tertiary education system.

Major findings: Of the awards found to have content matter in evidence based practice which are offered externally, partially externally, or via the Internet, 76.1% are accessible by nurses, 23.9% midwives, 17.4% other health, 6.5% physiotherapists, and only 8.7% are accessible to general or medical practitioners.

Conclusions: Students of nursing and midwifery have greater access to externally delivered evidence based practice awards and topics at the graduate level than students in other health professions. This may correspond to greater advocacy and adoption of evidence based practice within these groups.