Glossary
I'm confused. Can you tell me what this word means?
You may find that Australian university terminology is different from what you use at home.
- Course: The degree or program a student is studying - for example, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc. Courses vary in length from six months to seven years.
- Department: A teaching unit within a faculty.
- Faculty or School: An organisational structure within the University which coordinates the work of the departments where the teaching and research take place.
- Handbook: Available on-line, this is the complete list of all courses and subjects offered by the University (you may know it as a 'catalog').
- Points or weight: The proportion of full-time study a subject is expected to take up. Full-time study is 50 points per semester, two semesters per year - usually four subjects a semester. A standard subject is 12.5 points, though some subjects may have higher weight and associated extra class hours and assessment.
- Semester: The University's standard teaching period. There are two semesters per year. View semester dates
- Program: Academic program of study, consisting usually of four subjects for study abroad and exchange students.
- Subject: A unit within a course or program. If you are enrolling in Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Money and Banking, or Organic Chemistry, for example, you are enrolling in a subject that forms part of a course.
- Student Centres: Each student is assigned to a student centre which provides a 'one-stop shop' for administrative information and advice on issues such as subject selection/changes, student cards, assignment submission, timetabling, teaching materials, referral to other services and so on.