Levels of Study

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Certificate IV and Diploma Awards

The normal entry requirements for certificate IV and Diploma(level 2) courses are:

at least 17 years of age (18 for overseas students); and
ability to read and write in English comparable with an IELTS result of 6.0.
satisfactory completion of Year 12 in an Australian secondary school, or equivalent, would normally be required.

Bachelor Degree Awards

The normal additional entry requirements for bachelor degree courses include:

ability to read and write in English comparable with an IELTS result of 6.5; and
at least 17 years of age (18 for overseas students); and
satisfactory completion of Year 12 in an Australian secondary school, or equivalent, except in the case of mature-age applicants.
a recognition of prior learning (RPL) process may be used to assess whether an applicant has an adequate academic foundation to be granted entry into a course.

Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Courses

Entry into graduate certificate/diploma courses requires a recognised bachelor degree, or approved equivalent, and the ability to read and write in English comparable with an IELTS result of 6.5. Generally, there are restrictions as to the nature of the undergraduate qualification that will be accepted and, where these apply, they are specified in the individual course descriptions.

COMPARISON OF STUDY LOADS

Certificates IV & Diplomas

A standard semester subject at this level entails about 96 hours of work in total and is worth 4 credit points. One year of full-time study is worth 40 credit points.

For each standard semester subject there is normally a time commitment of 1 hour pre-reading or preparation work, 2 hours face to face lecture/workshop, and 1 hour supervised library work per week. Variations to this do occur. Generally, approximately 3,000-4,000 words of written work are required. Multiple-choice/short-answer/assertion and reason tests are often included.

Students are required to explain, describe, discuss, summarise and apply a wide range of understandings and concepts.

For more practical subjects the ratio of practical to study time increases considerably, the total allocation of time is the same and the amount of written work varies.

Subjects in the second year of the diploma course generally build on knowledge, understanding and skills gained in the first year of these courses and develop competencies to a greater extent than subjects in the first year of the course.

Degrees

Subjects taken in the first year of a bachelor course are foundational and subjects taken in each subsequent year build on knowledge, understanding and skills gained in the preceding year.

A standard semester degree subject entails about 160 hours of work in total and is worth 6 credit points. One year of full-time study in bachelor degrees is usually worth 48 credit points.

For each standard semester degree subject there is normally a time allocation of 39 contact hours and 121 private-study hours. Approximately 5,000 words of written work are required. For more practical subjects, the ratio of practical to study time increases considerably, the total allocation of time is the same and the amount of written work varies.

Degree courses require the development of a high standard of academic skill in reading, explaining, evaluating, discussing, critiquing, summarising, and synthesising information and concepts. Almost all degree subjects entail tutorials and include written or oral final examinations.

Graduate Certificates & and Graduate Diplomas

A standard semester graduate subject entails about 160 hours of work in total and is worth 6 credit points. One semester of full-time study in a graduate certificate or graduate diploma is usally worth 24 credit points. For each standard semester graduate subject there is normally a time allocation of 39 contact hours and 121 private-study hours. Approximately 6,000 words of written work are required.

For more practical modules, the ratio of practical to study time increases considerably, the total allocation of time is the same and the amount of written work varies. While the contact time is the same for both degree and graduate subjects, the assignment work required at graduate level is generally more complex.

Almost all graduate subjects entail tutorials, and either a written or oral final examination, or a substantial research paper.