HSS – Student information

Degrees by coursework


The following information is generally applicable to all coursework students. However, further specific information for Honours and graduate students can be found in the course entries. Information specific to postgraduate research degree students appears in a separate section and in the course entries. Admission requirements Attendance Course duration Typical programs Requirements for graduation Prerequisites Subjects taken in other faculties/institutions Assessment Rules and regulations Admission requirements Undergraduate applications Applications are accepted only on the official form available from the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), which must be lodged with the UAC by the specified closing date. The UAC publishes a guide every year, which details all application requirements, and these should be followed carefully. The Faculty requires all non-current school leavers to submit to UTS a Personal Statement, details of which are available from the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre. UTS has three special entry schemes: inpUTS; the Jumbunna alternative admissions program (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants); and special admission covering Educational Disadvantage, Refugees and Elite Athletes and/or Performers. For further details, contact the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre, CB01.4, telephone (02) 9514 1222. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has introduced a variation of the inpUTS Scheme as it applies to certain prospective students applying for any of the Bachelor of Arts in Communication courses. For details on this scheme, visit: www.hss.uts.edu.au/info/inpUTS.html Each year, the University hosts two open days – UTS: Info Day and UTS: Advisory Day – covering all relevant information on the University's undergraduate courses and application for admission. Contact the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre or visit the UTS website for details at: www.uts.edu.au There are no interviews for admission. Prospective students must have a high level of English suitable for the degree, as well as basic computer literacy. Honours applications Prospective Honours students should attend an information session, usually held in October, before completing the UTS Direct Application for Admission form and the Faculty Supplementary form, available from the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre. It is important that applicants follow the instructions contained in the supplementary form. Postgraduate applications Applicants should complete an application form and Faculty Supplementary form. Information on the application process is available online at: www.sau.uts.edu.au/applying/postgrad.html When completing the application form, applicants are asked to outline ways in which the subjects will assist or be of benefit to them in achieving their work and life goals. References may be submitted, but samples of original work, if not specifically requested, are not accepted: their safekeeping cannot be guaranteed. Selection for some courses may be based entirely on the information contained in the application form and the supplementary form. Applications usually close in October for the following year. Some courses offer a mid-year intake with applications closing at the end of May. Information sessions, covering all relevant information on the Faculty's postgraduate courses and application for admission, are held prior to the closing date for applications in May and October. Contact the Faculty Student Centre or visit the Faculty website for details: www.hss.uts.edu.au Attendance There are two main semesters in the academic year. Autumn semester runs from the beginning of March to the end of June and Spring semester runs from the beginning of August to the end of November. Classes are usually taught either on a week-by-week basis throughout the semester or in intensive mode. Semester-based classes usually require approximately three hours of class attendance per week over 15 weeks. Subjects offered in intensive mode are sometimes taught over a number of weekends or on consecutive days or evenings during semester breaks. Subjects offered in intensive mode are offered on the basis of their suitability to this mode of teaching. Classes are timetabled from 9.00a.m. to 9.00p.m. Not all subjects are available in the evenings. Part-time students may need to attend some day classes and full-time students may need to attend some evening classes. Course duration Standard duration The course duration is listed with the detailed entries for each coursework degree. Normally it will indicate the duration of a full-time course if completed in minimum time. Where a course is available only on a part-time basis, the duration will reflect the minimum time to complete the course part-time. Undergraduate courses are offered only on a full-time basis. Graduate courses may be offered on a full-time basis, part-time basis or both. The standard duration of a part-time course is one-and-a-half times the duration of a full-time course. Maximum time to complete Students are expected to complete their course within a specified timeframe, known as the maximum time to complete. The maximum time to complete an undergraduate course is one-and-a-half times the minimum. For example, if an undergraduate course (not combined) has a duration of three years minimum, the maximum time to complete is four-and-a-half years. The maximum time to complete may be extended to account for approved periods of Leave of Absence. Typical programs In order to assist students in determining the order of enrolment in subjects, typical programs are supplied. The typical programs are offered as suggested patterns of enrolment which would enable students to satisfy course requirements, taking into account factors such as subject prerequisites, semester offered, and full-time or part-time study patterns. Individual programs may vary from the typical pattern if subject prerequisites are satisfied. Requirements for graduation Students are expected to complete the full credit-point value for their course in order to be eligible to graduate. As credit-point values for subjects vary between faculties, students who choose electives from other faculties (e.g. a 6-credit-point subject) may need to complete additional subject(s) to achieve the full credit-point requirement for their course. Students with advanced standing and students who have transferred from another course should seek advice when selecting subjects to ensure that they have sufficient credit points to meet course requirements. Prerequisites Some subjects may require prerequisites. Students should not enrol in these subjects unless all the prerequisites have been met or an Application for Waiver of Prerequisite form has been lodged with the Faculty Student Centre. A prerequisite is a subject which must successfully be completed before another specified subject can be attempted, because the second subject builds on specific knowledge or skills from the prerequisite subject. A corequisite is a subject which must successfully be completed before or at the same time as another specified subject because students need at least some knowledge of the corequisite subject. Students can apply to have a prerequisite or corequisite waived where they have gained equivalent competency on the basis of prior experience or successful completion of a non-university course. If the application is successful, the student may commence the subject without having completed the prerequisite. No credit points are awarded for the waived prerequisite. Waiver of a prerequisite or corequisite does not exempt a student from completing the prerequisite subject if it is part of their course requirements. Subjects taken in other faculties/institutions Students wishing to take subjects offered by other faculties should discuss their choice of subjects with the Undergraduate Program Director or the Graduate Course Adviser. Students wishing to take subjects at another institution should apply, in the first instance, by completing the UTS Concurrent Study Application form and lodging it with the Faculty Student Centre after discussing their options with the Undergraduate Program Director or the Graduate Course Adviser. Once approved by the Faculty, it is the student's responsibility to ensure all required application procedures are followed for acceptance at the other institution. Assessment Assessment items are usually dependent on individual subject objectives. However, they are likely to include: class presentations; reflective reviews and journals; research papers; case studies; simulations and role-plays; in-class tests; discussion papers; reports and essays. In skills-based subjects students may be required to produce work that is of a professional, publishable, and/or broadcast standard; or project proposals or items that are reflective of the skills expected to have been learnt. Assessment involves both individual items and group work. Most subjects do not include formal examinations. Undergraduate subjects undertaken at the 100 level which are 6 credit points are graded Pass/Fail only. These subjects are also offered as 8credit-point electives, and in some instances the elective is graded. Disciplinary subjects at the 200 and 300 levels are fully graded from Fail to High Distinction. Professional Strand subjects at the 200 and 300 levels in Information, Journalism, Public Communication and Social Inquiry are fully graded from Fail to High Distinction. Marks are not provided. Subjects at the 200 and 300 level in the Writing and Media Arts and Production Professional Strands are Pass/Fail only. The only subjects with marks as well as grades are Honours subjects. Assessment policy In accordance with University policy on assessment, the following procedures apply to subjects. Subject outlines will state the objectives of the subject. Students will be assessed against criteria related to the objectives of the subject. A clear statement of those criteria, and the associated assessment tasks, will be provided to students in writing no later than Week 1 of the semester. Assessment will be based on a student's level of performance in achieving the objectives of the subject; it will not depend on how many other students achieve those objectives. A Subject Coordinator will not change the assessment pattern determined at the beginning of the semester without consultation with students concerned and the prior approval of the Faculty. In situations where work is deemed unsatisfactory, the student shall be entitled to double marking. Students will be advised which assignments are individual and which require group work. Appeal against assessment The Faculty has an Assessment Appeals Committee which includes a student representative. Students who feel that they have been unfairly assessed should see Rule 2.25 for further information and complete the Appeal Against Assessment Grade form, obtainable from the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre or the Faculty Student Centre. There is a limited period of time for submitting appeals. Further details on appeals may be found in the UTS: Calendar. Recognition of prior learning *Advanced standing* Students may apply for advanced standing on the basis of studies successfully completed at another university, college of advanced education or TAFE. Students can apply for advanced standing up to a maximum of one-third of their course. Individual courses may have specific regulations regarding advanced standing. Students must complete at least two thirds of the subjects for a Graduate Certificate while they are enrolled in that course. Refer to the specific course entry in this handbook for details. Advanced standing should be sought before a student enrols in the subject. If granted, the subject will be recorded as an exemption. Forms for applying for advanced standing are available from the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre or from the Faculty Student Centre. *Challenge of required competency levels* Students who have specific skills and/or knowledge may elect to challenge the competency levels required to pass the subject by completing work set by the lecturer. If successful, students shall receive exemption from the subject (Rule 2.28.5). Students need to complete an Application to Challenge a Subject form, available from the Faculty Student Centre. Rules and regulations Extensions and special consideration If personal problems are affecting a student's university work they should seek advice from Student Services, Level 6, Building 2, telephone (02) 9514 1171. Students needing an extension of time (up to one week) to complete an assessment item must make a request in writing before the due date. Request for Extension forms are available from the Faculty Student Centre. These requests must be made to the Subject Coordinator. Students should apply for Special Consideration if, because of serious illness or misadventure, they have difficulty in completing assignments or attendance requirements. An application for Special Consideration must be lodged before the assessment item is due. Variation to academic program The subjects selected at enrolment are the basis of a student's academic program for the year. There are specific deadlines each semester for adding subjects to or deleting subjects from an academic program (see Rule 2.10). These dates are specified each semester. Students who fail to lodge a Variation of Program form with the Faculty Student Centre to alter their program could record a Fail in the subject as well as incurring the HECS liability or postgraduate course fees for that subject. Changes to an academic program after the University deadline are considered, but only in exceptional circumstances. Specific dates relating to varying a study program can be found in the Principal dates for 2004 section at the front of this handbook. Leave of absence Students may apply to the University for leave periods up to a total of four semesters during their candidature for an award. Students are not usually granted leave unless they have successfully completed at least one subject (see Rule 2.11). Leave of Absence forms must be lodged with the UTS Student Info & Admin Centre or the Faculty Student Centre by the HECS census date to avoid financial penalty. Withdrawal from a course Students wishing to withdraw from a course should do so by the specified dates to avoid academic failure and HECS liability or postgraduate course fees. Students who appear to have abandoned their course may be withdrawn from the course by the University (Rule 2.13).