As a Study Abroad or Exchange student, you can choose a wide range of subjects from most study areas at UTS. 

What can I study?

1. Pre-approved subject lists

We recommend starting with our list of pre-approved subjects. Pre-approved subjects are great because:

  • there is no need to add them in your application
  • no additional subject assessments are required
  • you can self-enrol in these subjects once you activate your UTS student account
  • any requisites for the subjects listed here are automatically waived.

However, subject entry is not guaranteed. Your ability to enrol depends on whether spots are available in the subject at the time of enrolment.

Some Design, Animation and Media Arts subjects have limited availability. 

Undergraduate pre-approved subjects

Postgraduate pre-approved subjects

2. Subject guides by faculty

For higher-level subjects, take a look at our faculty subject guides. They’re an easy way to find information about our most popular subjects within your area of interest. These subjects require prior knowledge. If you choose a subject that is not pre-approved, you will have to:

  • list the subjects in your application
  • check the subject's prerequisites in the UTS Handbook. A prerequisite (otherwise known as a ‘requisite’) is a subject that must be completed before enrolling in your chosen subject.
  • demonstrate how you meet the subject's prerequisites by providing relevant supporting documents, such as academic transcript, letter or examples of previous work

PDFs

Business
Subject guide

Communication and Social Sciences
Subject guide

Design, Architecture and Building
Subject guide

Engineering
Subject guide

Information Technology
Subject guide

Transdisciplinary Innovation
Subject guide

Health
Subject guide

Law
Subject guide

Science
Subject guide

3. UTS handbook

If you still can't find the right subjects, you can search the UTS Handbook for all subjects.

What can't I study?

Undergraduate students are not permitted to study postgraduate subjects, and postgraduate students are not permitted to study undergraduate subjects.

These subjects are not available for study abroad or exchange students:

  • Research
  • Thesis
  • Midwifery
  • Clinical placements
  • Languages
  • all postgraduate courses in the School of Clinical and Health Sciences
  • internship subjects.

How do I plan my subjects?

Step 1: Find out when your session starts and ends

Most subjects are taught in the Main Calendar, which is divided into two sessions:

Session Period
Autumn Session February - June
Spring Session July - November

 

More information about UTS teaching sessions are available in the academic year dates page. 

Step 2: Check if your preferred subjects are available in your session

Many subjects are only available in one session every year, so it is important to check that the subjects you want to take are offered in your session.

The UTS Timetable Planner allows students to see when subjects are running, and is a useful tool for planning your studies at UTS. The UTS timetable is released in November every year for the following year.

How many subjects can I take?

Study Abroad and Exchange students must enrol in a full-time load at UTS. The full-time study load is 18-24 credit points per session.

Most subjects at UTS are 6 credit points each, but some may carry different credit point values (such as 8 or 12). A combination of 6- and 8-credit-point (or 12-cp) subjects may result in study loads that differ from the standard 18 or 24 credit points.

Most study abroad or exchange students usually enrol in 3 or 4 subjects.

Credit points apply to all subjects and represent a measure of the workload by subject. 

UTS credit points ECTS credit points (for European students) US credit hours (for US students) Most Chinese universities
1 1.25 - -
6 7.5 4 -
8 10 5 -
24 30 approx. 15 or 16 approx. 7-9 subjects

 

Student spotlight

When Graciela was young, she developed a love for marine life. As a student, she travelled to Australia to study sustainability engineering at UTS. She found 3 subjects that aligned with her passion for the environment: Marine Algae, Renewable Energy Systems and Environmental Remediation. Watch how Graciela went beyond the classroom to discover the unique environments of Sydney.

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(00:02:13)

Sustainability engineering on the other side of the world – Graciela's study abroad story

[Graciela sits on an window ledge inside the UTS Business School, holding a microphone.]

Mia: When I was little, I was more into marine life and marine biology, and that kind of just sprouted towards a love for the environment in general.

[Coral and fish swimming around.]

Sustainability engineering kind of allows me to protect the environment in a way that's tangible and more action-packed.

[People walking through solar farms, teams working in wetland environments, an aerial shot of a forest].

My name is Graciela Bustos. My home university is the University of San Diego, and I study sustainability engineering with a minor in mathematics.

[Wind turbines, solar panels, car going through emissions testing.]

I want to work on clean energy and eliminate the use of fossil fuels to make the environment a cleaner and better place for future generations.

[Intertitle: how did your exchange experience enrich your knoweldge in sustainability?]

My classes in particular were probably the most sustainability focused. Three in particular: Environmental Remediation, Marine Algae Productivity, and Renewable Energy Systems.

Renewable Energy Systems is obviously learning about all the different types of energy and how to implement them, like coding a solar cell that mimics real-world solar electricity production.

[Shot of a team in a laboratory, then a aerial shot of a solar farm.]

Environmental Remediation is about exploring land sites and identifying sources of degradation. I wrote a whole report about one specific area in Sydney that I think is environmentally neglected, and then I made a whole plan about how to make it a better area.

[Wide angle of students doing a site visit, Australian forest and a wallaby.]

Marine Algae was super science-y and hands-on, getting to go out into the marine life and take samples, look at them under the microscope, and analyse how their habitat and habitat losses affect their livelihoods.

[Aerial shot of coral reefs, a team on an inflatable boat going through mangroves, aquatic vegetation, a sample going under a microscope.]

Those three classes in particular are super special to me just because of how much they align with my passion.

[Intertitle: what's your #1 piece of advice for exchange students interested in sustainability?]

Experience as much as possible. Sydney, in particular, is huge and so there's always events that are going around. Sustainability is such a big topic now that you're bound to find someone who has the same level of interest in sustainability as you do.

[People talking to each other at UTS event promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.]

I think just putting yourself out there and learning about what other people's opinions are about sustainability is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in that environment.

[Students and staff networking at UTS event.]

FAQs about studying at UTS

Student adviser talking to student at an on-campus help desk.

Contact the study abroad and exchange team

Interested in coming to UTS? We’re here to answer your questions and help you get ready for Sydney.

Our working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (except Australian public holidays).