Academic Record
An official statement of Academic Record is a certified statement detailing your complete academic record.
Advanced level course
Students normally undertake advanced level courses in the second and third years of their programs. Entry to these courses may be subject to successful completion of a prerequisite(s). These courses are normally coded as 200 or 300 level courses (eg AUS220 or MBT352).
Advanced standing - recognition of prior studies/experience
Advanced standing may be granted for recognition of prior academic work or other work identified as being of equal depth and academic rigour to courses offered at the University of the Sunshine Coast. The granting of advanced standing reduces the number of courses that must be completed to satisfy the requirements of an award program.
Authority subject
An Authority subject is a subject for which the course of study is based on a syllabus that has been approved and issued by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA).
Award
An award (or award program) is a recognised certification of achievement which is granted to a student after the completion of all requirements of a higher education program (eg Bachelor of Science).
Bachelor
Bachelor is the title for an undergraduate degree program (eg Bachelor of Business). A bachelor degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast comprises 288 units (generally 24 courses) and normally takes three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study to complete.
Census date
The census date is the date by which you must finalise your enrolment in each semester or session. The census dates for sessions and semesters are listed in the Academic Calendars.
Combined degree
A combined degree is a combination of two undergraduate degrees taken simultaneously (eg Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science; Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business; or Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Science). A combined degree at the University of the Sunshine Coast comprises 384 units (generally 32 courses) and normally takes four years of full-time study or eight years of part-time study to complete.
Contact hours
Contact hours are the number of hours you are expected to attend classes (eg lectures, tutorials, workshops).
Core course
Every undergraduate student is generally required to complete at least two of the three core courses. These are: Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, Communication and Thought, and Environment, Technology and Sustainability. Core courses enable students to gain skills and knowledge for successful tertiary study and lifelong learning.
Course
A course (commonly known as a subject) is a component of a program normally one semester long, such as Chemistry or Marketing Theory and Practice. Courses are generally 12 units in value. The standard enrolment for a full-time student is four courses per semester.
Cross-institutional enrolment
Cross-institutional enrolment is an enrolment in a course(s) through another institution which, on successful completion, can be credited to the program at the home institution.
Dean
A Dean is the member of academic staff responsible for the management of a Faculty.
Deferral
Deferral is a process where a student, offered a place in a program through an application for admission, chooses to defer their commencement of study until a later semester/year.
Elective
An elective is a course that is chosen from a number of alternative courses.
Enabling courses
The University offers enabling courses in Chemistry, General Mathematics, Mathematics for Physics, Statistics, Biology, Enabling Writing Skills and Enabling Computer Literacy for those students who may not have studied these in high school, or who need a 'refresher' prior to commencing tertiary study.
Enrolment
Enrolment is the process whereby an applicant, having been made a written offer of admission for a particular program of study, chooses the courses they wish to study within that program for that year, and pays the appropriate fees and is issued a Student Card.
Faculty
A Faculty is a department within the University devoted to a particular area (eg Faculty of Science, Health and Education).
Foundation course
Foundation courses provide a sound knowledge of essential areas in the Faculty of Business, and provide a foundation for studies in particular majors and/or minors within the degree. They are normally coded as 100 level courses (eg BUS101).
Field positions (FPs)
Field positions or FPs indicate OP-eligible Year 12 students rank order position based on overall achievements in Authority-registered subjects in up to five fields, with 1 being the highest and 10 being the lowest.
Full-time student
A full-time student studies at least three courses per semester. The standard full-time workload is 4 courses per semester.
Graduand
A graduand is a student who has completed all the program requirements but is yet to receive their testamur.
Graduate
A graduate is a student who has completed their program requirements and has received their testamur.
Honours program
An honours program is usually two semesters (one year full-time) of coursework, seminars and supervised research taken after a bachelor degree. It advances a student's knowledge and experience, and helps to prepare for future research work and postgraduate study.
HECS-HELP (Higher Education Contribution Scheme - Higher Education Loans Program)
HECS-HELP is a loan that helps eligible Commonwealth supported students pay their student contributions.
HECS-HELP liability
A HECS-HELP liability is the amount a student is liable to repay to the Commonwealth Government under HECS-HELP. The amount is calculated on the student's enrolment as at the Census Date in each relevant semester.
Introductory level course
Introductory level courses provide a sound knowledge of essential areas, and provide a foundation for studies in particular majors and/or minors within the program. They are normally coded as 100 level courses (eg ENP101).
Lecture
A lecture is normally where a member of the teaching staff presents themes and concepts relating to a course of study to students enrolled in that particular course.
Leave of absence
Leave of Absence is a process whereby a student who has already completed some study toward their program applies for, and is granted permission to, postpone further study in the program for a specified period of time, normally up to one year. An approved Leave of Absence may be included in the maximum time allowed to complete a program.
Major
A major is a sequence of eight courses from one particular area of study.
Minor
A minor is a sequence of four courses from one particular area of study.
Non-award student
A non-award student is enrolled in a course(s) which does not lead to an award (eg Bachelor of Science). Headstart, visiting or Study Abroad students are all considered non-award students.
OP
OP is the acronym for Overall Position and indicates a Queensland Year 12 student's statewide rank order position, which is based on overall achievement. To be OP eligible Year 12 students are required to sit for the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test and have studied 20 semester units of Authority subjects. The OP is reported on a scale from 1 (highest) to 25 (lowest).
Part-time student
A part-time student studies either one or two courses per semester. The standard part-time workload is two courses per semester. Those attending university in Australia on a student visa cannot study on a part-time basis.
Postgraduate
A postgraduate student has a degree from a university and is pursuing studies for a more advanced qualification (eg graduate certificate or doctoral qualification).
Prerequisite
Prerequisite courses are required to be completed or satisfied prior to enrolling in another course.
Program
A program is the complete award with which a student graduates, such as a Bachelor of Arts (also referred to as BA).
Program code
A program code is a combination of letters and numbers which identifies a program for administrative purposes.
Rank (refer to Selection rank)
Recommended prior study
The term recommended prior study refers to the Year 11 and 12 subjects (or equivalent) the University recommends you study before commencing your degree. This is not a prerequisite subject, but a recommendation as to what knowledge you should possess in the subject area (eg recommended prior study for Sport and Exercise Science is English, Maths and one or more of the sciences, preferably Chemistry).
Selection rank
A selection rank is a numerical score between 1 and 99, (99 is the highest), used to compare different qualifications on the same scale for the purpose of tertiary entrance. Students applying for university study that are not current OP eligible Year 12 students are assigned selection rank/s based on other qualifications, including secondary school and tertiary studies, employment experience and bridging and preparatory studies.
Semester
The academic year is divided into two main semesters. First semester generally runs from February to June, and second semester from July to December as listed in the Academic Calendars.
Session
Postgraduate coursework programs may be delivered over three sessions in an academic year. Session one runs from February to June, session two runs from June to October and session three runs from October to February as listed in the Academic Calendars.
Summer semester
Summer Semester is a non-standard teaching period in the undergraduate academic year, running between December and mid-February. Courses are delivered in intensive mode, because the number of teaching weeks is less than a standard semester. Summer semester courses are available to USC students, students from other universities studying cross-institutionally, and members of the community studying as visiting students.
Testamur
A testamur is the certificate awarded to a graduate on completion of a program of study.
Tutorials / practicals
A tutorial / practical is normally a forum for discussion and consolidation of the themes and concepts introduced in a lecture, and in many cases gives students a chance to practically apply course content. Tutorial classes are usually between 15-25 students in size and provide an atmosphere of discussion, presentation and debate.
Undergraduate
An undergraduate student studies a Bachelor's degree or Honours program at university. An undergraduate student may also be a student who already holds a degree but is taking a second or subsequent degree at the same level.
Unit
Each individual course is given a unit value to represent the proportion of the award which each course comprises (eg in general courses are 12 units in value).
Visiting student
A visiting student studies a University course(s) for professional or personal development - they do not enrol in the complete undergraduate degree program. Visiting students receive normal instruction, assessment and formal results.