Faculty of Science : Guide to courses

6. Bachelor of Science single degree

Table of Contents

 6. Bachelor of Science single degree

 6.1. Duration of the course

Students enrolled full-time usually take three years to complete the BSc single degree.

 6.2. Course requirements

Students must accumulate a minimum of 300 points, which must:

• include between 75 and 125 points at the 100-level, of which at least 75 must be science points;

• include at least 62.5 points at the 100-level before proceeding to 200-level subjects;

• include at least 62.5 science points at a 300-level (students enrolled in the BSc before 1998 need a minimum of 50 points at the 300-level);

• meet the 50-point rule at each year-level (refer to the section 'The 50-point rule').

• it is proposed that all BSc students commencing in 1999 and beyond will be required to complete a major as part of their Science degree. Further information will be available at the time of your enrolment.

See 'Science' and 'non-science' subjects and 'Non-science' subjects allowance for discussion of what constitutes subjects earning science points.

As third year students are ranked on the basis of their best 87.5 300-level science points, selection into the BSc (Honours) course is more difficult if less than 87.5 points at 300-level are taken. Refer to the Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Bachelor of Information Systems (Honours) section for further details.

 6.3. The 50-point rule

At each of the 100, 200, and 300-year-levels of study, students commencing in the BSc single degree in 1998 or subsequent years, must complete at least 50 points of their studies in science subjects offered by one or more of the following 17 departments or programs:

• Anatomy and Cell Biology

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Biology

• Botany

• Chemistry

• Earth Sciences

• Environmental Science¹

• Genetics

• Information Systems

• Mathematics and Statistics

• Microbiology and Immunology

• Pathology

• Pharmacology

• Physics

• Physiology

• Psychology

• Zoology

A number of departments not on this list offer individual subjects and coherent programs of study for BSc students which accrue Science points, but cannot be counted towards the 50 point rule. Within the BSc students are able to accommodate up to 50 points at each year level from subjects offered by such departments, and are able to satisfy the departmental requirements for entry into the BSc (Honours) program of any one such department by achieving an acceptably high level of performance in an appropriate selection of 50 points from that department at the 300-level.

It is important to note that the 50 point rule allows students to take up to 50 science points at each year-level from any one of the Departments of:

• Computer Science;

• Geography and Environmental Studies;

• History and Philosophy of Science;

providing that they take 50 points per year of science subjects from the list of 17 departments and programs that appear at the start of this section. Extensive studies in each of the three departments is therefore possible within the Bachelor of Science single degree. In particular, the 50 points at the 300-level from a department usually required for entry into the BSc (Honours) program are available for these three departments.

Students wishing to take more than 50 points of subjects offered by the History and Philosophy of Science and/or Geography and Environmental Studies at any year level may find the four-year Bachelor of Arts and Sciences single degree, or the five-year Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science combined course, better suited to their needs. Students who wish to study more than 50 points from the Department of Computer Science at any year level should consider the three-year Bachelor of Computer Science course.

The 50 point rule does not apply to students entering any combined degree program with a BSc component.

 6.4. 'Non-science' subjects allowance

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science single degree course can include up to 62.5 points of subjects not included in the Science section of this handbook (i.e. 'non-science' subjects). A maximum of 25 non-science points may be taken at the 100-level. Further information regarding enrolments in 'non-science' subjects, and the credit that is allowed for these subjects, can be found in 'Science' and 'non-science' subjects or may be obtained from the Faculty of Science office.

Students whose first language is not English should note that the Arts Faculty's Centre of Communication Skills and English as a Second Language (CCS & ESL) will offer the following subjects in 1999:

• 145-004 Advanced English as a Second Language 1

• 145-005 Advanced English as a Second Language 2

• 145-006 Advanced English as a Second Language 3: Language Approaches to Australian Literature

• 145-007 Spoken Interaction

These subjects and the various other subjects focusing on communication skills that are offered by the CCS & ESL can be taken by Bachelor of Science students as non-science points.

The Horwood Language Centre offers many subjects which are available on a non-science credit basis. See the Arts section of the Handbook for further details.

The Faculty of Science offers students the opportunity to enrol in the Diploma of Modern Languages, the Diploma in Music (Practical) or the Diploma in Information Systems, concurrently with their science studies, and this adds an extra year to the course. Students may also enrol in subjects offered under the Community Access Program, however these subjects will incur an extra fee, will not be credited to your science degree and require Faculty approval.

 6.5. Unsatisfactory progress rules for BSc students

The Faculty of Science reviews the academic progress of all Bachelor of Science students every semester.

The following criteria will apply in relation to satisfactory progress through the Bachelor of Science degree.

Students in the Bachelor of Science who pass:

• 75% or more of points attempted in any semester will be deemed to have made satisfactory progress;

• between 50% - 75% of points attempted in any semester may receive a letter alerting them to their unsatisfactory progress, and requiring them to attend an interview with a Faculty of Science Student Adviser before their enrolment for the following semester is confirmed by the Faculty;

• less than 50% of points attempted in any semester, or pass less than 75% of points attempted in any semester for the second consecutive time, will be required to make a case to the Faculty of Science Student Progress Committee.

Students are given an opportunity to make a written submission or to appear before the Committee or to do both. In considering the student's progress, the Committee will normally take into account the student's results, attendance at lectures, practical classes and tutorials and any extenuating circumstances, such as personal difficulties, financial hardship and study problems.

The Committee will determine the best course of action for the student's academic future and make one of three decisions:

• take no action (i.e. the student is able to continue in the course with no restrictions);

• restrict the student's enrolment for the following semester or year;

• recommend to the Academic Board that the student be suspended from the BSc course. Students recommended for suspension have the right to appeal to the Academic Board before a final decision is made.

Students suspended from the BSc can apply for re-selection. Re-selection can generally only be considered if the student has demonstrated, by the completion of relevant tertiary studies, that there is a reasonable chance that they would successfully complete the BSc if re-admitted. Relevant studies completed at another tertiary institution, or through the University of Melbourne Community Access Programme, can be used to show that a student is now capable of completing the BSc.

At the very least, unsatisfactory progress will:

• increase the length of time required to complete the degree, (with a corresponding increase in fees and HECS liability);

• make selection into quota subjects or other courses more difficult as selection is usually based on academic merit.

Status:                   Official 1999
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