Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make an existing subject available as breadth?
The Course Standing Committee (CSC) for each of for each of the bachelor courses introduced in 2008 (Bachelor of Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Environments, Music and Science), degrees has responsibility for determining which subjects can be taken as breadth within their respective degrees. To request that a subject be considered as breadth, forward the subject proposal form to the Secretary of the Program Directors Forum.
For more information about the approval process, see the Breadth page.
How do I submit changes under delegated authority?
There are two types of changes that can be made under delegated authority, timely changes, which follow the changes under delegated authority process, and late changes, which follow the late change process.
What's the deadline for submitting changes under delegated authority?
Changes made under delegated authority must be submitted to the student system no later than 15 June 2012 in order to meet critical student system and timetabling dates, and for publication in the Handbook by the October release date. Changes submitted after this date will be actioned but are not guaranteed to be implemented in the student system in time to allow editing in the Handbook, or to secure preferred allocations in the timetable.
How do I set a quota for a subject?
Setting a subject quota requires the approval of the Director, University Budget & Divisional Planning and the President of the Academic Board.
How do I change a selection requirement?
A change to an entry requirement is always considered a major change and requires Academic Board approval.
If the change to a course entry requirement is the only proposed course change, submit a memo to the Academic Secretary and include the current entry requirement and the proposed entry requirement.
If the change to the entry requirement is one of a number of changes to a course, submit a major change form and include the current entry requirement and the proposed entry requirement.
Entry requirements must be drafted in accordance with the Guidelines on the Drafting of Entry Resolutions and the Guidelines on Interpreting Entry Resolutions.
All current entry requirements are published as an attachment to Regulation 11.1A2 and are resolutions of the Academic Board.
What is the standard amount of assessment for a subject?
The standard amount of assessment for a 12.5-point undergraduate subject is 4000 words, and for a 12.5-point postgraduate subject is 5000 words, with a leeway of plus or minus 500 words. Subjects of other points values would be expected to have a commensurate amount of assessment (so an undergraduate subject worth 6.25 points would have 2000 words of assessment, while a 25-point postgraduate subject would have assessment totalling 10,000 words). Where a strong case has been made to vary the assessment for a specific subject, the Academic Board may permit a variation to this assessment standard. See the Assessment Guidelines for more information.
What are the standard contact hours for a subject?
The standard contact time for a 12.5 point subject is 120 hours. The acceptable variation on this is 96 to 144 hours, but most subjects follow the 120-hour norm.
Can I establish a subject worth zero points as a hurdle requirement?
The Academic Board has ruled that all subjects must be for credit points. It is possible to establish hurdle requirements as items of assessment within subjects, but it is not possible to establish a subject worth zero points as a hurdle requirement. See the Assessment Guidelines for more information.
What is a late change?
A late change is a change made to a course or a subject after the publication of the Handbook for that year (which generally occurs in late October of the preceding year). The late change process is explained in more detail on the Late Change page.
How do I change the AHEGS description of a course?
The AHEGS course descriptions can be changed via the major change process. They require Academic Board approval.
Who is the shepherd for my faculty/graduate school?
Faculties and graduate schools are strongly recommended to make use of the expertise of their shepherds when planning curriculum changes. For contact details, see the Academic Programs Committee shepherding allocations and the Research Higher Degrees Committee shepherding allocations.
Who do I contact for more information?
For questions about the academic approval process, please contact the appropriate Secretary: for coursework higher degrees, the Secretary to the Academic Programs Committee, and for research higher degrees, the Secretary to the Research Higher Degrees Committee.