Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences

There is some freedom of choice in what to study in a Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences degree, but there are a few requirements that you will have to follow. These requirements are listed here and explained in detail below.

What are credit points?

• Students doing an Economic and Social Sciences degree are able to choose to study in a wide range of subject areas - for example, Economics, Political Economy, Government and International Relations, Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management etc.
• A semester-length component in a particular subject area is called a 'unit of study'.
• Each unit of study is worth a certain number of 'credit points', depending on the level at which it is taught and the amount of work required. All units of study are worth 6 credit points each.

How do I get 144 credit points?

• Most people studying full-time take three years to complete a Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences degree.
• Full-time students usually earn their 144 credit points by taking units of study worth a total of 48 credit points per year (usually 24 credit points per semester) over the three years of their degree, that is: 48 credit points x 3 years = 144 credit points!

This regulation ensures that you undertake the required depth of study in your second and third years of study.

What are 'junior' credit points?

• You start your degree by taking 'junior' units of study. They form a foundation for more advanced 'senior' units of study. Junior units of study are worth 6 junior credit points each. They are sometimes called 1000 level units because their unit of study codes all have the form 1XXX, eg. ECON1001, ECMT1010 etc

How do I get 48 junior credit points?

• Most full-time students take units of study worth 48 junior credit points in their first year (generally 24 credit points in each semester). It is important to remember that 48 credit points is also the maximum number allowed in the first year.
• To make up your 48 credit points in your first year, most students take four 6 credit point junior units in each semester, for example if you wanted to do an Economics or Political Economy major:

• If you wanted to do an Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management major or a Government and International Relations major your first year would look like this:

Could I do less than 48 junior credit points?

• Yes, but....for two reasons, it's not a good idea to skimp on them!
• Firstly, remember that junior units form a foundation for further study. In some cases, this is a necessary foundation for more advanced study in a particular subject area. In all cases, junior units provide an opportunity to work at developing the skills and ways of thinking that you will need for more advanced learning at the tertiary level.
• Secondly, junior units of study offer you the chance to sample a range of subject areas and gain a variety of learning experiences, even in subjects that you may not go on to specialise in.
• If you are studying part-time, it is usually recommended that you do a minimum of 18 junior credit points in your first year.
• Most students will complete 48 junior credit points in their first year and then do only senior units in second and third year. After completing first year if you wish to take a senior unit for which you do not have the prerequisites, you may need to complete no more than a further 12 junior credit points to meet the necessary prerequisites.

For this requirement, you must complete a major (minimum 36 senior credit points) or an extended major (minimum of 48 senior credit points) comprising units of study in a subject area from one of the columns below AND at least 12 credit points of senior units of study from a subject area selected from the other column below:

What are 'senior' credit points?

• 'Senior' units of study build on the foundation of learning established by junior units. From 2006, senior units of study in the Faculty of Arts will be worth 6 senior credit points each. Senior units in Arts are sometimes called 2000 or 3000 level units because their study codes all have the form 2XXX or 3XXX, e.g. GOVT2226, ECOS3015.
• You can't start taking senior units of study until you have the appropriate foundation of junior units in place. This means that you have to take junior units in the same subject area, as prerequisites for your senior units. You'll need to check the Faculty of Arts Handbook in print or online.

What is an extended major?

By completing a further 12 senior credit points in one of the single disciplines of Economics, Political Economy or Government and International Relations and Industrial Relations and HRM, you can extend your original 36 credit points and thus complete an extended major in that area.

• Here is an example of how you might put together 96 senior credit points over your second and third years for an Economics or Political Economy major, including 12 senior credit points from Government and International Relations or Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management:

• Here is an example of how you might put together 96 senior credit points over your second and third years for an Government and International Relations or Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management major, including 12 senior credit points from Economics or Political Economy.

• 48 senior credit points in Year 2 and a further 48 senior credit points in Year 3 add up to 96 senior credit points.
• When you sum the credit points earned in Years 1, 2, and 3, you can see they add up to 144 credit points......i.e. your Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences degree!!

Could I do more than 24 credit points per semester?

• You might want to take more than 24 credit points in one semester - perhaps to make up for a unit of study that you have failed or to try to get through your degree more quickly.
• You will be permitted to do up to 30 credit points per semester in your second and third years. However, be aware that 30 credit points in a single semester is a very heavy load. It's unlikely that you'll be able to do your best in each unit you take (and very unlikely that you'll have a life while you do it!!)

If you complete a major from another Faculty you will not have enough room in your degree to complete a major in the area in which you completed 12 senior credit points from either columns 1 or 2.

• You may complete up to 60 credit points (12 junior and 48 senior) from units of study offered by another Faculty in the University. This allows you to do one major from a subject area taught in another Faculty. Of course, this is totally optional.
• If you do wish to major in a subject area from another Faculty, think carefully before choosing your junior units - make sure you have any necessary junior prerequisite units.