Bachelor of Liberal Studies Frequently Asked Questions

Bachelor of Liberal Studies Overview

Bachelor of Liberal Studies (International) Overview

Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) Overview

Who administers the Bachelor of Liberal Studies?

The Faculty of Arts administers the Bachelor of Liberal Studies. You should approach the Faculty of Arts with any questions regarding your degree. The Arts Director for the Bachelor of Liberal Studies is Associate Professor Penny Russell. Email The Faculty of Science is available for questions regarding specific Science subject areas. Enquiries related to the Science aspect of the degree may be directed to Dr Margaret Charles. Email

What will the UAI be for next year?

The University does not know the required UAI for next year at this point. In 2007, they were:

Bachelor of Liberal Studies	85.80
Bachelor of Liberal Studies (International)	99.10

Do you have any tips for structuring my degree?

In terms of the general requirements for the degree, you need a major in an arts subject and a major in a science subject. In addition you require 30 credit points in a language other than English, with 18 credit points of Senior (= second and third year) units. The arts major may in fact coincide with this language.

Most science majors consists of 24 credit points of 3rd level or Senior units (unit of study code 3XXX) in one subject area (e.g. biochemistry, physics, maths etc). Prerequisite requirements will usually then require at least 12 credit points in level 1 units (code 1XXX) in the same area and 12 or more credit points in level 2 units (code 2XXX). For details of requirements for each major, see Table 1 in the Faculty of Science Handbook.

An arts major requires 36 credit points of Senior units of study in one subject area. In Arts this refers to either codes 2XXXX or 3XXX, by contrast with Science, where only level 3 units are referred to as Senior and level 2 units (2XXX) are known as Intermediate. For the arts major, a student will usually need 12 credit points in level 1 units in the same subject area as a prerequisite.

So a good starting point for majors in say History (arts) and Mathematics (science) would be 12 credit points of each in first year. The language (say French) might provide another 12 credit points and the compulsory communications would provide 6 more, leaving 6 points of free choice. The compulsory communications and mathematics subjects are often done in first year, but this is not required. A full year's work is 48 credit points, and units of study are usually 6 credit points each, so it really comes down to whether they can be ‘fitted in’. We think it is a good idea to do the communications unit early on. If one is only doing the minimum mathematics requirement (6 credit points) then it is not usually a prerequisite for anything else and can be done at any stage. If, by contrast, you were intending to major in Physics say (24 credit points at Senior level) then you would also be needing mathematics at an early stage.

Usually, however, things are a bit more complicated because subjects have additional prerequisites. Thus a Physics major would require Mathematics in first year, and that would require 24 credit points (maths 12 + physics12) leaving less room for other subjects. Generally, then, something would be put off to year 2.

We recommend that you buy copies of the Arts Faculty Handbook and the Science Faculty Handbook for every year in which you are an enrolled student (or download them from the respective faculty homepages: www.arts.usyd.edu.au and www.science.usyd.edu.au). These give full details on requirements for each area of study.

Can I do another Linguistics or English unit other than LNGS1001, ENGL1000 or ENGL1007 as the compulsory Communications unit?

No - you must undertake one of these units.

Do I need to do Two-Unit Maths at high school for the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree?

Two-unit Maths is not a requirement, although it is needed as assumed knowledge for any of the life sciences Mathematics (MATH1011, 1012, 1013, 1015). STAT1021 (General Statistical Methods) satisfies the requirements of the Liberal Studies degree and only has HSC General Mathematics as assumed knowledge.

Can I get credit towards my Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree if I transfer in from another institution?

Credit transfer matters are determined by the Faculty of Arts Office, not by the Directors of the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree. You would need to make a formal application to the Faculty of Arts Office. You must provide outlines of the units (including assessment and contact hours) you wish to have credited along with an original or certified transcript.

Please contact the for any further enquiries.

What are the rules about the Bachelor of Liberal Studies (International)

You have to spend at least one semester abroad on an official exchange, although no guarantee can be made of a place on an exchange. The course is not open to international students. Entry into the international program for current Liberal Studies students will continue to be via UAC. See the Faculty of Arts Handbook for details of resolutions governing the degree.

Can any Bachelor of Liberal Studies student go on exchange - that is, students NOT in the International stream?

Most undergraduate students are eligible to study for one or two semesters overseas during the course of their degree (pending academic approval; usually a WAM of 65 is a prerequisite). The first step is to take a look at the website of the International Office (address below) and read the general information contained there about exchanges as well as viewing the list of our partner institutions. You can also follow the links through to take a look at the courses/programs offered by our partner universities.

Please bear in mind that some partner universities may have restrictions in certain programs or departments of study for exchange students. If you are contemplating an exchange program, try to save some of the (max.) 72 Junior credit points to enable you to pick up introductory courses when overseas.

You should also drop by the Study Abroad and Exchange Office and pick up the general information brochure as well as an application form for exchange. Information sessions are held covering ‘how to apply for an exchange’ as well as having past exchangees come and speak about their experiences while studying overseas.

International Office
Services Building G12
University of Sydney
NSW 2006, Australia
Phone: +61 2 9351 3699
Fax: +61 2 9351 2795
Email:
Website: http://www.usyd.edu.au/stuserv/international/

How many credit points can I take outside the Arts and Science Faculties?

Your Arts major must come from those subject-areas listed in Part A of the Table of units of studies for Arts. If Education, for example, is listed only in Part B (as is Psychology), then it cannot be your Arts major for Liberal Studies. Note, however, that Psychology can be your science major. Always check your Arts handbook for the Education listing as well as other subject areas available in Table B.

If you want to do a major from Part B, and therefore need to free up credit points overall in your degree structure, then one possible solution is to do additional senior units of study in the language other than English that you are taking. You recall that Liberal Studies requires that you take at least 30 credit points in a language other than English, 18 of which must be senior. If you complete a further 18 credit points in your chosen language, this would mean that you have completed a major in that language, which can also satisfy your Part A major requirement - thus giving you more credit points to play with for Part B choices.

Can I enrol in Conservatorium of Music units, as well as take principal study (one on one teaching in voice, an instrument, composition or musicology) within my degree?

Subject to meeting prerequisites and co-requisites, Liberal Studies students can enrol in some units of study at the Conservatorium. The list of available units of study is available at the Faculty of Arts Office.

You cannot enrol in Principal Study units of study at the Conservatorium of Music.

Can practical and technical units of study count towards my degree?

Technical or practical subjects cannot count towards the Liberal Studies degree. Sometimes, theoretical units can be counted from the SCA, but ceramics, photography and so on cannot. In terms of units from the Conservatorium and Architecture/‘Tin Sheds’, the Faculty of Arts Office would have a look at these and see how they fitted into the program the you were undertaking. You would need to show both that the compulsory Liberal Studies requirements are being met and that SCA and/or Con or Architecture/’Tin Sheds’ are willing to accommodate you. So you need to approach them independently, and having gained entry, contact the Faculty of Arts Office to have your choice of subjects approved. Where there is room for discretion we try to help students as much as possible.

Can I take Media and Communications units of study?

Media and Communications units are restricted to those in the Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) degree, and cannot be used towards your Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree.

Can I enter the degree in the July Semester?

The Bachelor of Liberal Studies may be offered for July 2008 semester on Main Campus. There will be a list of courses available for July semester in UAC's Mid Year Supplement as well as an application form.

Please note that admission into the Bachelor of Liberal Studies, even on a fee-paying basis, is quite competitive. You are welcome to contact the Admissions Office to discuss how you may be able to improve your competitiveness for admission into the University's courses.

Can I use my compulsory non-English language as my major?

The same language as your Arts major can satisfy the language requirement.

Can Latin be my compulsory language?

Yes, Latin can count as your language.

Any tips for those of us who want to study computer science?

Watch out with the computer science major: you will need at least first year maths as prerequisite for many choices in second year computer science. See the Science handbook for details: it is available on the web from the Faculty of Science pages.

Can I be excluded from the University for poor academic performance?

Yes you can. See the Handbook for further details.

The Liberal Studies degree (by contrast with the Science degree) does give a weighting to first year (level 1000) subjects. The formula appears in both the Science and Arts Faculty Handbooks.