CHANGES TO YOUR DEGREE IN 2006

From the beginning of 2006, along with almost all other faculties in the University, we will be changing to a system in which all units of study, both junior and senior, are worth 6 credit points.

From 2006, the typical full-time load will be four units of study (24 credit points) in each semester.

All departments have revised their curriculum and adjusted the content and assessment in senior units of study so that they fit the new credit point value. The work required of a full-time student will therefore remain the same as at present although it may be distributed differently.

From the beginning of 2006, students wishing to major in a subject area in the Faculty of Arts (a Part A subject area) will need to complete 36 senior credit points, i.e. six senior units of study, in that subject area. As is presently the case, some departments require that you complete particular units of study in order to be awarded a major. You should consult the department(s) in which you are planning to major to find out if they have such requirements.

Students enrolled before 2006, are required to complete at least 32 senior credit points in a Part A subject area to be awarded a major. Depending upon what you have done prior to 2006, you may not be able to gain exactly 32 credit points. If that’s the case, you must to gain more than 32 credit points to complete the major. For example, if you have completed 24 senior credit points of History prior to 2006, taking one 6 credit point unit of History would give you a total of 30 credit points, 2 credit points less than you require for a major in History. You would need to take a second 6-credit-point unit of History to complete the major. However, this should not mean that you have to complete more than the required 144 credit points to get your degree. See the next page for information on completing your degree.

To qualify for entry into fourth year Honours in a Part A subject area you still need to complete 48 senior credit points, with an average mark of Credit or better, in that subject area. From 2006, that means completing eight 6-credit-point senior units of study. As is presently the case, some departments require that you complete particular units of study in order to qualify for entry into the Honours year. You should consult the department in which you are planning to do Honours to find out if they have such requirements.

Students enrolled before 2006, have to fulfil the requirements in place when they enrolled. Depending upon what you have done prior to 2006, you may not be able to gain exactly the number of credit points required. If so, you must gain more than that number of credit points to qualify for entry into 4th year Honours. For example, if you are seeking to undertake Honours in History, which requires 48 credit points in history with an average mark of Credit or better, and you have completed 32 senior credit points of History prior to 2006, taking two 6 credit points units of History will give you a total of 44 credit points, 4 credit points less than you require for entry into History Honours. You would need to take another 6-credit point unit of History to complete the requirement. However, this should not mean that you have to complete more than the required 144 credit points to get your degree. See the next page for information on completing your degree.

If you are seeking to do Honours in a Department that also requires that you complete particular units of study in order to qualify for entry into the Honours year, you should contact the Department to find out which 6 credit points units you need to complete in order to fulfil that requirement.

There is no change in the number of credit points required to complete your degree (e.g. 144 for a three year degree like the Bachelor of Arts, 192 for a four year degree, 240 for a five year degree).

Students enrolled before 2006 may not be able to gain exactly the number of credit points required for their degree.

We want to be sure that no student is disadvantaged in any way under the new system. For this reason, if you find that you will fall a few credit points short of the required number because of the changes, we will offer you two choices:

As soon as your total number of credit points is within 5 credit points of the number normally required, you will be assessed for graduation (i.e. between 139 and 143 credit points for a three year degree, between 187 and 191 for a four year degree, between 235 and 239 for a five year degree).

If you have fulfilled all other requirements for your degree but do not wish to be considered for graduation when you are within this credit point range you must inform the Faculty in writing.

You might, for example, wish to take one extra unit in order to complete an extra major or a particular sequence of units in a subject area. As long as it is just the one extra unit, there is no need to ask for permission; just write to let the Faculty know that you do not yet want to be considered for graduation.

If, however, you wish to go over the number of credit points normally required for your degree by more than 5 credit points, you do need apply to the Faculty for permission.