Admission - How to Apply

Closing dates
Applications for Semester 2 are now open. We will have two closing dates:

(1) WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL - Local applicants for research candidature who are also applying for a scholarship must apply by this date. Local coursework applicants may also apply by this date. Applications received by 30 April will be sent to academic staff for assessment the following week and letters of offer will be sent to successful applicants by the end of May.

(2) FRIDAY 20 JUNE - This will be our final closing date for local research and coursework applicants, allowing 4 weeks for the assessment of applications and the despatch of offers to successful applicants.

Local applicants (Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, citizens of New Zealand, and holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) interested in postgraduate coursework study in the Faculty of Arts should contact the faculty office with enquiries regarding admission. Local applications are submitted directly to the Faculty of Arts, with the exception of those for the Creative Writing and Media Practice programs - the Faculty is participating in a trial which employs the Universities Admission Centre (UAC) as a potential assessment centre for postgraduate study, and applications for admission to postgraduate courses in Creative Writing and Media Practice should be sent to UAC - please see full details below.

International applicants should visit here. International applications must close WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL to allow time for assessment and the issue of firm offers to successful applicants who must then apply for a valid student visa at the Australian diplomatic mission in their home country. Please be aware that applying for a visa may take up to 8 weeks in some countries. We regret that we cannot accept late applications.

If you are a local applicant, please contact us for further information, or to request an application pack. The pack contains the 2008 Arts postgraduate course information brochure, an application form, and detailed information about tuition fees, FEE-HELP and how it works, HECS-HELP and eligibility criteria, and advice about what to include in your application. We post application packs on request.

Faculty of Arts office contact details:
Telephone: +61 2 9351 3240
Fax: +61 2 9351 2045
Email:

The Faculty office is located next to the MacLaurin Hall stairwell in the Quadrangle (view map), and is open for student enquiries at the counter Monday – Friday 10:00am – 4:00pm. Please provide your full postal address and a daytime contact telephone number when leaving messages or placing email requests for information.

Before submitting your application please read the following important notes.

Application inclusions – coursework programs

Evidence of qualifications
If any of your qualifications are from a university or institution other than The University of Sydney, you must submit an original official transcript of your academic record plus one photocopy for each application. Original academic transcripts accompanying applications will not be returned unless requested.

Evidence of Residency or Citizenship status
All applicants must submit evidence of their Australian permanent resident or citizenship status. Proof may be in the form of a passport or birth certificate. Copies certified by a Justice of the Peace will be accepted.

Evidence of meeting the English language requirements of The University of Sydney
If your undergraduate qualification was undertaken at a university or other institution where the language of instruction was not English, you are required to provide evidence that you meet the English language requirements of The University of Sydney.

Photocopies of documents by themselves are not acceptable. A certified translation must be attached for any document not in English. Applications with inadequate documentation will not be accepted.

Coursework programs –all Master, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate-level courses, and all Postgraduate Non-Award study– are fee paying, with the exception of Master of Economics (Social Sciences). Following the passage of Commonwealth Government legislation in November 2005, University of Sydney Union subscriptions may be paid voluntarily.

Equity HECS (Commonwealth Supported) Places
In 2008, there will be a limited number of Equity HECS places offered to postgraduate coursework students in Arts. Applicants will be considered eligible if their income for the financial year 1/7/2006 - 30/6/2007 was $39,825 per annum or less. Please note that a HECS place is valid for the course of study for which an applicant is approved, and may not be automatically transferred to another course of study.

Merit Scholarships
Merit Scholarships are available to Postgraduate Coursework Students who are fee paying and not eligible for an Equity HECS place and do not have a FEE-HELP loan. Students must enrol in a minimum of two units of study and achieve a Distinction average of 75% or above in the two best units of study to be considered. Students do not apply for a Merit Scholarship.

Creative Writing and Media Practice applications
The Faculty of Arts is participating in a University trial for the admission of postgraduate applicants via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) in Semester 2, 2008. Applicants for coursework degrees in the postgraduate Creative Writing and Media Practice programs should submit an application for admission with UAC. Applications for all other programs should be submitted to the Faculty of Arts office.

Master of/Graduate Diploma in/Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing applicants submit their applications directly to UAC but submit a portfolio of written work to the Faculty of Arts with a letter advising that an application has been lodged with UAC. Ideally, applicants should quote a UAC reference number. The portfolio may comprise either (i) 1500 – 3000 words of prose or (ii) 10 – 15 pages of poetry.

Master of/Graduate Diploma in/Graduate Certificate in Media Practice applicants submit their applications directly to UAC. Graduate Certificate in Media Practice applicants who do not hold a Bachelor degree but do have equivalent professional experience (minimum 3 years recent employment in the industry) must submit a CV and independent employer references to the Faculty of Arts with a covering letter advising that an application has been lodged with UAC. Ideally, applicants should quote a UAC reference number.

Applications may be submitted to UAC:
(i) via a UAC application form (see the Postgraduate Coursework UAC Guide 2008) to:
UAC
Locked Bag 112
Silverwater NSW 2128

or

(ii) via the UAC web site at:
http://www.uac.edu.au/postgraduate.html

UAC contact details for enquiries:

Telephone: +61 2 9752 0200
Web online enquiry form: http://www.uac.edu.au/postgraduate.html
Office hours: Mon – Fri 8:30am – 4:00pm

Please note that UAC applicants will receive an offer of admission directly from UAC - please do not contact the Faculty of Arts for information about the progress of your application. You will receive a response by early July. If you receive an offer of admission, please contact us at that time, to let us know that you are accepting your offer. We will then provide details of enrolment dates and times.

Offer and acceptance
Offers of admission for Semester 2, 2008, will be sent to successful applicants who applied directly to the Faculty in May and June 2008. If you receive an offer, you must advise us in writing by the date specified in the offer letter of your intention to accept the place.

Deferment of acceptance/commencement
It is not possible to defer acceptance or commencement to a later semester or year. If you are unable to commence in the semester you have been made an offer, you must reapply for admission for a following year/semester on the official University application form.

Enrolments
Enrolments will be held in mid July 2008 for Semester 2. Details will be provided in your offer letter and we will post the information here on the web nearer to the dates. Semester 2 commences on Monday, 28 July 2008. Successful coursework applicants must be able to attend classes from this date.

Concurrent enrolment in more than one award program
You may not enrol concurrently in another award program that is not already a combined program approved by the Senate, unless approved in writing by the relevant deans.

Arts 2008 Postgraduate Coursework and Research Programs brochure
The information contained in the enclosed Faculty brochure and departmental publications is not to be taken as a firm offer or undertaking and is subject to alteration at any time without notice.

Enquiries and applications
A card is included in each application pack which can be used to acknowledge receipt of your application. If you wish to receive the acknowledgment, please address the card and affix a stamp. We regret that due to the number of applications received, receipt advice cannot be given by telephone.

All applications (with the exception of those for the Creative Writing and Media Practice programs) should be directed to:

Postgraduate Section
Faculty of Arts
Main Quadrangle, A14
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006

Enquiries are welcome
Office counter hours for personal enquiries or the hand delivery of applications:
Mon – Fri 10:00am – 4:00pm
Telephone +61 2 9351 3240
Email: arts.pg@usyd.edu.au

If you need more information about the course you want to do or you want some advice on studying at postgraduate level, come to our next Postgraduate Infomation Night on Wednesday 14 May 2008. Further information will be posted here soon.