Programs offered through the Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology (GSCIT)


Attendance

All computing courses listed in this section are available to students throughout Australia. While weekend school classes are offered in many computing subjects, such classes are optional. The courses outlined here are designed so that it is possible to complete all requirements without any on-campus attendance. International enrolments may be accepted from countries where suitable library and communication facilities are available.

Electronic course delivery

All distance education students in computing must have an IBM-compatible personal computer with a CD ROM, printer, modem and access to the internet via an ISP in order to electronically submit assignment work, and to communicate with lecturers and other students. Monash University has a special arrangement in Australia, currently with Ozemail, to offer ISP services at a discounted rate - details will be supplied at enrolment time. This special arrangement does not preclude students from using their own ISP and in some circumstances where Ozemail is not available in the local area, a local ISP must be used. As well as access for assignment submission and communication, some computing subjects require access to university or other suitable timesharing computers for use of software which is not available in the microcomputer environment. Persons living overseas may be eligible for admission to the courses listed, provided that they have adequate access to the Internet.
Due to a quota on government-funded places and other resource limitations, it is not possible to offer a place to every qualified applicant for an undergraduate course. Those who do not possess their own computer or modem are advised to wait until they have received an offer before purchasing this equipment. Advice about the type of equipment required is sent to all successful applicants. At the present time, a Pentium PC with 32 Mb of memory, 3.2Gb of hard disk storage and a CD-ROM drive, is seen as an adequate configuration for most programs listed here. Some subjects have a specific software requirement, such as a language compiler. The cost of such software is generally comparable with textbook costs. In most cases, a given software product will be used in a number of different subjects.

Assessment

Computing subjects are generally assessed by a combination of assignments and final examination.

Fees

Fees for graduate courses

In addition to amenities fees, a course fee will apply for Australian citizens and residents. The fee is $12000 in the case of the masters programs, $8000 for the Graduate Diploma in Computing, and $4000 in the case of the Graduate Certificate in Computing. This amounts to a fee per subject of $1000. These courses are fee-paying postgraduate courses for which no additional liability under the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) will be incurred.
For the undergraduate and honours program some Australian fee paying places above quota may be available.
Fees paid may be tax deductible in accordance with Section 51(i) of the Income Tax Assessment Act, but students will need to determine their own tax position. Fees are payable by 31 March for the first semester, and 31 August for the second semester, and are refundable if withdrawal occurs by these dates. However, a non-refundable deposit is retained to cover course materials and administrative costs.

International fees

The course fee for international students who are not Australian citizens or residents is $21,420 for the masters courses (where completion of 12 subjects is required), $14,280 in the case of the graduate diploma courses, or $7140 in the case of the Graduate Certificate in Computing. This amounts to a fee per subject of $1785.