Monash University: University Handbooks: Undergraduate Handbook 2003: Units indexed by faculty
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Arts regulations and definitions


Advanced standing

The faculty may award credit towards its undergraduate courses for units completed in tertiary studies (including a limited number of Open Learning (OLA) units) and in TAFE colleges. Applicants may be granted specific credit in equivalent units or unspecified credit for units that are not arts/ humanities/social sciences units. An application form is available from the Arts faculty office on any campus. Details of credit for previous studies awarded to international students will be outlined in the offer letter.

Campus transfer

When students are offered a place in the Faculty of Arts, it will be for study on a specific campus in a specific course. For example, the Bachelor of Arts degree course is offered on the Clayton, Caulfield, Gippsland and South Africa campuses. While students may take one unit each semester on another campus without requesting faculty permission, after completing the first year of the Bachelor of Arts, students may then wish to seek a transfer to another campus to complete the course. Students who are seeking to transfer to another campus should obtain a campus transfer application form from the Arts faculty office.

Cancellation of units

Occasionally, units may be cancelled if there are insufficient enrolments in the units or if, due to some unforeseeable circumstance, there is no staff member to teach the unit. Students will normally be given at least one week's notice of the cancellation.

Course code

Each course has a course code (usually four numbers), which students will be asked to quote for most administrative matters related to their study. Course codes are listed under `Outline of studies' later in this section.

Course and unit restrictions

Except with the permission of the faculty board, a student may not:

Course transfer

Students may, after one or more years of study, decide they wish to transfer to another arts course altogether. Students seeking to transfer to another course should obtain a course transfer application form from the Arts faculty office on any campus. For most arts courses transfers, students will need to be achieving a credit average or above to be eligible to transfer. Students wishing to transfer to a non-arts course will need to contact the relevant administering faculty.

Differential HECS

In the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), the cost of units varies depending on a discipline banding system. This means that students in the Faculty of Arts may have to pay a higher HECS fee for units studied from outside the faculty (there are also a small number of units offered by the Faculty of Arts that fall into a higher HECS band). Students should check with the appropriate faculty as to the HECS fee band of individual units. For further information about HECS, visit http://www.hecs.govt.au.

Enrolment in single or not-for-degree units

Suitably qualified people may enrol for a unit or units on a non-credit or not-for-degree basis. These units are normally available to (i) graduates who need to upgrade their previous studies in order to satisfy the requirements for admission to honours, or postgraduate studies; (ii) other applicants wishing to undertake studies in individual units; (iii) those who need such units in order to satisfy the normal entry requirements to a course.

Single-unit enrolments are available up to a maximum of 12 points in any one semester. To apply, contact the faculty office on the campus at which the unit(s) are run.

Entry requirements

Please note that full details for courses that do not use the entry requirements below, or have additional requirements, can be found in the individual course outlines in `Outline of studies' later in this section. International students should contact Monash International for further information regarding entry requirements.

To gain entry into the majority of courses offered by the Faculty of Arts, applicants must satisfactorily complete the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or its equivalent by obtaining a study score of at least 25 in English (any) and a study score of at least 20 in any three other VCE studies.
The Faculty of Arts has one of the most liberal policies regarding the VCE. The faculty accepts any approved study to be counted in a student's `best four' units. The `best four' units are used to calculate the score for university entry. Students in the middle band should note, however, that consideration is given to performance in English, other humanities or social sciences results, as well as the full range of the applicant's VCE studies and results.
Applicants without Year 12, VCE or equivalent must meet the university's minimum entry requirements. Prospective students may meet the requirements by satisfactorily completing two university-level units or by the satisfactory completion of one year of TAFE study at Certificate IV or higher. Results in these studies will be considered for the purposes of selection.

Faculty policies

For a detailed list of faculty policies, refer to the Student Resource Guide (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/) and/or visit the Arts home page at http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/current/policy/index.html.

First-year-level sequence

A first-year-level sequence consists of two related first-year units in the same discipline (normally taken in semester one and two of the same year).

Major

A major is three years of study in the same discipline. For their major, students must complete at least 48 points including a first-year-level sequence (12 points) AND EITHER 12 points of second-year-level studies and 24 points of third-year-level studies OR 18 points of second-year-level studies and 18 points of third-year-level studies. Students should also check discipline requirements when selecting a major.

Mid-year entry

The majority of HECS places are taken at the commencement of the academic year. Entry into courses is normally at the commencement of the academic year. Mid-year entry into HECS places may be offered at the discretion of the faculty, and students should consult with the faculty office on the relevant campus. International and full-fee places into most courses are usually available for mid-year entry, though students should consult with the relevant faculty office for details.

Minor

A minor is a group of units from the same discipline, totalling 24 points (normally four units taken over two years), including no more than 12 points at first-year level.

Prerequisites and corequisites

A prerequisite is a unit that you must have successfully completed in order to be eligible to enrol in another unit in the same or a related discipline.

A corequisite is a unit which must be studied concurrently with another unit.
As a general rule, you must complete two or more units in the same discipline prior to advancing to the next year level. It is your responsibility to check the individual unit entries in the handbook for the prerequisite and corequisite requirements (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/).
Note that students would normally be required to undertake two first- year sequences before proceeding to second-year units. Part-time students requesting to proceed to a second-year unit without having met this requirement should speak with a faculty course adviser before enrolling.

Specialisation sequence

A specialisation sequence requires the completion of six units (36 points) and is not equivalent to a major.

Time limit on degree completion

If you are completing a single degree and studying full-time, the normal minimum time for completion is three years; if you are studying part-time or by off-campus learning, it will normally take five to six years. The maximum time allowable for the completion of a single degree within the Faculty of Arts is eight years.

Students undertaking summer-semester or accelerated programs must seek permission from the faculty board to complete the degree in less than three years. Applications should be made to the coursework office.
If you are completing a double degree and studying full-time, the normal minimum time for completion is four years, and seven to eight years part-time. The maximum completion time for double degrees is 10 years.

Units

Courses are made up of units, each of which has a value of six points (or multiples thereof).

Workload

A normal year's work for a full-time student for the majority of courses is 48 points (eight units). Students wishing to overload, ie complete units in excess of the normal workload, must seek permission from the Arts faculty office on their home campus. Students are not permitted to overload more than 12 points in any one year. Over-enrolment in first year is not permitted, except for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts Dean's Scholars Program.

The total number of credit points required to complete a single Bachelor of Arts course is 144 points. Students wishing to complete more than 144 points must seek permission from the faculty board (applications should be submitted in writing to the Arts coursework office). Please note that students will not be permitted to undertake more than 156 points in total for a Bachelor of Arts single degree. Similar credit point limits exist for Arts single and double degree courses; students should refer to the Arts coursework office for full details.
Students should be aware that while permission to study part-time is not needed, any enrolment below 18 credit points per semester may result in ineligibility for certain government grants (ie Youth Allowance, Austudy etc). International students are required to study 24 points each semester, except where they are completing their course.

Summer semester

Students should be aware that most summer-semester units are only available on a full-fee basis. The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) does not apply unless the units being studied are offered exclusively during the summer semester. Students who are registered with the university's Disability Liaison Office are exempt from this restriction and may undertake all summer-semester study on a HECS basis.

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