Resolutions of the faculty
Resolutions of the Faculty of Science for coursework awards
These resolutions apply to all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework award courses in the Faculty, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Students enrolled in postgraduate research awards should consult the resolutions for their course. These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2000 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the resolutions for the course of enrolment, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended) and the Academic Board policies on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism.
Part 1: Course enrolment
1 Enrolment restrictions
(1)
Except with the permission of the Dean an undergraduate student may not enrol in units of study with a total value of more than 30 credit points in either semester one or two, 12 credit points in the summer session and 6 credit points in the winter session.
(2)
Except with the permission of the Dean a postgraduate coursework student may not enrol in units of study with a total value of more than 24 credit points in either semester one or two, 12 credit points in the summer session and 6 credit points in the winter session.
(3)
Except with the permission of the Dean, both undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students are prohibited from:
(a)
re-enrolling in a unit of study that they have previously completed within the last 10 calendar years, regardless of whether the unit of study was completed in their current or previous award course; and
(i) that overlaps substantially in content with a unit of study already completed in their current or previous award course within the last 10 calendar years; and/or
2 Time Limits
(1)
A student must complete all the requirements for a bachelor's degree (including combined degrees) or undergraduate advanced diploma within ten calendar years of first enrolment.
(a)
a student must complete all the requirements for a graduate certificate within four consecutive semesters of first enrolment.
(b)
a student must complete all the requirements for a graduate diploma within eight consecutive semesters of first enrolment.
(c)
a student must complete all the requirements for a master's degree within twelve consecutive semesters of first enrolment.
(3)
in undergraduate study periods of suspension, exclusion or lapsed candidature will be added to maximum completion times except that no completion time will exceed 10 years from first enrolment.
(4)
Credit will not be granted for recognised prior learning older than ten years at the time of first enrolment for undergraduate courses or three years for postgraduate coursework.
(5)
If a student is readmitted with credit, the Faculty will determine a reduced time limit for completion of the degree.
3 Credit for previous study
(1)
Unless otherwise stated within the course resolutions, the provisions of the Coursework Rule apply to the granting of credit, except that, in undergraduate courses, all students must complete at least the senior Science units of study required for a major at the University of Sydney.
(2)
The maximum allowable credit granted toward an undergraduate degree is 96 credit points and the maximum allowable credit from a completed degree toward an undergraduate degree is 48 credit points. At the discretion of the Dean, the maximum allowable credit for an undergraduate degree may be varied for credit transfer within the University of Sydney.
(3)
Credit is available in the articulated postgraduate courses for postgraduate study as long as it has been undertaken in these award courses within the previous six semesters. Unless otherwise stated, external credit is not available to students enrolled in postgraduate programs.
4 Course transfer
(1)
Where the course resolutions allow students may apply direct to the Faculty. For all other applications students must apply through either UAC or the International office.
(2)
Providing students satisfy the admission requirements for each stage of an articulated postgraduate coursework program, a student may apply to progress to the award of any of the courses within that sequence. Only the highest award completed will be conferred.
(3)
A student enrolled in a postgraduate coursework masters may, with the approval of the Dean, elect to discontinue study and graduate with the graduate diploma from the embedded sequence provided the requirements of the graduate diploma have been met within the Faculty specified time limits of the Faculty.
(4)
A student enrolled in a postgraduate coursework graduate diploma may, with the approval of the Dean, elect to discontinue study and graduate with the graduate certificate from the embedded sequence provided the requirements of the graduate certificate have been met within the Faculty specified time limits.
(5)
All applications for transfer in a postgraduate coursework program must satisfy the Faculty specified time limits for application and transfer requests
5 Re-enrolment after an absence
0.
Unless otherwise stated within the course resolutions, the provisions of the Coursework Rule apply. A student who plans to re-enrol after a period of suspension must advise the Faculty in writing of their intention by the end of October for first semester of the following year or the end of May for second semester of the same year.
6 Suspension of candidature
(1)
Unless otherwise stated within the course resolutions, the provisions of the Coursework Rule apply to all undergraduate courses.
7 Special permission
Part 2: Unit of study enrolment
8 Details on Units of Study
(1)
A candidate for a course shall proceed by completing units of study as prescribed by the Faculty.
(2)
A unit of study shall consist of such lectures, seminars, tutorial instruction, essays, exercises, practical work, or project work as may be prescribed.
9 Cross institutional study
(1)
Provided the Dean's permission has been obtained in advance, a student may be permitted to complete a unit of study offered by another institution and have that unit credited to the student's course requirements, provided that:
(a)
the unit of study content is not taught in any corresponding unit of study at the University; or
(b)
the student is unable, for good reason, to attend a corresponding unit of study at the University.
(3)
Unless otherwise stated, cross-institutional study is not available to students enrolled in postgraduate programs.
10 International exchange
Part 3: Studying and Assessment
11 Attendance
(1)
Students are expected to attend a minimum of 80% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Dean or the Head of School concerned. The Dean or the Head of School most concerned may determine that a student has failed a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 80%.
(2)
In some units of study, the minimum attendance requirement is greater than 80%. Students should read carefully the degree resolutions and the table of units of study listed under each degree.
(3)
Students are required to be in attendance at the correct time and place of any formal or informal examinations. Non attendance on any grounds insufficient to claim special consideration will result in the forfeiture of marks associated with the assessment. Participation in a minimum number of assessment items may be included in the requirements specified for a unit of study.
12 Late submission policy
(1)
It is expected that, unless an application for special consideration has been approved, students will submit all assessments for a unit of study on the due date specified. If the assessment is completed or submitted within the period of extension, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment.
(2)
If an extension is either not sought, not granted, or is granted but work is submitted after the extended due date, the late submission of assessment may result in an academic penalty.
13 Concessional pass
14 Further examination
Part 4: Progression, Results, and Graduation
15 Satisfactory progress
(2)
In this Faculty a student shall not have made satisfactory progress in any semester if the student:
(a)
fails to complete successfully 50% or more of the credit points in which the student was enrolled for that semester; and /or
(c)
fails to complete successfully any compulsory or barrier unit(s) of study, field or clinical work, practicum, or professional experience; and/or
(d)
is consequently unable to complete the degree within the maximum permitted time while carrying a normal student load.
(4)
A student in an undergraduate course who has not made satisfactory progress in any semester will be placed on the Faculty's Academic Register. Such students will be required to take action as outlined in the University Academic Progression Policy or as otherwise directed by the Faculty.
(5)
Students who fail any unit of study in a postgraduate coursework program will be identified as not meeting academic progression requirements and become subject to the progression provisions of the Coursework Rule. Students who subsequently fail any unit of study will be excluded from the course if they cannot show good cause.
(6)
These conditions for satisfactory progress will apply from 1 October 2010 and cannot be applied retrospectively.
16 Award of the bachelor degree with honours
(2)
have qualified for the award of a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Science or equivalent qualification from another institution; and
(a)
have completed a minimum of 24 credit points of senior units of study relevant to the intended honours course (or equivalent at another institution); and
(ii) a credit average in 48 credit points in relevant intermediate and senior Science units of study as determined by the School concerned; or
(a)
Students must complete the requirements for the honours course full-time over two consecutive semesters. If the School is satisfied that a student is unable to attempt the honours course on a full-time basis and if the Dean so recommends, permission may be granted to undertake honours half-time over four consecutive semesters.
(ii) complete a joint honours course, equivalent to an honours course in a single subject area, in the two subject areas as agreed by the Dean and both Schools. A joint honours course shall comprise such parts of the two honours courses as may be decided by the Dean.
(4)
To qualify for the award of honours, a student must complete 48 credit points of honours undergraduate units of study, as described in Table VI.
|
Description |
Mark Range |
|---|---|
|
Honours Class I |
Mark >= 80 |
|
Honours Class II (Division 1) |
75 <= Mark < 80 |
|
Honours Class II (Division 2) |
70 <= Mark < 75 |
|
Honours Class III |
65 <= Mark < 70 |
|
Honours not awarded |
Mark < 65 |
17 University Medal
0.
A student with an honours mark of 90 or above and a minimum SCIWAM of 80 will be considered for the award of a University medal. The medal is awarded at the discretion of the Faculty to the highest achieving students who in the opinion of the Faculty have an outstanding academic record, in accordance with the Coursework Rule.
18 Weighted Average Mark (WAM) and Science Weighted Average Mark (SCIWAM)
WAM = |
sum(Wc x Mc) | ||
| sum(Wc) |
0.
where Wc is the unit of study credit points, x the unit weighting, and Mc is the mark achieved for the unit. Discontinued - Fail (DF) and Discontinued - Not to count as failure (DNF) grades do not contribute to the WAM. Pass/Fail units also do not contribute to WAM.
(2)
The weight of a unit of study is assigned by the owning faculty. In this Faculty, junior units are weighted one, intermediate units are weighted two and senior units are weighted three.
(4)
A SCIWAM is a Weighted Average Mark used by the Faculty of Science, calculated from the results of all intermediate and senior units of study with a weighting of two for intermediate units and three for senior units. Discontinued - Fail (DF) grades will contribute to the SCIWAM. The mark used for units of study with a grade of DF is zero. Discontinued - Not to count as failure (DNF) grades do not contribute to the SCIWAM. Pass/Fail units do not contribute to the SCIWAM, with the exception of Exchange units.
Part 5: Other
19 Talented Student Program
(1)
The Talented Student Program (TSP) is a special program of study for students of exceptional merit who are enrolled in undergraduate degrees administered by the Faculty of Science or for the Science component of combined degrees.
(2)
Entry to the TSP is by invitation from the Dean. Invitations are made each year, for that year. The following guidelines apply generally, although schools and departments may have additional (and more stringent) requirements for entry to the activities they offer in the program:
(a)
To be considered for the program in their first year, students should ordinarily have an ATAR (or equivalent) of 99.00 or higher and a result in band 6 in at least one HSC science subject area or a mark of 95 or better in HSC Mathematics Extension 2. The Dean may consider slight variations to these requirements where a student has demonstrated exceptional performance in scientific study (eg, at the level of membership of a team which represents Australia in an International Science or Mathematics Olympiad). At the discretion of the Dean, these requirements may be varied on a year-to-year basis.
(b)
To be considered for entry into the program in their second and third years, students should normally have AAMs of 85 or over and a high distinction grade in an appropriate Science subject area. Subsequent entry to TSP is available only to students who have been enrolled full-time in units of study totalling at least 48 credit points.
(3)
Students who feel that they satisfy these criteria, but who have not received an invitation to participate in the TSP that year, should contact the Dean.