I have received an offer from Macquarie and I am interested in studying something related to environmental and/or life sciences….
Each University has different degree rules and uses different terminology. This can be confusing for students and if you are unfamiliar with Macquarie’s procedures, please take a moment to read the following hints and definitions.
You have a responsibility to design your own study program
You will have received an offer for entry to a degree program at Macquarie (for example, a Bachelor of Science) from either the University Admissions Centre (UAC), or directly from Macquarie University or Macquarie International. Before you enrol, it is important that you are aware of your responsibilities at Macquarie in designing your own program of study.
Unless the degree you have been offered is mostly prescribed (for example, the Bachelor of Chiropractic Science), you will be required to design your own program of study. At Macquarie and especially in ELS, students have a lot of flexibility to design their own program of study. This may seem a little daunting at first, however it is one of the benefits of studying with us – after all, it allows you to tailor your program to meet your own needs or interests! Please remember, academic advisors are available by appointment within our departments to guide you through this process. In the first year, it is mandatory for students to seek academic advice before their enrolment day. At any stage of your degree, if you are still confused after reading this explanation and having a look through the handbook, please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
What are you interested in?
At the beginning of your degree it’s important that you take some time to think about your general areas of interest and your ambitions, as well as map out a basic study program. You don’t have to commit yourself to one particular area right away - many students change their area of interest several times before they complete their degree, and it’s a good idea to ensure the study program you map out is reasonably broad and interdisciplinary.
Outlined below are a number of steps intended to guide you in planning your program of study. These steps are complemented by the University Handbook. Although the handbook can be complicated and confusing, it is an essential resource for Macquarie students. It can be purchased from the cashier (Level 1, Lincoln Building) or found on-line at http://handbook.mq.edu.au/ (note there is a link to the handbook on the top navigation bar of every page on the ELS web site if you get lost).
Definitions
Before we go through the steps to designing your program of study, we should clarify a few terms:
“Unit” – A unit is like a subject. Most full time students will study 3 to 4 units per semester. Units have a code (eg. BIOL108) and a name (eg. “Human Biology”). The code indicates the general area of study the unit belongs to (eg. “BIOL” refers to Biological Sciences) and the level of study (any unit commencing with a 1 refers to 100 level, or first year study, any unit commencing with a 2 refers to 200 level or second year study etc). Many units have prerequisites (units that must be completed before progression to another unit). Ensuring that you choose the correct units that may act as prerequisites for future units is an important step in planning your program of study.
“Credit Point” - Units are made up of credit points - usually there are 3 to 4 credit points per unit. The number of credit points per unit indicate how many hours you should spend per week on that unit. As a rule of thumb, you should normally allow 3 hours of study per week per credit point (this includes class contact hours). You will need to acquire a certain amount of credit points from units at different levels to qualify for your degree.
“Program of Study” - Your program of study is the combination of units required to enable you to qualify for the degree for which you are enrolled.
“Coherency” – Students can choose a program of study made up of a coherency or a study pattern. A coherency represents a particular stream of study, and consists of a specific set of units you have to complete at 300 level or higher. It will have to be preceded by other units at 100 level (1st year) and 200 level (2nd year), but these are generally not listed as part of the coherent study – they are either prerequisites for 300-level units or part of the general requirements for your degree. A small number of coherent studies have some prescribed units also listed. The majority of study programs offered by ELS are coherencies, not study patterns. Coherencies are very flexible, allowing you to incorporate the maximum number of elective units into your program of study.
“Study Pattern” - A study pattern is a major, which, unlike a coherency, is a structured sequence of core units. Study patterns are not intended to prescribe every unit that is to be taken in a degree, but unlike coherencies they do include units below 300 level. As with coherent studies, you will need to ensure that you choose any remaining (elective) units so as to satisfy the general degree requirements.
Further definitions can be found in the handbook.
Designing your Program of Study, step by step:
Step 1: Familiarise yourself with your degree’s rules
Each degree has its own set of rules and students must follow these rules in order to qualify for an award. For example, degree rules for the Bachelor of Science state that students must “Obtain an aggregate of at least 68 credit points, including at least 38 credit points in units at 200 level or above, and at least 18 credit points in units at 300 level or above”. Degree Rules can be found in the handbook.
Step 2: Select your area of interest
Designing your program of study starts with identifying your area of interest. Have a look at the listing in the handbook and decide which general area best corresponds with your interests and ambitions.
Step 3: Select a program of study
You will need to select a program of study (in the form of a “study pattern” or a “coherency”) in your area of interest. Your study program could be as simple as:
“Obtain an aggregate of at least 68 credit points, including at least 38 credit points in units at 200 level or above, and at least 18 credit points in units at 300 level or above, which must include the following approved coherent study:
At least 12 credit points from ECON359 or ECON380, GEOS310, GEOS311, GEOS319, GEOS324, GEOS330, GEOS347, GEOS351, GEOS363, GEOS371, GEOS426”
Ensure that the program of study you have selected is available in the degree you have been offered. This is listed on the web based version of the handbook when you view the program of study (under the heading “Degrees”). At the beginning of part 3 of your handbook there is a handy guide to coherencies and study patterns available within the different degree programs.
Step 4: Map out your coherency and prerequisites
Once you have selected your program of study and ensured that it is available within the degree program you have been offered, you can start to map out the units you hope to undertake to complete your degree. Start by listing the 300 level units required by the program of study you have selected. Look each unit up in the Schedule of Units in the handbook or on the web. Read the unit description and list the prerequisites required at 100 and 200 level. You will start to see the structure of your degree and its progression from first year to the final year of study.
Step 5: Consider your elective units
Once you have incorporated the units that satisfy your chosen coherency or study pattern (and their associated prerequisites) into your study program, you will notice that you still have to complete a number of credit points on top of these required units to satisfy the rules of your degree. These credit points can be made up of elective units, which can be chosen from any number of study areas. Have a look at all the ELS units - many of these units are available to students as electives. You don’t have to choose your elective units at the beginning of your degree, however you will need to give some thought to the units you might like to incorporate eventually as you will need to ensure you satisfy prerequisites for these units also.
Step 6: Don’t Panic!
In the long run, the most important thing is to ensure you satisfy the requirements for at least one coherency or study pattern that is available for the degree you have been offered. In first year, it is simply a matter of choosing a broad range of units that correspond in some way to your general area of interest.
Our Departments have “pathways sheets” to guide students through coherencies or study patterns, which are available from the Department offering the study program (see our undergraduate contacts list). These sheets specify useful units for students to take as electives, as well as the required units that make up the coherency and their prerequisites. In first year, it’s important you make an appointment to see an academic advisor from the Department most affiliated with your chosen program to assist you with making decisions about your study program. Academic advisers can be contacted through the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences at the ELS Centre on level one of building E7A (campus map), by phoning +61 2 9850 6000 or by visiting our online undergraduate contacts list.