Approval and Maintenance of Higher Education Courses Procedure

Policy code: AG1252
Policy owner: Chair, Curriculum Committee
Approval authority: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Engagement and Quality)
Approval date: 08 August 2025
Next review date: 08 August 2028

Purpose
Scope
Legislative Context
Definitions
Deadlines
Actions
1. Creating a new course (includes rebadging an existing course and adding a new badged stream)
2. Amending an existing course
3. Discontinuing or suspending an existing course
4. Creating a new short course
5. Amending an existing short course
6. Discontinuing an existing short course
7. Creating a new unit
8. Amending an existing unit
9. Discontinuing or reactivating a unit
10. Expedited approval process
11. Standard credit points
12. Nomenclature of Sealed Awards (Higher Education)
13. Examples
Responsibilities
Supporting documents
Implementation
Promulgation
Records management

Purpose

This procedure describes the processes used to approve the establishment, amendment and discontinuation of award and non-award courses, units and short courses.

Scope

This procedure applies to the approval, amendment, discontinuation and reactivation of all higher education award courses (including higher degree by research), non-award courses (including enabling and foundation courses), units, and short courses.

Please refer to the VET Program Approval and Maintenance Procedure for development and approval of VET programs and courses.

Legislative Context

Definitions

Term Definition
AB Academic Board
ACPC Academic Course Portfolio Committee, responsible for business decisions related to the higher education course portfolio.
Award course A course of study/research leading to the granting of an official award or qualification of the University that is listed on the University’s Higher Education Current Award Courses register. A course contains subsidiary elements referred to as units.
CC Curriculum Committee
Category A short course A non-credit bearing short course which has no specific relationship to AQF qualifications and need not include assessment.
Category B short course A credit-bearing short course designed at a defined AQF level which includes assessment.
CRICOS Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
Curriculum centre The University’s approved records management system for curriculum records.
Degree with Honours A four-year degree where an honours year is embedded into the course as a fourth year of study. (See ‘Honours course’ for definition of a single-year Honours degree).
Discipline – Generic Refers to the broad area of study, e.g. Arts, Science, Computing or Business.
Discontinued course A course that has been formally discontinued following the process outlined in section 3 of this procedure and removed from the university’s Higher Education Current Award Courses register.
Dual Award A course of study that leads to the awarding of two separate qualifications. Where the course involves an arrangement between two providers (domestic or international) students are enrolled at both providers, and one of the qualifications is typically conferred by each provider. Dual awards are alternatively known as Cotutelle programs for Higher Degrees by Research. Dual awards may also be offered within the university, where they are commonly referred to as double degrees (e.g. Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education) and students are issued with two testamurs. A dual award may involve one AQF level, or two sequential AQF levels.
Double Degree Two coursework degrees - the student is eligible to receive two testamurs, for example, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Computing.
Enabling course A non-award course that prepares and enables domestic students, on completion, to undertake a higher education award course. It does not include a course that, in itself, leads to a higher education or VET award, or that the Minister determines is not an enabling course (HESA Schedule 1 and Ministerial determination). While students may receive credit towards a higher education award course for units undertaken in their enabling course, a course that consists primarily of units that lead to the higher education award that students are preparing to undertake would not be considered an enabling course. Requirements for enabling courses are set out in section 6.7 of the Higher Education Administrative Information for Providers (AIP).
Foundation course A nationally recognised, CRICOS-registered, non-award course that equips international students with the skills for entry into an Australian higher education course. A foundation course provides international students with an academic entry pathway to undergraduate study or its equivalent and must comply with requirements set out in the National Standards for Foundation Programs.
GRS Graduate Research School
Honours course A single year of study (or equivalent), following on from a Bachelor degree, consisting of 120 credit points at fourth year level, combining coursework and research. The research component will be undertaken under the guidance of an appropriately qualified supervisor and may be presented as a thesis or by a combination of creative or practical work and supporting exegesis. Coursework will include training in the principles of research designed to support the research project. (See ‘Degree with Honours’ for definition of a four-year undergraduate degree with Honours embedded as the fourth year of study).
Institute An academic organisational unit including the higher education Institutes, Graduate Research School, and VET and Pathways.
Joint award A single course of study arranged and delivered jointly by two or more providers that leads to the award of a single qualification that is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework AQF and is typically conferred jointly by the providers involved. Joint awards involve close cooperation between the providers in the design of the course of study, curriculum development, course delivery, assessment of learning outcomes and on the requirements for awarding the qualification. Students are issued with a single testamur which states the name of both providers that are awarding the qualification.
Level Defined under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) guidelines and corresponds to the level of study.
New course A course not currently listed on the University’s Higher Education Current Award Courses register.
Non-award course An individual short course, unit, or series of units that does not, in itself, lead to a qualification or award covered by the Australian Qualifications Framework.
PMC Program Management and Completions
Post-nominal The award abbreviation displayed after a person’s name to indicate their educational qualifications.
Proponent The person seeking approval of a course, short course, or unit proposal.
Register of award courses The Higher Education Current Award Courses register lists all sealed awards which can be awarded by the University. The register is maintained by the Senior Manager, Registrar Services.
Short course An overarching description for short education offerings that typically address a particular area of knowledge or skill. Short courses may be credit or non-credit bearing. (See definitions of Category A short course and Category B short course). Short courses are available in a range of formats including workshops and seminars, and delivery modes including online, face-to-face, and/or blended learning.
Specialisation – Badge Specific An appropriate qualifier to the preceding generic term. It is an optional appellation to a broad area of study, which may indicate a specific area of expertise. Such expertise is most likely attained when 50% of the units, which make up the award, are based in this discipline. Guidelines for appropriate badge specific terms are given in sections 12-13 of this document.
Suspended course A course that has paused intake at some or all approved delivery locations.
With Distinction When academic performance is of a very high standard throughout a specified three- or four-year Bachelor degree at AQF7 level, a degree 'with Distinction' (not bracketed) may be granted. A grade point average of 6.5 or greater is required.

Deadlines

As part of the planning process, it is important to factor in the deadlines below before proposing/changing courses and units.

Activity Deadline
Domestic Admissions New/amended courses approved after June may not be included in CourseSearch (previously known as the VTAC guide).
International Admissions Courses are opened for applications 12 months in advance for international students. Therefore, courses to be offered to international students should be approved at least 12 months prior to the commencement date.
Domestic Marketing

Course approvals should align with marketing plans 12 months ahead of the intake year. e.g. A course approved in 2025 will be marketed throughout 2026 (includes appropriate budget allocation) for 2027 intake year.

To be included in the domestic course guide (published & digital) new courses must be approved by September.
International Marketing To be included in the international course guide (published & digital) new courses should be approved by February. This ensures locations, fees, intakes and CRICOS codes are confirmed by April.
Timetabling

Timetabling undertakes a 12-month data collection of the forthcoming year’s timetable between June-August.

  • Course confirmations form the initial basis of data collection. All new/amended courses should be confirmed by June of the year prior to commencement. Course confirmations received after August risk late inclusion for enrolment that opens in mid-October.
Student HQ If amended courses are approved after September, students may be enrolled into incorrect units. Student HQ will be required to review individual study plans and contact students to withdraw and re-enrol into units in the updated structure.

Actions

1. Creating a new course (includes rebadging an existing course and adding a new badged stream)

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Submit initial concept assessment for Executive Dean/Dean/PVC, VET and University Pathways approval Proponent
  1. Develop and submit an initial concept assessment to the Executive Dean of the Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways for approval. Contact the Manager, Curriculum Services to confirm information required in the initial concept assessment.
    • Note: New higher degree by research course proposals should be proposed via GRS.
  2. Unless there are strong reasons for not doing so, proposals for new courses, including rebadged courses and new badged streams should include nested qualifications: Undergraduate Certificates, Diplomas and Associate Degrees for Bachelor degrees and Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas for Masters by coursework courses.
B. Approve or reject the initial concept assessment Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways
  1. Consider and approve or reject the Initial Concept Assessment. If approved, request proponent to liaise with key stakeholders to develop a business case for ACPC consideration. If not approved, the proponent will be advised accordingly.
C. Develop business case for ACPC approval Institute
  1. Develop business case for submission to ACPC. Contact the Manager, Curriculum Services for the relevant form and, for rebadged courses and new badged streams, to confirm information required in the business case. For new courses, the proposal must be informed by consultation with relevant stakeholders including Finance, Marketing, Global, Facilities, and Curriculum Services; feedback received must be included in the relevant sections of the business case. A financial assessment is mandatory; Financial Services may assist with the development of financial data.
D. Submit business case for approval Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways (or nominee)
  1. Submit the business case to ACPC for approval.
E. Approve or reject the business case ACPC
  1. Consider and approve, suggest modifications or further consultation, or reject the business case.
  2. If approved, request Institute to develop a new course object and course rules in curriculum centre for Academic Board approval and notify key stakeholders of the new course under development.
  3. If not approved, the Institute will be advised accordingly including reasons.
F. Develop a new course object and course rules Institute
  1. Create and complete the new course object and course rules in curriculum centre. For rebadged courses and new badged streams, either create a new course object and course rules or copy an existing course record and course rules and select the new course workflow. Enter the new code and title and make other amendments as appropriate.
    • Note: contact Program Management and Completions for a new course code.
  2. Any new units in the new course require creation in curriculum centre as per section 7 of this procedure and must be submitted to the same Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee meeting.
G. Submit the new course object and course rules to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the new course object and course rules to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement.
  2. If the new course is endorsed by Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee, it will be workflowed to Curriculum Committee for endorsement. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If the new course is not endorsed, the proponent will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
H. Submit the new course object and course rules to Curriculum Committee for endorsement Institute/Curriculum Services
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the new course object and course rules to Curriculum Committee for endorsement.
  2. If the new course is endorsed by Curriculum Committee, it will be workflowed to Academic Board for approval. Curriculum Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to Academic Board.
  3. If not endorsed by Curriculum Committee, the Institute will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
I. Submit the new course object and course rules to Academic Board for approval. Executive Officer, Curriculum Committee
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the new course object and course rules to Academic Board for approval.
J. Approve or reject the new course Academic Board
  1. If the new course is approved, the new course object and course rules will be workflowed to PMC for actioning.
  2. If the new course is not approved by Academic Board, the Institute will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
K. Ratify the new course Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Following Academic Board approval, the course will be added to the Higher Education Current Award Courses register and the University approved student management system.
L. Register for delivery to international students (where applicable)

Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways (or nominee)

Step 2 - International Regulatory Services
  1. Complete application for CRICOS registration (as per CRICOS Registration of Higher Education and VET Programs Procedure) and submit to International Regulatory Services.
  2. Submit application for CRICOS registration. When CRICOS approval is confirmed, advise PMC of CRICOS codes so they can be added to the University approved student management system and course record in curriculum centre before the course can be delivered or marketed to international students onshore in Australia.
M. Undertake course implementation processes Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways (or nominee)
  1. Provide information to relevant stakeholders to update marketing material and the University’s website information.

2. Amending an existing course

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Submit business case for approval (where applicable) Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways
  1. When the amendment involves a major change to the course structure (see point C (5) below) or the addition of a new delivery location, including online and partner locations, or opening up a course previously approved for domestic students to international students, ACPC approval of a business case is required. Contact the Manager, Curriculum Services to confirm information required in the business case.
  2. Where a major change to the course structure is proposed, the business case must address progression implications for current students and a proposed timeline for students to complete the old version of the course.
B. Approve or reject the business case (where applicable) ACPC
  1. Consider and approve or reject the business case.
  2. If approved, request Institute to amend the course object and/or course rules in curriculum centre for Curriculum Committee approval.
  3. If not approved, the Institute will be advised accordingly including reasons.
C. Amend the course object and/or course rules Institute
  1. Amend the existing course object and/or course rules in curriculum centre. Where the course rules are amended, the course object should be checked and amended if necessary (e.g. removing references to units that are no longer in the course structure).
  2. If the course amendment includes the addition of new units, all new units must be approved as per section 7 of this procedure.
  3. If the change only involves an adjustment to the teaching semester in which a unit will be delivered, this should be updated in the study plan within the course rules and the ADLT approval workflow selected to enable approval by the Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching (or GRS/VET and Pathways equivalent).
  4. If the change only involves the addition of new location(s), once ACPC approval has been confirmed, the change should be made in the course record and the ADLT approval workflow selected. The date of ACPC business case approval must be provided in the amendment rationale field of the course record in curriculum centre.
  5. If more than 50% of the units in a course are to be changed (defined as 50% amended unit titles and/or codes, or new units substituted), then the item should be treated as a new course (see section 1) and a new course code will be required.
D. Submit the amended course object and/or course rules to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the amended course object and/or course rules to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement.
  2. If the amended course is endorsed, it will be workflowed to Curriculum Committee for approval. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If the amended course is not endorsed, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
E. Submit the amended course object and/or course rules to Curriculum Committee for approval Institute/Curriculum Services
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the amended course object and/or course rules to Curriculum Committee for approval.
  2. If the amended course is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Curriculum Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC.
  3. If not approved by Curriculum Committee, the Institute will be advised of the reasons for rejection and may be invited to revise and resubmit.
F. Update the University approved student management system Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Update the University approved student management system.
G. Amend CRICOS registration (where applicable) Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways (or nominee)
  1. Where the course amendment involves a change to location offering, compulsory work-based training hours, or offering a course to international students that has not been previously CRICOS registered, complete CRICOS amendment to existing course (as per the CRICOS Registration of Higher Education and VET Programs Procedure) and submit to International Regulatory Services.
H. Submit the amended course to Academic Board for noting Executive Officer, Curriculum Committee
  1. Submit to Academic Board for noting.

3. Discontinuing or suspending an existing course

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Propose to suspend or discontinue a course Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways/CLXO/VCST
  1. Submit a business case proposal to suspend or discontinue a course for ACPC approval.
B. Approve or reject the business case ACPC
  1. Approve or reject the business case to suspend or discontinue the course. If not approved, advise the proponent accordingly, including reasons. If approved, notify all relevant stakeholders including the Institute, Curriculum Services, Quality and Accreditation, and Student Administration.
C. Commence suspension or discontinuation planning process Institute
  1. If a decision has been made to suspend a course, either at all or some approved locations, update the status to ‘suspended’ in the relevant offering records in curriculum centre. Where suspension of a course will have potential impacts on continuing students, submit a teach-out plan (see step D below) to the Manager, Strategic Course Quality for approval and notify Student Administration. 
  2. Suspended courses will be reviewed annually by ACPC. Where intakes have been suspended at all locations, after one year the course must either be formally discontinued or reopened for student intake. In some circumstances, the Institute may make a case to ACPC to extend the suspension for one additional year
  3. When a decision is made to discontinue an existing course, a comprehensive teach-out plan must be developed to ensure continuing students can complete within a reasonable timeframe (see step D below).
  4. When a new course is proposed to replace an existing course (including rebadging of an existing course), a teach-out plan must be developed for continuing students in the superseded course and the superseded course discontinued within six months of the new course approval.
D. Develop teach out plan Institute
  1. A comprehensive teach-out plan must be developed to ensure that continuing students in a discontinued course can complete within a reasonable timeframe. Contact Manager, Strategic Course Quality for the teach-out template and guidelines.
  2. Notify Student Administration/partner administration team that the course is formally going into teach out and request that all current student study plans be updated.
  3. Extract data from fdlGrades based on the study plans to determine units to be delivered during the teach-out period and the last term that a student will be able to complete the course (teach-out end date).
  4. The teach-out plan must include provisions for full-time and part-time students (where applicable) and allow for contingencies such as unit failures and leave of absence.
  5. The teach-out plan may include a proposal to transfer students into a mutually agreed alternative course at no disadvantage to the student. 
    • Note: while the teach-out plan can include a plan to transition students to an alternative course, students cannot be required to transition, and the teach-out plan must allow for students to complete the course in which they originally enrolled within a specified period.
  6. The teach-out plan must detail the proposed final teaching period of offering for each required unit, alternative pathways, planned unit substitutions, and support to be provided for affected students.
  7. The teach-out plan must also include a detailed communication strategy to inform students, staff, and stakeholders of the teach-out arrangements.
E. Submit the teach-out plan to Quality and Accreditation for endorsement Institute
  1. Submit the teach-out plan to Manager, Strategic Course Quality for review and endorsement.
F. Endorse teach-out plan Manager, Strategic Course Quality
  1. Review the teach-out plan for consistency and compliance.
  2. The Manager, Strategic Course Quality may request further information to be added to the teach-out plan prior to endorsement.
G. Prepare the course discontinuation in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Find the existing course record and course rules in curriculum centre, select the course discontinuation workflow and complete the discontinuation submission in the Amendment Rationale field.
  2. The proposal to discontinue a course must include a clear rationale and commentary on financial and workload implications. Provide the date when the comprehensive teach-out plan was endorsed by the Manager, Strategic Course Quality and a link to the teach-out plan. The discontinuation proposal must be prepared in consultation with relevant stakeholders including the Institute, Curriculum Services, Student Administration and professional accrediting bodies (where applicable).
H.

Submit the course discontinuation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement

 

 Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the course discontinuation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement.
  2. If the course discontinuation is endorsed, it will be workflowed to Curriculum Committee for approval. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If the course discontinuation is not endorsed, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
I. Submit the course discontinuation to Curriculum Committee for approval Institute/Curriculum Services
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the course discontinuation to Curriculum Committee for approval.
  2. If the course discontinuation is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Curriculum Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC.
  3. If not approved, the Institute will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
J. Submit the course discontinuation to Academic Board for noting and inform key stakeholders Executive Officer, Curriculum Committee
  1. Submit to Academic Board for noting.
  2. Send extract of Curriculum Committee minutes to Quality and Accreditation and Student Administration to notify of approved course discontinuation.
K. Update Higher Education Current Award Courses and Non-Current Award Courses registers Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Move the discontinued course from the Higher Education Current Award Courses register to the Higher Education Non-Current Courses register.
  2. Update the University approved student management system.
L. Notify regulatory bodies

Step 1 - Quality and Accreditation

Step 2 - Quality and Accreditation/Institute

Step 3 - Quality and Accreditation
  1. Submit Material Change notification to TEQSA (where applicable).
  2. Notify professional accrediting bodies (where applicable).
  3. If the course is delivered offshore, a notification should also be sent to any relevant jurisdiction regulatory bodies.
M. Student communication and support Institute/Student Administration
  1. Institute will advise Student Administration of information to be provided to students.
  2. Students must be informed of the discontinuation and teach-out arrangements in a timely manner.
  3. Communication must include options for course completion, alternative courses, available support services and an updated study plan.
  4. Regular updates should be provided to ensure students remain informed throughout the teach-out period.
N. Remove from CRICOS register

Step 1 - Institute

Step 2 - International Regulatory Services
  1. On completion of last student, complete CRICOS Discontinuation form as per the CRICOS Registration of Higher Education and VET Programs Procedure.
  2. Request that CRICOS registration be cancelled for the course as per the CRICOS Registration of Higher Education and VET Programs Procedure.
O. Review course teach-out Institute/Student Administration
  1. Student Administration will review study plans after each relevant teaching period and update as required, ensuring updates are within the approved teach-out plan. Approval of leave and reduction of study load must take into account the teach-out end date. Any issues identified with the teach-out plan will be directed back to the Head of Discipline in the Institute.
  2. Institute will produce an annual report on the progress of the teach-out plan to be submitted to the first Curriculum Committee of the year for noting. The report may identify adjustments required to the teach-out plan.
  3. Changes to the teach-out plan will be forwarded to Quality and Accreditation to be saved in the relevant repository. Changes to the structure of the course during the teach-out period should be submitted to Curriculum Committee as a course amendment.

4. Creating a new short course

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Submit a business case for approval Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways
  1. Submit a business case to ACPC for approval. Contact the Manager, Curriculum Services to confirm information required in the business case.
B. Approve or reject the business case ACPC
  1. Consider and approve or reject the business case.
  2. If approved, request Institute to develop a new short course category A or B object in curriculum centre for Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee approval.
  3. If not approved, the Institute will be advised accordingly including reasons.
C. Complete the short course category A or B object in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Identify or establish a non-award program code and title and a non-award short course code and title. PMC can advise.
  2. Determine the cost structure in consultation with Student Finance.
  3. In curriculum centre, complete the Short Course Category A object for non-credit bearing short courses or Short Course Category B object for credit-bearing short courses.
D. Submit the short course for approval Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the short course object to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval.
  2. If the short course is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC. The short course object must also be listed for noting on the proposal to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
E. Recognising completion Graduation office
  1. Graduation office recognises completion of the short course with a certification of participation or attainment or a digital badge for recording in the student management system.
F. Recording credentials Student HQ
  1. Configure and capture in an approved University student records system.
G. Reviewing short courses Institute
  1. Short courses that provide credit into a Federation Universityaward course must be reviewed as part of the scheduled review of the award course, as detailed in the Review of Established Sealed Award Courses (Higher Education) Procedure.

5. Amending an existing short course

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Amend the short course object in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Open the existing short course object in curriculum centre and complete the amendment.
  2. A change to short course title and/or code must be treated as a new short course. ACPC business case approval is not required.
B. Submit the amended short course to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the amended short course object to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval.
  2. If the amended short course is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC. The amended short course object must also be listed for noting on the proposal to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
  4. Minor short course amendments can be approved by the Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching/Dean GRS (or nominee)/Associate Professor, Pathways and noted by Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee. Minor modifications are limited to spelling, punctuation and grammar corrections and minor edits to the description of the short course and short course content fields, to a maximum of 10% change to the overall short course outline.

6. Discontinuing an existing short course

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Complete the short course discontinuation in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Open the existing short course object in curriculum centre, select amendment, and complete the short course discontinuation.
B. Submit the short course discontinuation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the short course discontinuation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval.
  2. If the short course discontinuation is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC. The discontinued short course object must also be listed for noting on the proposal to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.

7. Creating a new unit

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Create a new unit object Institute
  1. Create a new unit object in curriculum centre including the new unit outline and rationale section. Refer:
    • Guide to completing unit record
    • Guidelines for Unit Outline HE Form
    • Supplementary Guidelines (Learning Outcomes and Assessment)
  2. If a unit code or title is changed, even if there is no change to the unit curriculum, submit as a new unit, and discontinue the current unit if it is no longer required via the workflow detailed in section 9 of this procedure.
B. Submit the new unit object to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the new unit object to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for endorsement.
  2. If the new unit is endorsed, it will be workflowed to Curriculum Committee for approval. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not endorsed, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
  4. If a new unit affects the structure of an existing course, a course rules amendment must also be submitted to Curriculum Committee via the course amendment workflow for approval. (See section 2 of this Procedure).
C. Submit the new unit object to Curriculum Committee for approval Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the new unit object to Curriculum Committee for approval.
  2. If the new unit is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Curriculum Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
D. Update the University approved student management system Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Update the University approved student management system.

8. Amending an existing unit

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Amend the unit object in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Open the existing unit object in curriculum centre and complete the amendment.
  2. If a unit code or title is changed, even if there is no change to the unit curriculum, submit as a new unit, and discontinue the current unit if it is no longer required.
B. Submit the amended unit to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval

Institute

Step 4 - Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching/Dean GRS (or nominee)/Associate Professor, Pathways
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the amended unit object to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval.
  2. If the amended unit is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC. The amended unit object must also be listed for noting on the proposal to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
  4. Minor unit amendments can be approved by the Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching/Dean GRS (or nominee)/Associate Professor, Pathways and noted by Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee. Minor amendments are limited to spelling, punctuation and grammar corrections and minor edits to the description of the unit and unit content fields, to a maximum of 10% change to the overall unit outline.
C. Update the University approved student management system Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Update the University approved student management system.

9. Discontinuing or reactivating a unit

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Complete the unit discontinuation or reactivation in curriculum centre Institute
  1. Open the existing unit object in curriculum centre, select amendment, and complete the unit discontinuation or reactivation.
B. Submit the unit discontinuation or reactivation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval Institute
  1. In curriculum centre, workflow the unit discontinuation or reactivation to Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee for approval.
  2. If the unit discontinuation or reactivation is approved, it will be workflowed to PMC for actioning. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee may require corrections to the documentation prior to progressing the workflow to PMC. The amended unit object must also be listed for noting on the proposal to Curriculum Committee.
  3. If not approved, the proposer will be advised of the reasons for rejection.
C. Update the University approved student management system and Register – Discontinued Units Senior Manager, Registrar Services (or nominee)
  1. Update the University approved student management system.
  2. For a discontinued unit, add to the Register – Discontinued Units.
  3. For a reactivated unit, remove from the Register – Discontinued Units.

10. Expedited approval process

In exceptional circumstances, where an urgent decision is required, the Executive Dean of the Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC VET and University Pathways may consult with the Chair of ACPC about submitting a written request to the Vice-Chancellor to activate the expedited approvals process for a new, amended, or rebadged course or new badged stream. The notification must include:

  • The reason for activating the expedited approval process;
  • Any potential impacts of expedited approval, including accreditation, university portfolios, resourcing, staff and students;
  • Proposed teaching period of commencement of course/introduction of changes.

If approved by the Vice-Chancellor, the Institute must notify the Chairs of Curriculum Committee and Academic Board of their intention to activate the following expedited approvals process:

  1. Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee: endorsement of the new, amended, or rebadged course or new badged stream may be sought via circulatory resolution or out-of-session special meeting. In exceptional circumstances, where an out-of-session meeting or circulatory resolution is unlikely to be quorate (e.g. immediately prior to the end-of-year university shutdown period), the Executive Dean/Dean/PVC, VET and University Pathways may seek Vice-Chancellor approval to endorse the recommendation on behalf of the Board.
  2. Curriculum Committee: the Chair, Curriculum Committee may call an out-of-session special meeting to consider the recommendation. In the case of a course amendment, where the Chair judges the recommendation to be straightforward and the documentation complete, a circulatory resolution may be utilised.
  3. Academic Board: for new courses, rebadged courses and new badged streams the Chair, Academic Board may call for a circulatory resolution or out-of-session special meeting to approve the recommendation. Course amendments that have been approved by Curriculum Committee via the expedited process will be noted at the next scheduled Academic Board meeting.

11. Standard credit points

Variations

Credit points provide an indication of the estimated hours of learning activities necessary that a student achieving an average performance needs to undertake to achieve the objectives of the unit.

A standard system of credit points based on student workload is to be used for all University higher education units as follows:

  1. One (1) credit point is the standard value of approximately ten (10) hours of learning activity directed at achieving the objectives of a unit for a student achieving an average performance. Acceptable variations to the total time commitment are in the range of ± 20%.
  2. Fifteen (15) credit points is the standard value per unit.
  3. A semester coursework workload for an average student is approximately 600 hours.
  4. The credit point value of a unit is constant regardless of the course and year in which the unit is taken.
  5. Sixty (60) credit points is the standard value of one FTE teaching period workload in a course and 120 credit points is the standard value of one year’s FTE workload in a course.

All units will be expected to conform to the standard credit point value including those relating to practical, clinical, practicum, fieldwork, work and teaching experience.

Variations

While most units have a standard credit point value of 15, credit points per unit can range from 5 to 60. In some cases, zero-point units operate for units approved prior to August 2022 for work experience/placements in industry without learning activities at the University. These units were deemed a compulsory prerequisite (eg. hurdle requirements) to undertake a future unit or to receive the award. NOTE: Proposed new units from August 2022 should not be zero-point units. Institutes/Schools should apply for a variation at the proposal stage or through a course review if there is a belief that this policy is unsuitable for a unit or impractical to implement under particular conditions. Reasons for variation must be in the unit and course documentation submitted to Curriculum Committee. The variation applies until the following review when the Institute would need to justify a further variation of these units.

12. Nomenclature of Sealed Awards (Higher Education)

  Activity Responsibility Steps
A. Conventions for naming awards Institute
  1. Use ‘of’ to link the awardlevel to discipline (except Certificates).
  2. Use ‘and’ to link double degrees and dual awards.
  3. Use '/' to separate the two components of a joint degree.
  4. Use a single set of brackets to indicate the badged stream. It should be brief, specific and informative. Capitalise all major words and do not use punctuation within the brackets.
  5. Use 'and' rather than '&'.’
B Conventions for Assigning a Post-Nominal Institute
  1. Use the abbreviations listed in Federation University Post-Nominals Index (XLSX 19.3kb)
  2. Use an unambiguous abbreviation e.g. Engineering abbreviated to Eng and English abbreviated to Engl.
  3. Use a mix of upper and lower case to distinguish the individual words within the award title.
  4. Use brackets to contain the badged stream.
  5. Do not use spaces or full stops in the abbreviation Use “/” to separate the two components of joint degrees. Do not use full stops.

13. Examples

Single Awards
Level   Discipline:
Generic		 Optional Specialisation: badge-specific in brackets Honours – if appropriate Post-Nominal
Certificate III in Plumbing     CertIIIPlumbg
Diploma of Graphic Design     DipGraphDes
Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural)   AdvDipBldDes(Arch)
Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences) (Honours) BA(SocSc)(Hons)
Bachelor of Commerce   (Honours) BCom(Hons)
Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)   BCom(Acc)
Bachelor of Business (Marketing and Information Technology)   BBus(Mkt&IT)
Master of Strength and Conditioning     MStr&Cond
Double Degrees
  Post-Nominal
Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Business BCom/BBus

Responsibilities

  • The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Engagement and Quality) (as the Approval Authority) is responsible for monitoring the implementation, outcomes and scheduled review of this procedure.
  • Chair, Curriculum Committee (as the Document Owner) is responsible for maintaining the content of this procedure as delegated by the Approval Authority.

Supporting documents

Forms

Implementation

The Approval and Maintenance of Higher Education Courses Procedure is to be implemented throughout the University via:

  • 'FedNews' announcement and on the 'Recently Approved Documents' webpage to alert the University-wide community of the approved Procedure;
  • Inclusion on the University's Policy Central website; and/or
  • Distribution of emails to appropriate staff.

Promulgation

The Approval and Maintenance of Higher Education Courses Procedure is to be communicated throughout the University via:

  • An Announcement Notice in 'FedNews', FedEngage and through the University Policy - 'Recently Approved Documents' webpage to alert the University-wide community of the approved Procedure;
  • Inclusion on the University Policy, Procedure and Forms website; and/or
  • Distribution of emails to appropriate staff.

Records management

Title Location Responsible Officer Minimum Retention Period
Master set of curriculum records prepared in curriculum centre and submitted for approval Curriculum centre Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways Permanent

Master set of curriculum records prepared outside curriculum centre and submitted for approval or accreditation including:

  • Initial Concept Assessment and Business Case
  • Supporting documentation
 The University’s approved records management system Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways Permanent

Unapproved curriculum records, draft and working papers prepared outside curriculum centre including:

  • Initial Concept Assessment and Business Case
  • Supporting documentation
 The University’s approved records management system Executive Dean of Institute/Dean of GRS/PVC, VET and University Pathways Destroy 3 years from date of last action
Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee Agenda and Minutes – Master Copy The University’s approved records management system Institute/School Board/TAFE Course Approval Committee Executive Officer Permanent
Curriculum Committee Agenda and Minutes – Master Copy The University’s approved records management system Curriculum Committee Executive Officer Permanent
Academic Board Agenda and Minutes – Master Copy The University’s approved records management system Academic Board Executive Officer Permanent
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Approval and Maintenance of Higher Education Courses 
 Glossary


Policy Glossary

Approval Authority: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Engagement and Quality) Original Issue 26/02/2003
Policy Sponsor: Chair, Curriculum Committee Current Version: 08/08/2025
CRICOS Provider Number 00103D Review Date: 08/08/2028
TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12151 Provider Category: Australian University
RTO Code 4909 Policy Code AG1252