1.1 Overall Rules

1.1.1 An Undergraduate Certificate comprises 60 credit points of units.

1.1.2 An Undergraduate Certificate includes Core Studies (60cp). Optional units or electives are not permitted.

1.1.3 There must be a pathway from an Undergraduate Certificate to a higher qualification at AQF Level 5, 6 and/or 7 with full credit.

1.1.4 Although Undergraduate Certificates are not located in any particular AQF level, they should be regarded typically as an introductory award.

2.1 Overall Rules

2.1.1 An HE Diploma comprises 120 credit points of units.

2.1.2 An HE Diploma includes Core Studies (60cp), a Specialisation (30cp) and Other Studies (30cp).

2.1.3 There must be a pathway from an HE Diploma to a higher qualification at AQF Level 6 and/or 7 with full credit.

2.2 Core Studies

2.2.1 Core Studies comprise at least 60 credit points.

2.2.2 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related specialisation that may be included in the HE Diploma.

2.3 Specialisation

2.3.1 A specialisation comprises 30 credit points of units consisting of a subset of units from a major in the cognate Bachelor degree.

2.3.2 A specialisation must not have any options or choice of units.

2.3.3 Units included in the specialisation cannot also be included in the Core Studies.

2.4 Other Studies

2.4.1 Other Studies comprise 30 credit points of units allowing students to choose elective units.

2.4.2 A short list of recommended elective units will be made available to students.

3.1 Overall Rules

3.1.1 An Associate Degree comprises 240 credit points of units.

3.1.2 An Associate Degree includes Core Studies (60cp), a Specialisation (60cp) and Other Studies (120 cp).

3.1.3 Each degree can contain a maximum of 120 credit points of Level 1 units.

3.2 Core Studies

3.2.1 Core Studies comprise at least 60 credit points.

3.2.3 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related specialisation that may be included in the Associate Degree.

3.3 Specialisation

3.3.1 A specialisation comprises 60 credit points of units consisting of a subset of units from a major in the cognate Bachelor degree.

3.3.2 A specialisation must not have any options or choice of units.

3.3.3 Units included in the specialisation cannot also be included in the Core Studies.

3.4 Other Studies

3.4.1 Other Studies comprise 120 credit points of units allowing students to choose elective units.

3.4.2 A short list of recommended elective units will be made available to students.

3.5 Electives

3.5.1 Elective units are chosen from any undergraduate units across the university. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

3.5.2 Highly specialist units in a specific course of study, such as externally accredited placement or professional practice units, may be precluded as electives for students not enrolled in that course of study.

3.5.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

4.1 Overall Rules

4.1.1 A Bachelor degree comprises 360 credit points.

4.1.2 Each degree includes Core Studies (120 cp), at least one degree-specific Major (120 cp) and Other Studies (120 cp), which may be either a second major, one or more minors or cognate minors or electives.

4.1.3 Each degree can contain a maximum of 150 credit points of Level 1 units.

4.2 Core Studies

4.2.1 Core Studies comprise 120 credit points.

4.2.2 At least 25% of the Core Studies must be introductory units taken in the first year of the degree.

4.2.3 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related major that may be included in the degree.

4.3 Co-Operative Education

4.3.1 Co-Op normally comprises experiential learning opportunities (paid where permitted) to enable students to apply their knowledge in a workplace setting and enhance their employability.

4.3.2 Co-Op is a mandatory component of the Core Studies.

4.3.3 A Co-Op placement normally comprises 60 credit points, typically at Level 2 and/or 3.

4.3.4 The Co-Op placement component must be at least 60 days in total.

4.3.5 Career preparation must be included in the Core Studies to support the Co-Op placement and/or work readiness. This may be included as either a standalone unit or mapped across multiple units.

4.4 Majors

4.4.1 All Majors must comprise 120 credit points of units, including no more than 30 credit points of Level 1 units and at least 45 credit points of Level 3 units.

4.4.2 A major must not have any options or choices of units.

4.4.3 Units included in a major cannot also be included in the core.

4.4.4 No more than two units can be shared across two or more majors in a single course. Where there are shared units across majors, alternative units will be identified for students enrolled in both majors.

4.5 Other Studies

4.5.1 Other studies will normally comprise at least 120 credit points of units allowing students to choose one or more of a second major, minor, cognate minor or elective units.

4.5.2 A short list of recommended second majors, minors, cognate minors and electives will be made available to students.

4.6 Minors

4.6.1 Minors comprise 60cp of units with a maximum of 30 credit points of Level 1 units and a minimum of 15 credit points of Level 3 units.

4.6.2 Minors are normally a subset of a major, though not all majors will have a related minor.

4.6.3 Minors are a coherent set of units that allow a student to develop complementary knowledge and skills to support career outcomes or personal interests.

4.6.4 Units within minors must be drawn from existing core studies or majors. No new units may be created for inclusion in minors. Units will only count towards a single component; for example, a student who is required to take a core unit cannot also count the same unit towards a minor.

4.6.5 Minors must be available to any student from any discipline, and units in the minor must not require any assumed knowledge or prerequisite units not included in the minor.

4.6.6 Minors should identify one additional 15 credit point alternative unit to allow students to undertake an alternative unit if they have already completed one of the units as part of their Core or Major.

4.7 Cognate Minors

4.7.1 Cognate Minors are a coherent set of units that enable a student to develop advanced knowledge and skills in addition to a major to support recognised career outcomes.

4.7.2 Cognate Minors comprise 60 credit points with at least 45 credit points at Level 3 or 4.

4.7.3 Units in a Cognate Minor may require pre-requisite units not included in the Cognate Minor but must be included in the Core or Major of the related degree.

4.7.4 Cognate Minors are normally not available to students outside the specific course for which it was developed.

4.8 Electives

4.8.1 Elective units are chosen from any undergraduate units across the university. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

4.8.2 Highly specialist units in a specific course of study, such as externally accredited placement or professional practice units, may be precluded as electives for students not enrolled in that course of study.

4.8.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

5.1 Overall Rules

5.1.1 An AQF Level 8 Bachelor Honours degree comprises 480 credit points and includes an embedded Honours year.

5.1.2 Each degree includes Core Studies (120 cp), at least one degree-specific Double Major (240 cp) and Other Studies (120 cp), which may be a second major, one or more minors or cognate minors and/or electives.

5.1.3 Each degree can contain a maximum of 150 credit points of Level 1 units.

5.1.4 Course Learning Outcomes must reference ‘research principles and methods’, ‘preparation for research higher degrees’, ‘independent research’ and ‘project work’.

5.1.5 At least one 15 credit point unit or equivalent volume of learning across more than one unit must teach and assess research methods and principles.

5.2 Core Studies

5.2.1 Core Studies comprise 120 credit points.

5.2.2 At least half (50%) of the Core Studies must be introductory units taken in the first year of the degree.

5.2.3 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related major that may be included in the degree.

5.3 Co-Operative Education

5.3.1 Co-Op comprises experiential learning opportunities (paid where permitted) to enable students to apply their knowledge in a workplace setting and enhance their employability.

5.3.2 Co-Op is a mandatory component of the Core Studies. Courses delivered exclusively by partners (onshore or offshore) may replace the Co-Op placement with Other Studies.

5.3.3 A Co-Op placement normally comprises 60 credit points, typically at Level 2 or 3.

5.3.4 The Co-Op placement component must be at least 60 days in total.

5.3.5 Career preparation must be included in the Core Studies to support the Co-Op placement and/or work readiness. This may be included either a standalone unit (15 cp) or mapped across multiple units.

5.4 Double Majors

5.4.1 Double Majors must comprise 240 credit points of units, including no more than 30cp of units at Level 1 and at least 60 credit points of Level 4 units.

5.4.2 A double major must not have any options or choices of units.

5.5 Other Studies

5.5.1 Other studies will normally comprise 120 credit points of units allowing students to choose one or more of a second major, one or more minors or cognate minors and/or elective units.

5.5.2 A short list of recommended second majors, minors, cognate minors and elective units will be made available in the student management system and in the course handbook.

5.6 Minors

5.6.1 Minors comprise 60cp of units with a maximum of 30 credit points of Level 1 units and a minimum of 15 credit points of Level 3 units.

5.6.2 Minors are normally a subset of a major, though not all majors will have a related minor.

5.6.3 Minors are a coherent set of units that allow a student to develop complementary knowledge and skills to support career outcomes or personal interests.

5.6.4 Units within minors must be drawn from existing core studies or majors. No new units may be created for inclusion in minors. Units will only count towards a single component; for example, a student who is required to take a core unit cannot also count the same unit towards a minor.

5.6.5 Minors must be available to any student from any discipline, and units in the minor must not require any assumed knowledge or prerequisite units not included in the minor. 5.6.6 Minors should identify one additional 15 credit point alternative unit to allow students to undertake an alternative unit if they have already completed one of the units in their Core or Major.

5.7 Cognate Minors

5.7.1 Cognate Minors are a coherent set of units that enable a student to develop advanced knowledge and skills in addition to a major to support recognised career outcomes.

5.7.2 Cognate Minors comprise 60 credit points with at least 45 credit points at Level 3 or 4. 5.7.3 Units in a Cognate Minor may require pre-requisite units not included in the Cognate Minor but must be included in the Core or Major of the related degree. 5.7.4 Cognate Minors are normally not available to students outside the specific course for which it was developed.

5.8 Electives

5.8.1 Electives are chosen from any undergraduate units across the university. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

5.8.2 Highly specialist units in a specific course of study, such as externally accredited placement or professional practice units, may be precluded as electives for students not enrolled in that course of study.

5.8.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

6.1 Overall Rules

6.1.1 A one-year Bachelor Honours degree follows an AQF Level 7 Bachelor degree and is offered in a cognate field of education.

6.1.2 A one-year Honours degree comprises 120 credit points.

6.1.3 Courses must include at least one research project or thesis (at least 45cp) that demonstrates knowledge and application of research principles and methods or a combination of creative or practical work and supporting exegesis, where the exegesis constitutes between 30-50% of the work of the research project.

6.1.4 Course Learning Outcomes must contain references to ‘research principles and methods’, ‘preparation for research higher degrees’, ‘independent research’ and ‘project work’.

6.1.5 At least one 15 credit point unit or equivalent volume of learning across more than one unit must teach and assess research methods and principles.

6.1.6 A literature review coursework unit may comprise a maximum of 15 credit points.

7.1 A double degree is an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework academic course leading to the award of two Federation degrees. A testamur is awarded for each of the two degrees completed in the Double Degree.

7.2 Double degrees that combine two AQF Level 7 courses:

7.3 Double degrees that combine an AQF Level 7 Bachelor course with an AQF Level 8 Bachelor Honours course:

7.4 Double degrees that combine two AQF Level 9 Master courses:

7.5 Students enrolled in a double degree will be required to undertake only one Co-Op experience as part of their Core Studies. The remaining Co-Op will be replaced by Other Studies, including a minor or electives.

8.1 Overall Rules

8.1.1 These rules apply only to undergraduate courses that require external accreditation from a professional body in order for graduates to register and practise in that profession.

8.1.2 Professionally accredited degrees comprise either 360 credit points or 480 credit points.

8.1.3 Each degree includes Core Studies and may include at least one degree-specific Major (120 cp) or Double Major (240 cp) and/or Other Studies, which may be either a second major, cognate minor, one or more minors and/or electives.

8.1.4 Each degree can contain a maximum of 150 credit points of Level 1 units.

8.1.5 Where the degree is also an Honours degree,

8.2 Core Studies

8.2.1 Core Studies comprise at least 120cp.

8.2.2 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related major that may be included in the degree.

8.3 Majors / Double Majors

8.3.1 Professionally accredited degrees may include a choice of a major or double major.

8.3.2 Majors normally comprise 120 credit points of units, including no more than 30 credit points of Level 1 units and at least 45 credit points of Level 3 units.

8.3.3 Double Majors comprise 240 credit points of units, including no more than 30 credit points of Level 1 units and at least 60 credit points of Level 4 units.

8.3.4 Units included in a major cannot also be included in the Core Studies.

8.3.5 Majors and double majors must not have any options or choices of units.

8.4 Other Studies

8.4.1 Where included, Other Studies will comprise no more than 120 credit points of units.

8.4.2 A short list of recommended second majors, minors, cognate minors and elective units will be made available in the student management system and in the course handbook.

8.5 Minors

8.5.1 Minors comprise 60cp of units with a maximum of 30 credit points of Level 1 units and a minimum of 15 credit points of Level 3 units.

8.5.2 Minors are normally a subset of a major, though not all majors will have a related minor.

8.5.3 Minors are a coherent set of units that allow a student to develop complementary knowledge and skills to support career outcomes or personal interests.

8.5.4 Units within minors must be drawn from existing core studies or majors. No new units may be created for inclusion in minors. Units will only count towards a single component; for example, a student who is required to take a core unit cannot also count the same unit towards a minor.

8.5.5 Minors must be available to any student from any discipline, and units in the minor must not require any assumed knowledge or prerequisite units not included in the minor.

8.5.6 Minors should identify one additional 15 credit point alternative unit to allow students to undertake an alternative unit if they have already completed one of the units in their Core or Major.

8.6 Cognate Minors

8.6.1 Cognate Minors are a coherent set of units that enable a student to develop advanced knowledge and skills in addition to a major to support recognised career outcomes.

8.6.2 Cognate Minors comprise 60 credit points with at least 45 credit points at Level 3 or 4.

8.6.3 Units in a Cognate Minor may require pre-requisite units not included in the Cognate Minor but must be included in the Core or Major of the related degree.

8.6.4 Cognate Minors are normally not available to students outside the specific course for which it was developed.

8.7 Co-Operative Education

8.7.1 Co-Op normally comprises experiential learning opportunities (paid where permitted) to enable students to apply their knowledge in a workplace setting and enhance their employability.

8.7.2 Co-Op is a mandatory component of the Core Studies.

8.7.3 A Co-Op placement normally comprises 60 credit points, typically at Level 2 and/or 3 but may be higher depending on professional accreditation requirements.

8.7.4 The Co-Op placement must be at least 60 days in total.

8.7.5 Career preparation must be included in the Core Studies to support the Co-Op placement and/or work readiness. This may be included either a standalone unit or mapped across multiple units.

8.8 Electives

8.8.1 Elective units are chosen from any undergraduate units across the university. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

8.8.2 Highly specialist units in a specific course of study, such as externally accredited placement or professional practice units, may be precluded as electives for students not enrolled in that course of study.

8.8.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

9.1 Award Title

9.1.1 The title of the award should normally use an established field of education (e.g. Graduate Certificate in Social Sciences).

9.1.2 The title of the award may not contain specialisations or extension tags, unless required for professional accreditation, external regulatory bodies or specific partnerships.

9.2 Overall Rules

9.2.1 Graduate Certificate courses comprise Foundation Studies (60cp).

9.2.2 No options or electives are permitted.

10.1 Award Title

10.1.1 The title of the award should use an established field of education (e.g. Graduate Diploma of Psychology).

10.1.2 The title of the award may not contain specialisations or extension tags, unless required for professional accreditation, external regulatory bodies or specific partnerships.

10.2 Overall Rules

10.2.1 Graduate Diploma courses comprise Foundation Studies (60cp) and Core Studies (60cp).

10.2.2 No options or electives are permitted.

10.2.3 Graduate Diplomas may include nested Graduate Certificates.

11.1 Award Title

11.1.1 The title of the award should use an established field of education, e.g. Master of Business.

11.1.2 Discipline tags (e.g. Master of Business (Marketing)) must not be used in titles of postgraduate awards, unless specifically required for professional accreditation or to meet local regulatory requirements in the case of offshore deliveries.

11.1.3 The names of specialisations will not appear on the testamur, unless required for professional accreditation, external regulatory bodies or specific partnerships. Specialisations will be noted on the transcript of results.

11.2 Overall Rules

11.2.1 Master by coursework degrees must comply with the AQF guidelines for volume of learning.

11.2.2 An AQF Level 9 Master degree comprises either 120 cp, 180cp or 240cp. A 120cp course is only permitted when designed for students entering with a cognate AQF Level 8 qualification.

11.2.3 A Master degree may include one or more of Foundation Studies (60 cp), Core Studies (60-120 cp) and one or more Specialisations (60 cp).

11.2.4 The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) in Master degrees must contain references to ‘research methods’ and ‘independent research’.

11.2.5 Master degrees must contain the volume of learning of at least the equivalent of 50% of a unit directly relating to teaching and assessment of research methods. This content may be spread over several units however each unit must include a least one assessment task relating to research methods.

11.3 Foundation Studies

11.3.1 A 2-year Master degree includes Foundation Studies (60 cp), which provides an introduction to the discipline for students entering without a cognate Bachelor degree or cognate work experience.

11.4 Core Studies

11.4.1 A Master degree includes a minimum number of credit points of core units according to the overall credit point value of the course:

11.5 Co-Operative Education

11.5.1 Co-Op comprises experiential learning opportunities (paid where permitted) to enable students to apply their knowledge in a workplace setting and enhance their employability.

11.5.2 Co-Op is a mandatory component of the Core Studies.

11.5.3 A Co-Op placement normally comprises 30 credit points, typically at Level 7 or 8.

11.5.4 The Co-Op placement component must be at least 30 days in total.

11.6 Specialisations

11.6.1 Master degrees may contain one or more Specialisations that comprise 60 credit points of cognate units. The term ‘major’ must not be used.

11.6.2 Each specialisation comprises 60 credit points of units, with no Level 6 units and at least 15cp at Level 8.

11.6.3 A specialisation must not have any options or choices of units.

11.6.4 Units included in a specialisation cannot also be included in the Core Studies.

11.7 Electives

11.7.1 Electives are chosen from any units that comprise Core Studies and Specialisations in cognate postgraduate courses. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

11.7.2 Electives should be kept to a minimum and normally should be no more than 60cp.

11.7.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

11.7.4 A short list of recommended elective units will be made available to students.

11.8 Nested Awards

11.8.1 Master degrees will normally have an embedded Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.

11.8.2 A student may only take out one Master award from a nested suite that contains two levels of masters (e.g. a student cannot take out the awards for both a 180 cp Master degree and a 240 cp Master degree).

12.1 Overall Rules

12.1.1 These rules apply only to postgraduate courses that require external accreditation from a professional body in order for graduates to register and practise in that profession.

12.1.2 Professionally accredited awards comprise either 60 credit points (Graduate Certificate), 120 credit points (Graduate Diploma) or 120-240 credit points (Master).

12.1.3 Professionally accredited postgraduate degrees would normally follow the structures outlined in Sections 9, 10 or 11 or may comprise the following if flexibility is required to demonstrate the attainment of professional standards:

12.1.4 No other labels can be applied to course components.

12.1.5 Each degree will contain a maximum of 60 credit points of Level 6 units.

12.2 Core Studies

12.2.1 Core Studies comprise:

12.2.3 Core Studies must comprise common units without any choices or options. For the avoidance of doubt, the Core Studies must be the same for each related specialisation that may be included in the degree.

12.3 Specialisations (Masters only)

12.3.1 Professionally accredited Master degrees may include a choice of one or more specialisations. Where there is no choice of specialisation, the units will be included in the Core Studies.

12.3.2 Each specialisation comprises 60 credit points of units, with no Level 6 units and at least 15cp at Level 8.

12.3.3 A specialisation must not have any options or choices of units.

12.4 Co-Operative Education

12.4.1 Co-Op comprises experiential learning opportunities (paid where permitted) to enable students to apply their knowledge in a workplace setting and enhance their employability.

12.4.2 Co-Op is a mandatory component of the Core Studies.

12.4.3 Co-Op normally comprises 30 credit points, typically at Level 7 or 8.

12.4.4 The Co-Op placement component must be at least 30 days in total.

12.5 Other Studies (Masters only)

12.5.1 Where included, Other Studies will comprise no more than 60 credit points of units.

12.5.2 Electives are chosen from any postgraduates units. Students are responsible for ensuring they meet any pre-requisites.

12.5.3 On rare occasions, additional ‘free-standing’ electives may be proposed, subject to assessment of their financial viability.

12.5.4 A short list of recommended elective units will be made available to students.