Rules Governing Undergraduate Academic Awards

Document Number	000311
Date Approved	2 May 2007
Date Last Amended	12 August 2009

 

1.      Application of Rules

These Rules shall apply to the undergraduate programs leading to awards of the University.  Protocols relating to Summer Terms should be read in conjunction with these Rules.

2.      Definitions/Interpretation

In these Rules, unless the context or subject matter otherwise indicates or requires:

assumed knowledge means the knowledge base upon which a course builds and which is deemed necessary at the commencement of that course to succeed in that course;

award means the undergraduate qualification for which a student is enrolled;

census date means the date in each term on which a student enrolled in a course is deemed to be financially liable for the  course;

Combined Degree Program means a program of study approved by the Academic Senate on the recommendation of the Pro Vice-Chancellor(s) concerned, in which core elements of two degree programs are undertaken concurrently;

course means a unit of study for which a result or grade may be recorded, either undertaken at the University or equivalent at another institution;

Course Availability List (CAL) means the list of courses approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellors of the Faculties, and in some cases by the President of Academic Senate, for offer in a particular term;

degree means a program of courses approved by the Academic Senate leading to one of the awards of the University called a Bachelor’s Degree;

diploma means a program of courses approved by the Academic Senate Leading to one of the awards of the University called a Diploma;

Double Degree means a double bachelors’ degree program which is offered to satisfy professional requirements. It has a discipline based component and is a fully integrated program with the core courses being taken in a particular sequence;

Faculty means the Faculty responsible for the program;

Final Year courses means the final 80 units of highest level courses in a program according to the requirements for completion set out in the program information on the University web site, a minimum of 60 of which must be undertaken at the 3000/4000 level and generally undertaken in the last terms of study (full time or part time).

Head of School means a person (or his/her nominee) approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor to undertake the responsibilities of academic leader and manager of  the School  offering the course;

Honours Program means a degree program offered in the form of an additional year of study (or equivalent) following the completion of a bachelor's program;

in writing means using a form, a web-based document, or an email, fax or other electronic document capable of being converted to hardcopy;

level is indicated by the first number in the numeric component of the course code and generally, if a student is studying at the full-time rate, implies the year (eg first, second or third etc) in which the course might normally be taken; where a course is not uniquely related to a particular year within a program structure, the relevant Faculty will assign a level to the course;

placement means a clinical practicum, internship, or any other like form of professional or vocational experience included in a course;

prescribed date means the day set by the University in each term for each course as the last date for withdrawal from that course without academic penalty;

Pro Vice-Chancellor means the Pro Vice-Chancellor of a Faculty;

program means a program of study approved by the Academic Senate that leads to an award of the University;

Program Availability List (PAL) means the list of programs approved by the Academic Senate for offer in a particular year;

schedule means the formal addendum  to these Rules prescribing the provisions for meeting the requirements of a particular award;

School means the School responsible for offering a particular course;

term means a period of time for the delivery of a course in which students enrol and for which they are charged fees; this could be a semester, trimester, summer term etc; and

unit refers to the proportional amount of academic credit allotted to a course and is used to:

       (a)        define the requirements for an award of the University;

       (b)        indicate a student's enrolment load.

3.      Courses

              i.        For the purposes of a program, a course will be classified at a level determined by the Pro Vice-Chancellor.

             ii.        The  Faculty Board will allot each course a unit value of 10, 20, 30 or 40  units.

            iii.        Except in exceptional circumstances, the CAL for the University, and specific programs, will be finalised before the commencement of the re-enrolment process in any year. The President of Academic Senate has delegated authority to approve changes to the CAL which are proposed after the commencement of the re-enrolment period.

            iv.        Where there is any change in the CAL, the Faculty Board must make all reasonable provision for an alternative arrangement that must not disadvantage students in terms of completion times.

             v.        To complete a course successfully, a student must satisfy all published requirements approved for the course by the Faculty Board.

 

4.      Programs

              i.        Any changes to the PAL made after August each year must be approved by the Academic Senate or its nominee.

             ii.        Where there is any change in the PAL, the Faculty Board of the relevant Faculty must make all reasonable provision to permit students already enrolled to complete the award or one deemed equivalent by the Faculty Board. Such alternative arrangements must not disadvantage students in terms of completion time.

 

5.      Enrolment

              i.        A student who undertakes courses with a load of 30 units or greater in a term is deemed by the University¹ to be a full-time student. A student who undertakes courses with a load of under 30 units in a term is deemed a part-time student.

             ii.        Unless otherwise approved by Academic Senate, the maximum full time load imposed by a program, and the standard full-time load, shall be 40 units in any term other than a Summer Term.

            iii.        A student may choose to take up to 50 units a term (other than a Summer Term) without approval unless they are bound by the provisions of the Procedure for Review of Progress.

            iv.        A student who wishes to undertake more than 50 units in any term or more than 10 units in a Summer Term must obtain permission from the Pro Vice-Chancellor or nominee.

             v.        A student must only enrol in courses that conform with the requirements of their program as prescribed by Academic Senate.

            vi.        Students undertaking a multi-sequence course must complete all the elements or parts in the sequence in sequential sessions i.e. in consecutive terms; study of the second part may not be deferred till a later term.

           vii.        A student may only enrol in a postgraduate course as part of their undergraduate program in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the President of Academic Senate under delegated authority. When approval is granted the normal undergraduate course fee for the subject area of the course in which the student is enrolling, will apply.

          viii.        A student will not be permitted to gain credit for any course that is substantially equivalent to one that the student has previously counted towards the same award.

 

6.      Assumed Knowledge

              i.        For progression purposes, a Faculty Board may prescribe assumed knowledge for any course.

             ii.        Ignorance of the assumed knowledge requirements for a course cannot be the basis of an application to address adverse circumstances affecting an assessment item or of an appeal against a final result in a course.

            iii.        Only eligible students may enrol in and gain credit for any course that has a course requisite attached to it by Academic Senate.

 

7.      Credit

          i.            In accordance with Rules and Policies approved by Academic Senate and any Guidelines approved by Faculty Board, the decision to award credit to an individual application will be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty which offers the program in which credit is sought on the recommendation of the Program Convenor and/or Course Co-ordinator.

         ii.            Credit granted will not exceed:

a.     50 units for an 80 unit undergraduate diploma;

b.    160 units for a 240 unit undergraduate degree;

c.     210 units for a 320 unit undergraduate degree;

d.    260 units for a 400 unit undergraduate degree.

        iii.            Credit may be awarded at the discretion of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for studies undertaken at the University of Newcastle not already counted towards a completed award.

       iv.            All students who are awarded credit must complete more than 50% of their final year courses at the University.

        v.            Faculties have the right to determine the currency of courses for which a student is seeking credit.  Credit will not normally be granted for courses undertaken outside the time limits set in Clause 15.

       vi.            Credit may be awarded for cross-institutional enrolment subject to the requirements set out in the Credit and Articulation Policy and the Credit and Articulation Procedure.

      vii.            Credit is not available for 80 unit separate Honours programs.

8.      Withdrawal from Course(s)

              i.        A student may give notice in writing to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Services) of withdrawal from a course, on or before the prescribed date. The withdrawal shall take effect from the date of receipt by the University of such notice.

             ii.        A student who withdraws from a course after the prescribed date for the course will incur an academic penalty.   

            iii.        A student who withdraws from a course after the census date for the term will incur financial liability for the course.

            iv.        In courses which contain a placement the Head of School may set a date, different from the University's prescribed date for that term, after which permission of the Head of School is required for a student to withdraw from the course without incurring an academic penalty. That date and its significance must be clearly specified in the Course Outline for the course. 

 

9.      Late Enrolment in a Course

              i.        A student may not enrol in a course after the end of the second week of a term.

             ii.        In exceptional circumstances, a student may apply in writing to the Course Coordinator for permission to enrol in a course after the end of the second week of the commencement of a term, but before the census date for that term.

 

10.      Leave of Absence

              i.        A student may give notice in writing to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Services) of the intention to suspend studies, and at the same time seek Leave of Absence from the program of up to one calendar year no later than the census date of the first teaching period for which leave is being sought.

             ii.        Leave of Absence shall not normally be granted to students who have not completed the requirements for at least ten units of study in their program.

            iii.        With the permission of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, the student may take leave of absence for two consecutive calendar years from the program.

            iv.        For international students studying in Australia on a student visa, leave of absence will be granted only by the Pro Vice-Chancellor for a period of up to two years on the basis of compassionate or other compelling grounds.

             v.        Notwithstanding 10 (1) to (3) above, students in Honours programs require the approval of the Pro Vice-Chancellor to take Leave of Absence. The maximum period of leave permitted is  one calendar year.

            vi.        Failure to enrol as directed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Services) following a Leave of Absence will result in enrolment in the program being cancelled.

 

11.      Re-admission

A person who is absent without approved leave from a program may apply for re-admission to the program through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC Pty Ltd) or where appropriate, by direct application. If successful, the applicant will be re-admitted to the same or an equivalent program under such terms and conditions as the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty or Faculty Board will determine, and with due regard to the maximum time allowed for obtaining the units required to qualify for the award, as set out in Clause 15.

 

12.      Qualification for the Award

To qualify for the award a candidate must successfully complete the program approved by the Academic Senate and prescribed in the Schedule.

 

13.      Combined Degree Programs

              i.        Upon completion of the requirements for each program in a combined degree program, the University awards the appropriate degree. The awards are not necessarily made simultaneously.

             ii.        The load limits imposed under clause 5 of these Rules shall apply in Combined Degree programs.

            iii.        Unless otherwise prohibited, a student may apply to transfer from a combined degree program to one of the component degree programs.

            iv.        Unless otherwise prohibited, a student, having satisfied the requirements of one of the component degree programs, may graduate with that degree award and discontinue the other component degree program.

 

14.      Double Degree Program

              i.        The load limits imposed under clause 5 of these Rules shall apply in Double Degree programs. The requirements for each of the program components must be satisfied before the single award is conferred.

             ii.        A student wishing to change from the double degree to another program must apply through the Universities Admissions Centre, or where appropriate, by direct application.

 

15.      Maximum Time for Obtaining an Award

               i.        The maximum time for obtaining the units required to qualify for an award for a student enrolled throughout the program in a full-time load shall (except where indicated in schedules) be:

                             Program                                        Full Time

              Undergraduate degree or diploma

                up to and including 240 units                    10 years             

              Undergraduate degree of 320 units            12 years                               

              Undergraduate degree of 400 units            14 years

              Honours                                                        3 years

              ii.        The period refers to elapsed calendar years from admission, and is inclusive of periods of leave of absence, exclusion or suspension from either the program or the University.

             iii.        On application from a student, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty may grant an extension of time to complete the program, provided that the period of extension is specified in each case, and the student has an expectation of completing the requirement for the award within a reasonable period.

 

16.      Relaxing Provision

To provide for exceptional circumstances arising in any particular case, the   Academic Senate on the recommendation of the Pro Vice-Chancellor may relax any provision of these Rules.

¹ Note: other authorities may specify another minimum for full-time study – this is the University’s requirements.

 

Approval Authority	Council
Date Approved	2 May 2007
Date Last Amended	12 August 2009
Date for Review	12 August 2012
Policy Sponsor	President of Academic Senate
Policy Owner	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Global Relations)
Policy Contact	Deputy Academic Registrar, Governance and Academic Administration
Amendment History	Amended by Academic Senate 12 August 2009 (09:094) to include: definition of diploma; addition of Clause 7(2)a; use of undergraduate degree rather than program in clauses 7(2)b, c and d. Amended by Academic Senate 12 August 2009 (09:088): change to definition of course; addition of definition of Final Year courses; changes to all points in Clause 7 including amount of credit granted; addition of phrase in Clause 14 (2). (Senate amendments made on behalf of Council under delegation CTL10) Rule 9 amendment re late enrolment approved by Academic Senate August 2008 Rule 5 amendment to include Clause (6) re mult-term sequence courses, approved by Academic Senate August 2008. Rule 8 (4) amended Academic Senate 20 February 2008 Amended January 2008 to align with changed Faculty governance provisions Rules amended in Clause 5 (6) and 10 on 2 May 2007 Revised Rules Governing Undergraduate Academic Awards approved by Council 20 December 2004. Rules previously amended, 17 December 2004, 3 September 2004, 9 December 2002, 22 February 2002, 9 March 2001, 9 March 2001, 3 March 2000, 29 April 1999, 5 December 1997, 31 October 1997, 7 February 1997, 19 September 1995, 27 April 1995, 15 October 1993, 6 October 1992 Rule Approved by Legislative Council under delegated authority: 25 October 1991.