2010 Course Handbook
Guide to the Undergraduate Handbook
The Handbook of Undergraduate Studies contains the 2010 Macquarie University undergraduate teaching program and is a guide and reference for your studies at Macquarie.
It is your responsibility to read the handbook and to familiarise yourself with the requirements of your degree and Macquarie’s formal administrative procedures.
The handbook should be your first source of information if you have any queries concerning your degree, enrolment or studies.
Quick guide to planning your study
Most aspects of undergraduate courses at Macquarie are governed by the Undergraduate Rules. The University also has policies and procedures which direct the day-to-day implementation of these rules. A brief summary of the areas covered by these policies can be found online at Policy Central.
In this online handbook four navigation menus contain all the components of your degree: Degrees and Diplomas; Majors and Minors; Units; and People and Planet Units.
Step 1: Degrees and Diplomas
This menu lists all available degrees and diplomas as well as the general and specific minimum requirements which you must meet to be eligible to graduate.
They are divided into bachelor degrees, honours degrees, and certificates and diplomas; and listed alphabetically within each category.
There is often more than one combination of units (or study path) which will satisfy the requirements of your degree. For instance some degrees require that you choose one unit from a specified list, or one major from a list of qualifying majors. Depending on the choices you make (and therefore the path your studies take) you may need to complete more credit points than the amount listed at the end of the specific minimum requirements.
The balance of credit points required is the difference between the total credit points required for the degree and the credit points needed to meet the specific minimum requirements. You will need to use this balance to meet some of the general requirements – such as people and planet units – or you may also be able to use this balance for electives.
It is important to track your progress against your degree to make sure you satisfy all requirements. You should recheck your requirements before deciding on any electives, and every time you enrol, discontinue or withdraw from units of study.
Step 2: Majors and Minors
If your degree requires that you complete a major, then check the listing under the Majors and Minors menu – you must make sure that you meet all the requirements for that major as listed here.
Should you wish to complete an additional major, you will need to consult this list to understand the requirements of the second major, and how (and if) you can fit it in with the requirements of your degree.
If your degree does not require that you complete a major, then you cannot qualify for any major within the degree – you should skip straight to the listing of units.
Step 3: Units
Here you can find units sorted alphabetically by code, by their designation, by the faculty to which they belong or by their department. Each list will show the availability of each unit, its prerequisites, corequisites, contact hours and a brief description.
Every unit on offer has been assigned a name and alpha numeric identification code. The code is three or four letters to represent the subject area of the unit; followed by one digit to represent the level of the unit (1 = 100 level, 2 = 200 level, 3= 300 level, 4 = 400 level, 5= 500 level) and two further digits to distinguish the particular unit.
The 'When Offered' entry tells you when a unit is run and will help you to plan your year of study – below are explanations of each of the abbreviations.
| Prefixes | |
| D | indicates Day, classes begin before 6pm |
| E | indicates Evening, classes begin after 6pm |
| NHS2 | indicates that the unit is offered in Northern Hemisphere Study Period 2 |
| Summer Session | indicates Offered in January – February 2009 as part of the Summer School program. |
| TBD | indicates that the offering is to be determined |
| V2 | indicates Vacation study: December 2009 – February 2010 |
| WV | indicates winter vacation session |
| X | indicates External study |
| Xc | indicates Composite mode |
| Suffixes | |
| 1 | Offered in the first half-year |
| 2 | Offered in the second half-year |
| 3 | Offered over the full year |
| On campus sessions | |
| Some units require you to attend an on campus session; voluntary attendance is indicated by (V), field work by (F). | |
Note: this section does not contain the timetable for scheduling of individual classes; that information is available from the timetables website or your eStudent account.
Step 4: People and Planet Units
The People and Planet Units drop-down menu lists all units which have been designated as either a people or planet unit.
People units focus on the challenges of contemporary society and on what it means to be ethical, local and global citizens. Planet units help students to understand the nature of science and the challenges and issues facing the planet, with a particular focus on sustainability.
Consult this list in conjunction with your degree and, if relevant, major. You need to complete a people unit and a planet unit to meet the requirements of your degree. One of these units needs to be a unit offered outside of your department and the other outside of your faculty. Your department is either the department responsible for your qualifying major or, in the case you do not have a qualifying major, the department responsible for your degree.
Remember if you have read through the handbook and are still unsure about your program of study – or simply want to make sure that you have understood all of your options – then please seek academic advice.