Academic advisor
A person who advises students on course selection,
careers, and opportunities for postgraduate study.
Academic calendar
Approved dates for semesters, orientation, revision and
examination periods, graduation, breaks and public holidays.
Advanced standing
See
Credit.
Alumni
Whether you studied here for a semester on exchange or
completed a full degree, when you enrol at the University,
you automatically become part of the UQ alumni community.
Australian student
A student who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident,
or a New Zealand citizen.
Bachelor degree
A qualifcation awarded for the frst level of study undertaken
at university, typically requiring three to fve years of study,
depending on the degree studied (see also
Undergraduate
programs
).
Blue Card
An identifcation card issued under the
Commission for
Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000
that you need in order to work with people aged under 18
in Queensland, whether as paid employee or volunteer: you
can apply for one through the UQ School administering
your program. Blue card applicants undergo a complete
national criminal history check.
Campus
The location/s where the program is conducted.
UQ has four main campuses: St Lucia, Ipswich, Gatton, and
Herston. Some programs are taught at other locations, or
across more than one campus.
Census date
The last date to cancel enrolment in a course without
incurring fnancial liability for it, i.e. March 31 for Semester
1, and August 31 for Semester 2. Summer Semester and
Intensive teaching period census dates change each year
depending upon the start date of Summer Semester.
Compulsory courses
Courses that must be studied to complete the requirements
of a program.
Confrmation of Enrolment (CoE)
A CoE is sent to you for when you wish to apply for a
student visa, and is presented at your nearest Australian
embassy, High Commission or Diplomatic Mission.
Course (formerly known as
subject
)
A component of study within a program, similar to a subject
at school.
Credit
1. Students receive credit towards a degree when they
pass a course that is part of the program requirements.
2. Students changing programs (within UQ or from another
university) may apply for credit, a value assigned for
study completed in one program, towards the new
program. See
Credit transfer.
Credit transfer (or transfer credit)
Credit transfer may be granted when students change from
one program to another, if the rules of the new program
allow: check with the faculty administering the new program.
CRICOS code
The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for
Overseas Students (CRICOS) code indicates a registered
program offered to international students studying in
Australia on a student visa.
Deferment
An approved delay (generally one year) to when you start
university.
Diploma
A qualifcation providing skills and knowledge directly relevant
to the workplace, typically requiring two years of study. UQ
also offers concurrent diplomas in which you enrol at the
same time as your major program.
Domestic student
See
Australian student.
Dual program
Two UQ degree programs undertaken at the same time
(sometimes known as dual/parallel/combined/double degrees)
Elective
A course that you may choose from a set of options. Some
UQ programs allow elective courses to be taken from outside
the main focus of the program or from other UQ programs.
Entry scores
All undergraduate students are assigned an entry score to
university based on high-school or other post-secondary
studies: OP for Queensland Year 12s, Interstate Transfer Index
(ITI) for Year 12s from other Australian states, and Rank for all
others. Once you complete the equivalent of one full-time year
of tertiary study (Bachelor level or higher), your OP or ranking is
converted to a rank based on Grade Point Average (see
GPA
).
Exchange from UQ (UQ Abroad)
A program where students enrolled at UQ may be eligible
to study in another country under UQ’s student exchange
program, UQ Abroad.
Exchange to UQ
A program where students at approved overseas universities
study at UQ for a semester or two as part of their home
university degree.
External student
External students study by distance education and do not
have to attend any on-campus classes, although attendance
at residential schools may be required in some cases.
Material is dispatched to students by mail or via the Web.
International students can only study external programs
from offshore.
Faculty
The major organisational unit within UQ, with responsibility
for academic programs. Faculties may have a number of
sub-faculty academic units called Schools.
F/T
Full-time.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
A statistic based on grades received ,weighted by the unit value
of each course completed, indicating how successful you are in
your studies. Results range from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest).
Graduate entry
Indicates options available for some programs, only open
to students who have already completed an undergraduate
degree, or who have a particular grade point average.
Graduation
The formal acknowledgement of completing your program,
marked with a ceremony to present you with your award.
Honours
Some undergraduate programs require an additional year
of advanced or more specialised study for students to be
awarded an honours degree. Other programs calculate
honours based on overall performance in specifc years of
the program.
IELTS
International English Language Testing System.
Intensive
A fexible delivery study mode where you attend on-campus
for one- to two-week periods only.
Internal student
A student who attends classes (lectures, tutorials and
practicals) on-campus during semester.
International student
A student who is not an Australian citizen or permanent
resident, nor a New Zealand citizen, and is enrolled or
proposes to enrol at an institution in Australia. Temporary
residents of Australia are classifed as international students.
Major
An area of specialised study within a program of at least
#12 units, e.g., history in an Arts program, or chemistry in
Science, which may be a formal requirement. Extended
majors and dual majors are when the specialised area
comprises a higher proportion of the degree.
Minor
A feld within a program aproximately half the value of a major.
Overall Position (OP)
A state-wide order of ranking students from 1-25 (1 highest),
based on achievement in Authority subjects studied for the
Queensland Senior Certifcate. The OP shows how well you
have performed compared with all other OP-eligible students
in Queensland.
Placement
A placement course – also called work placement, intern-
ship, industry study, clinical practice, practicum, feldwork,
clinical placement, practical work, teaching practice or
industry experience – is a course requiring you to undertake
a period of practical, work-related experience, usually at an
organisation external to the University. A placement course is
generally designed to enable you to practise the skills of the
profession in a real-life setting.
Postgraduate programs
Programs studied after graduating from an undergraduate
degree, including graduate certifcates and diplomas,
masters, and doctorates.
Prerequisites (for entry into a program)
Courses that you must have previously passed in order
to enrol in a particular course, providing you with the
appropriate foundation knowledge.
Professional memberships
Professional organisations, associations, institutes, and
societies which a student or a graduate of a particular
program may become qualifed to join.
Program (formerly known as
course
)
A sequence of study leading to the award of a qualifcation
such as a bachelor degree, graduate diploma, or certifcate.
Program code
A unique identifying number assigned by the University to
a program.
Program duration
See
Workloads.
P/T
Part-time.
QTAC
Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre: the central admissions
body for most Queensland undergraduate programs.
Quota
Some programs have limited places available.
Rank
Entry ranks ranging from 1-99 (99 highest) allocated to
university applicants who are not current Year 12 students
in Queensland (OP eligible). Rank is usually determined by
academic results in the highest level of study completed.
Residential schools
Residential schools give distance education students the
opportunity to attend tutorials or practical sessions on
campus: attendance may be compulsory or non-compulsory
depending on the course.
Scholarship
A sum of money or other aid granted to a student, based on
merit or need, to help you pursue your studies.
School
The core, sub-faculty academic unit, responsible for teaching,
research and interaction with professional organisations.
Course coordinators and lecturers generally work in Schools.
Semester
The University teaching year is divided into three semesters:
Semester 1, Semester 2, and Summer Semester. Most
programs only require you to be enrolled in Semesters 1 and
2 each year.
Study Abroad
A program where students enrolled at an overseas
university study at UQ for one or two semesters as part of
their home university degree.
Undergraduate programs
Usually refers to frst-time university programs including
diplomas and bachelors degrees.
Unit
Units (#) represent the value of individual courses that
contribute to the total unit requirement of an academic
program. A standard study load is eight units per semester.
Workloads/visa duration
International students must complete their studies within the
duration of the program (student visa duration). To achieve
this, the University strongly recommends that you undertake
a load of #8 units (typically four courses) each semester..
UQ terminology
Educational Representative’s stamp/sticker
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