How does uni work in Australia? subjects, GPA, semesters, terminology & degree structure

Uni is a bit different to high school, so let's talk about how it works.

We'll cover:
• how subjects work at uni
• how study periods work at uni (semesters, trimesters and summer semesters)
• the flexibility of different types of bachelor degrees
• common terminology (like major, minor, elective, core subject, pre-requisite, co-requisite, and more)
• the grading scale & GPA

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00:00 - intro
00:56 - how do uni subjects work?
02:21 - subject (course) codes
02:56 - prerequisite subjects
03:40 - corequisite/companion subjects
04:11 - excluded/incompatible subjects
04:33 - what are uni subjects called?
05:21 - how is the uni year structured?
05:29 - semesters
05:41 - trimesters
06:24 - summer holidays or summer semester
07:11 - study load requirements for Youth Allowance/Austudy (Centrelink)
08:12 - how is a uni degree structured?
08:38 - degrees that are very structured
10:20 - degrees that are very flexible
10:44 - majors
12:44 - degrees with core subjects and majors
13:24 - minors (available in some degrees, often in place of a second major)
14:04 - electives
14:14 - how is uni marked/graded?
(7 point scale)
15:46 - Grade Point Average (GPA)
16:02 - who cares about your GPA?
17:28 - do you have any questions about uni?
17:57 - wrapping up

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Handy links -

Maintaining the right study load for Centrelink (Youth Allowance & Austudy) -
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/...

How long you'll get paid when you're getting Youth Allowance (called "allowable time") - https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/...

How long you'll get paid when you're getting Austudy (called "allowable time") -
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/...

Most universities use a 7 point scale for grading, so your Grade Point Average (GPA) falls between 1-7.

Here's some more info about this grading scale (from QUT, but this system is similar at most unis) - https://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/C/C_05_02...

A simple GPA calculator (that assumes all of your subjects are worth the same number of units/credits) - https://www.newcastle.edu.au/current-...

Some unis in southern states use Weighted Average Mark (WAM) instead of GPA.

Find out more about WAM here - https://students.unimelb.edu.au/your-...

Eligibility requirements for Australian Government graduate programs - https://www.dfat.gov.au/careers/dfat-...

ANU's university terminology video -    • Explaining university terms  

ACU's "Uni terminology explained" article - https://www.acu.edu.au/study-at-acu/f...

Curtin Uni's "Common uni words" page - https://study.curtin.edu.au/undergrad...
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For more tips, you might want to check out https://careerchamp.com.au/

To book a chat with me, check out https://careerchamp.com.au/careers-co...

You got this! 💪
Tom