Advice on unit of Study Choice in 2012 for First Year Students: BCST, BCST(Adv) or BIT Degrees

This advice applies to students who enrolled in BCST, BCST(Adv) or BIT degrees in 2013. If you enrolled in an earlier year, the degree rules that apply to you are different, and you should seek individual advice. If you are in a different degree, you should seek guidance from the advisor responsible for that degree.

Overview
At the start of the year, students enrol in units of study for both semesters. The normal load is 24 credit points per semester; a student must enrol in at least 18 credit points per semester to be regarded as “full-time” for youth allowance, scholarship and visa requirements. You choose subjects for the whole year when you enrol, but these choices can be changed later. Here are the important dates to note:

• Last day to add a unit of study: 15 March 2013 (Friday)
• Last day to withdraw a unit of study (without penalty): 31 March 2013 (Sunday)

All students in the BCST, BCST(Adv), and BIT must enrol in:

• The degree has two streams, Computer Science and Information Systems. A student has to specialize in one of them or both. There is no difference in subjects chosen in Year 1.
• Four compulsory (called “core”) first-year units: INFO1103, INFO1105 (or equivalent units such as advanced versions), ENGG1805 and ELEC1601.
• 12 credit points of first-year (Junior) Mathematics - there is a wide choice for this, depending on the level of the student’s mathematical background (see below).
• The remaining space in the year can be used for “free elective” study of subjects chosen from Science, Arts, Engineering and IT, or Economics and Business.
  - You are recommended to choose one of INFO1003 or INFO1903 (Adv) as your elective which is a useful foundation in IT.

Here is a diagram of the typical enrolment pattern (each cell represents 6 credit points). However some students choose to re-arrange some of these choices (a few subjects like INFO1103 and INFO1003 are available in either semester, though each student can only complete a subject once).

Electives Suggestions

Below we show several common combinations of unit of study choice, which are especially suited for students with particular interests or those in particular situations. According to the Faculty resolutions, students are generally not allowed students to do.

Other IT-related uos in the elective space

If a student wants to study IT-related uos as the electives, he/she can choose:

Mid-year entry students

Students who enrol in July choose units of study for Semester 2 only (their first semester at the university). Below is a suggested Semester 2 enrolment:

Then in the following year, students will mix first-year and second-year units as shown here.

Notes on Mathematics unit of study choice

Students should complete 6 credit points of Mathematics each semester during their first year. There are a wide variety of alternative units of study offered, suited to different levels of previous experience:

• “Fundamental” units (MATH101x) assume a background equivalent to HSC
  Mathematics;
• “Normal” units assume HSC Mathematics Extension 1; and
• “Advanced” units assume HSC Mathematics Extension 2.

Many (but not all) of the first year-level units are worth 3 credit points each, so the usual pattern is to enrol in TWO Maths units per semester, each worth 3 credit points.

More information can be found on the School of Mathematics and Statistics website

The School does not limit which category of junior maths taken by a student. A student can do either the Fundamental or Normal or Advanced level; it all depends on a student’s background.

List of potential free electives

See the Faculty Handbooks for Arts, Science, and Economics and Business here.