University of Sydney Handbooks - 2014 Archive

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Resolutions of the Faculty

 

Resolutions of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning for coursework awards


These resolutions apply to all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework award courses in the Faculty, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Students enrolled in postgraduate research awards should consult the resolutions for their course. These resolutions must be read in conjunction with applicable University By-laws, Rules and policies including (but not limited to) the University of Sydney (Coursework) Rule 2000 (the 'Coursework Rule'), the resolutions for the course of enrolment, the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006 (as amended) and the Academic Board policies on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism.

Part 1: Course enrolment

1 Enrolment restrictions

The Coursework Rule limits the maximum number of credit points students may take in any given semester. The Faculty does not encourage full time students to exceed the recommended enrolment patterns for its courses.

2 Time limits

The Coursework Rule limits the time students may take to complete their course. Part time students should ensure their enrolment pattern allows completion within the maximum time.

3 Suspension, discontinuation and lapse of candidature

The Coursework Rule specifies the conditions for suspending or discontinuing candidature, and return to candidature after these events. The Rule also defines the circumstances when candidature is deemed to have lapsed. Students should pay careful attention to the significant dates in these processes and their effect on results and financial liability.

4 Credit for previous study

(1)
Unless these resolutions or the relevant course resolutions specify otherwise, credit for previous study will be awarded in accordance with the provisions of the Coursework Rule. Credit shall not be granted for units of study gained with Concessional Pass toward any course in the Faculty.
(2)
In postgraduate courses in the Faculty, except the Master of Architecture,
(a)
full credit transfer will be allowed between postgraduate courses or streams in the same embedded sequence;
(b)
credit shall not be granted toward any graduate internship unit; and
(c)
credit limits are defined by the following table.

Award course level

Maximum

credit points

Master’s degrees

18*

Graduate diplomas

18*

Graduate certificates

12**

*Not more than 12 credit points of which can be credited towards the core unit requirements.

**Credit will be granted only for units from the Faculty's table of graduate units of study completed prior to commencement of candidature as non degree study.

Part 2: Unit of study enrolment

5 Undergraduates enrolling in postgraduate units of study

Undergraduate students who have completed at least 96 credit points with a WAM of at least 70 may, with the permission of the unit coordinator concerned, enrol in graduate units of study to count toward elective requirements.

6 Cross institutional study

(1)
The Dean may permit a student to complete a unit of study at another institution and have that unit credited to the student's course requirements, provided that:
(a)
The unit of study content is not taught in any corresponding unit of study at the University; or
(b)
The student is unable, for good reason, to attend a corresponding unit of study at the University.
(2)
Cross institutional study is regarded as another form of credit and will be counted as such when considering eligibility.

7 International Exchange

(1)
The faculty encourages students to participate in international exchange programs.
(2)
The following conditions and limitations apply:
(a)
Candidates for the Bachelor of Design Computing, Bachelor of Design in Architecture and postgraduate coursework master degrees are allowed to participate in international exchange programs.
(b)
For the postgraduate coursework master degrees, duration of exchange program is one semester only and no more than 50% of core requirements of the degree can be taken during the exchange.
(c)
For the Bachelor of Design Computing and Bachelor of Design in Architecture, exchange programs are available after successful completion of at least one year full-time study.
(d)
Exchange programs will not be approved in the last semester of study.
(3)
For more information on international exchanges refer to the International Office.

Part 3: Studying and Assessment

8 Attendance

(1)
Students are required to be in attendance at the correct time and place of any formal or informal examinations. Non attendance on any grounds insufficient to claim special consideration will result in the forfeiture of marks associated with the assessment. Participation in a minimum number of assessment items may be included in the requirements specified for a unit of study.
(2)
Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned. The Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90%.

9 Late submission policy

(1)
It is expected that unless an application for special consideration has been approved, students will submit all assessment for a unit of study on the due date specified. If the assessment is completed or submitted within the period of extension, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment.
(2)
If an extension is either not sought, not granted or is granted but work is submitted after the extended due date, the late submission of assessment will result in an academic penalty as follows:
(a)
For work submitted after the deadline but up to three calendar days late, a penalty of 35 per cent of the total mark awarded for the assignment will apply.
(b)
For work submitted after 3 days and less than one week after the deadline, a penalty of 50 per cent of the total mark awarded for the assignment will apply.
(c)
For work submitted more than one week late but less than two weeks after the deadline, a penalty of 55 per cent of the total mark awarded for the assignment will apply.
(d)
Work submitted more than two weeks after deadline will not be assessed (Fail).

10 Special consideration for illness, injury or misadventure

Special consideration is a process that affords equal opportunity to students who have experienced circumstances that adversely impact their ability to adequately complete an assessment task in a unit of study. The Coursework Rule provides full details of the University policy. The procedures for applying for special consideration are described in each unit of study outline.

11 Concessional pass

In this Faculty the grade PCON (Concessional Pass) is not awarded.

12 Re-assessment

(1)
In this Faculty, an opportunity for re-assessment is offered to students whose final mark for their unit of study is within the range 45-49. Re-assessment will be offered on one date only and it is a student's responsibility to be available to attend on that date. The maximum mark and grade awarded for a unit of study in these circumstances will be 50 Pass.
(2)
Students who have successfully requested special consideration may be allowed to sit the exam or submit the required work at a negotiated date that should not be longer than the period of incapacitation and in any case not longer than 3 months after the original examination or submission date. After this time the student will be considered to have discontinued with permission. Marks will be awarded at full value for re-assessment where special consideration is approved.

Part 4: Progression, Results and Graduation

13 Satisfactory progress

The Faculty will monitor students for satisfactory progress towards the completion of their award course. In addition to the common triggers used to identify students not meeting academic progression requirements (as defined by the Progression requirements of the Coursework Rule), students must pass any unit of study identified in the course resolutions as being critical to progression through the course.

14 Award of the bachelor degree with honours

(1)
To qualify for admission to the honours degree a student must:
(a)
have completed the requirements for the relevant pass degree or be a graduate of no more than 4 years' standing; and
(b)
have a WAM of at least 70 (in exceptional cases the Dean may admit a student with a WAM of 65 or higher); and
(c)
have an approved thesis topic and supervisor.
(2)
To qualify for the award of honours a candidate must successfully complete 48 credit points of honours units of study listed in the table for the degree over two consecutive semesters.
(3)
The grade of honours will be determined by the honours mark achieved. The honours mark will be derived from weighting the mark for the honours thesis at 70 per cent and the WAM of the pass degree at 30 per cent. The WAM used is the University WAM.
(4)
Honours is awarded in the following classes:

Description

Honours Mark Range

Honours Class I

Mark>=80

Honours Class II (Division 1)

75<=Mark<80

Honours Class II (Division 2)

70<=Mark<75

Honours not awarded

Mark<70

(5)
A candidate for the honours program who does not meet the requirements for award of honours shall be awarded the pass degree. A candidate who terminates the program prior to the end of the second semester of study will be awarded a grade of Discontinued - Not to count as failure (DNF).
(6)
Candidates who fail or discontinue the honours program may not re-enrol in it, except with the approval of the Dean.
(7)
A candidate may not graduate with the pass degree while enrolled in the final year honours program.

15 University Medal

Honours candidates with an outstanding academic record throughout the degree and who have achieved Honours Class I may be eligible for the award of a university medal, in accordance with the Coursework Rule and on nomination by the Dean with the recommendation of the Board of Undergraduate Studies.

16 Weighted Average Mark (WAM)

(1)
The University WAM is calculated using the following formula:
 
WAM =
 
sum(Wc x Mc)  
sum(Wc)
Where Wc is the unit of study credit points x the unit weighting and Mc is the mark achieved for the unit. The mark used for units with a grade AF is zero. Pass/ fail units and credited units from other institutions are not counted.
(2)
The weight of a unit of study is assigned by the owning faculty. In this Faculty, junior units are weighted zero and senior and graduate units are weighted one.

Part 5: Other

17 Transitional provisions

(1)
These resolutions apply to students who commenced their candidature after 1 January, 2011 and students who commenced their candidature prior to 1 January, 2011 and who elect to proceed under these resolutions.
(2)
Students who commenced prior to 1 January, 2011 may complete the requirements in accordance with the resolutions in force at the time of their commencement, provided that requirements are completed by 1 January, 2016. The Faculty may specify a later date for completion or specify alternative requirements for completion of candidatures that extend beyond this time.