Related links
HDR units of study
- HDR units of study
- How to enrol in HDR units
- When to enrol in HDR units
- Progression and evidence requirements
How to enrol in HDR units
As of 2024, the mandatory requirement for students to enrol in units of study has been removed for higher degree by research students. Some Faculties and University Schools will continue to have mandatory coursework requirements so make sure you check if you have to enrol in coursework units for your course.
For students enrolling or re-enrolling in 2024, you will be prompted by Sydney Student to select units of study. Please note that you are not required to complete this step and it can be skipped to finalise your enrolment. If your Faculty or School has retained a mandatory unit of study enrolment, or if you choose to enrol in a unit of study, this can be done through Sydney Student after your enrolment in 2024 is complete.
If you choose to enrol in units of study, the instructions are outlined below.
Students who commence from 2021
If you commence your degree from 2021 onwards, you’ll generally be able to enrol yourself directly into Table R units by logging in Sydney Student. Go to ‘My studies’, ‘Units of study’ then ‘Change your units of study’.
The Table R collection is shown on the left of the screen. Select ‘View’ to see the units available, and then ‘Add’ to choose a unit.
After you’ve chosen your units, select ‘Continue’ at the bottom of the screen. You’ll then be asked to ‘Confirm’ your pending units. This completes enrolment in your units.
In some circumstances, before you complete can your enrolment, you'll be prompted to apply for:
- departmental permission - this is for units listed in your Handbook and/or the unit of study selection screen as ‘Departmental permission is required for this unit’
- an enrolment exception request - if you choose more credit points than the minimum required by your Handbook.
If you wish to enrol in a unit of study that doesn't appear in your unit of study selection screen, you'll need to apply for special permission.
Some units state ‘Departmental permission is required for this unit’ alongside the unit’s name in Sydney Student and/or in your Handbook.
After you've selected and confirmed your units, you'll be promoted to create a request for any unit that requires departmental permission.
Once your request has been assessed, we will email you with the outcome. If your application is approved, you'll automatically be enrolled in the unit of study you requested.
If you have also submitted any enrolment exception requests, you won’t be prompted to complete your departmental permission applications until after you’ve received outcomes for your enrolment exception requests.
During unit of study selection, if you receive a pop-up message stating ‘Maximum number of credit points reached’ it means you've chosen more than the minimum number of Table R units required by your degree.
Generally, you should not exceed your coursework requirement and you'll need to remove a unit of study. However, if you believe you are eligible, you can submit an enrolment exception request.
If you do submit a request, your enrolment will be pending. You will not be able to complete enrolment, or vary your units of study until your request has been processed. Before you submit a request you need to make sure you will still meet your coursework enrolment deadlines.
You'll need to apply for special permission to enrol in a unit if it's not available in your unit of study selection screen.
You need to be aware of the coursework unit of study deadlines to enrol in, or remove units of study. For more information read about Academic calendars for coursework and research activity. It can take up to 10 business days for an application to be processed. We recommend you submit your application at least a week before the last day to add coursework deadline to ensure it can be processed before this date.
How to apply
Log in to Sydney Student, go to 'My studies', 'Research details', 'Apply for special permission in course', then ‘Continue’.
You’ll need to:
- enter the unit code
- select the occurrence (Semester 1, Semester 2 etc)
- indicate why you’re applying for special permission.
Select ‘Continue’, tick the check-box to indicate that you have read, understood and agreed to the conditions, then select ‘Confirm’.
Once your request has been assessed, we will email you with the outcome. If your application is approved, you'll automatically be enrolled in the unit of study you requested.
Arts and social sciences
Language units
Before enrolling in a language unit, you'll need to contact the unit of study coordinator to determine the appropriate level of language study.
Business
Coursework requirements, including training in research methodology, are provided to students during induction and via the HDR Hub.
Engineering and computer science
You should look at CUSP, the handbook for the year you commenced your degree, and the unit of study selection screen in Sydney Student to view details of your course and units of study offered. If you have received written approval from your program director to enrol in the requested unit of study, upload this correspondence to your special permission application to assist with the processing of your application.
Science
If you have received written approval from your unit of study or degree coordinator to enrol into a unit of study, upload this approval with your application. Approval from your unit of study/degree coordinator does not guarantee enrolment into a unit.
What happens next
After you submit your application it may need to be assessed by your faculty or school. It can take up to 10 business days for your application to be processed, however, during busy periods it may take longer. We will email you if any additional supporting documents are required. Your application won't be assessed until you have provided the required documents.
You can view the status of your application or cancel your request in Sydney Student (go to ‘My requests’).
We will email you with the outcome of your application. If your application is approved, you'll automatically be enrolled in the unit of study you requested.
If your application is unsuccessful, we will provide reasons for this decision.
Students who commenced before 2021
If you commenced your degree before 2021 and want to enrol in units, you'll need to apply for special permission.
You need to be aware of the coursework unit of study deadlines to enrol in, or remove units of study. For more information read about Academic calendars for coursework and research activity. It can take up to 10 business days for an application to be processed. We recommend you submit your application at least a week before the last day to add coursework deadline to ensure it can be processed before this date.
How to apply
Log in to Sydney Student, go to 'My studies', 'Research details', 'Apply for special permission in course', then ‘Continue’.
You’ll need to:
- enter the unit code
- select the occurrence (Semester 1, Semester 2 etc)
- indicate why you’re applying for special permission.
Select ‘Continue’, tick the check-box to indicate that you have read, understood and agreed to the conditions, then select ‘Confirm’.
Once your request has been assessed, we will email you with the outcome. If your application is approved, you'll automatically be enrolled in the unit of study you requested.
Language units
Before enrolling in a language unit, you'll need to contact the unit of study coordinator to determine the appropriate level of language study.
Coursework requirements, including training in research methodology, are provided to students during induction and via the HDR Hub.
You should look at CUSP, the handbook for the year you commenced your degree, and the unit of study selection screen in Sydney Student to view details of your course and units of study offered. If you have received written approval from your program director to enrol in the requested unit of study, upload this correspondence to your special permission application to assist with the processing of your application.
If you have received written approval from your unit of study or degree coordinator to enrol into a unit of study, upload this approval with your application. Approval from your unit of study/degree coordinator does not guarantee enrolment into a unit.
What happens next
After you submit your application it may need to be assessed by your faculty or school. It can take up to 10 business days for your application to be processed, however, during busy periods it may take longer. We will email you if any additional supporting documents are required. Your application won't be assessed until you have provided the required documents.
You can view the status of your application or cancel your request in Sydney Student (go to ‘My requests’).
We will email you with the outcome of your application. If your application is approved, you'll automatically be enrolled in the unit of study you requested.
If your application is unsuccessful, we will provide reasons for this decision.
Last updated: 14 December 2023
