Glossary of Important Terms for Arts Undergraduate Students
The following definitions will help you to understand how an Arts course, major and minor works and should be adhered to by all Arts students.
Area of study
A discipline, e.g. Anthropology. A variety of areas of study are taught in the schools and centres of the Faculty.
Core unit
A complusory unit within a particular area of study.
Course level
Course level is the level a student has achieved, based on the number of units they have successfully completed. The term does not necessarily refer to the number of years a student has been studying. For example, a part-time student who has only undertaken half of the normal first-year full-time load in 2006, would still be considered as a first-year student in 2007, if they were still undertaking first-year level units only.
Coursework
Used to describe all Arts courses in which the bulk of work completed is selected from a list of offered units. Coursework covers undergraduate, honours and many postgraduate Arts courses: everything from undergraduate diplomas and degrees to faculty certificates, graduate and postgraduate diplomas and masters courses.
Credit points
The values given to a unit, normally units are worth 6 credit points each.
Defer
To postpone the commencement of your study while the University holds your place, for up to a maximum length of 1 year.
Discipline
An area of study, e.g. Anthropology. A variety of disciplines are taught in the schools and centres of the Faculty.
Dual-listed unit
A dual-listed unit is the same unit offered at two different year levels.
A unit that is dual-listed at second and third year level. For example, HSY2060 and HSY3060 refer to the same unit. A student who successfully completed HSY2060 may not take HSY3060.
Enrolment
The list of units that you are enrolled in. Enrolment may either part-time or full-time.
Faculty
The Faculty of Arts is the administrative group that looks after Arts courses.
Full-time
An enrolment of 18 points or more during a semester (usually 3 or more units per semester).
Intermission (also known as a 'leave of absence')
A period of leave from a coursework course for students who have already completed some of their course. Can be taken for periods of 6 or 12 months at a time.
Major
A major is three years of study in a single area of study, undertaking units worth a total of 48 points. The major consists of
- A first year level sequence (12 points)
AND EITHER
- 12 points of second year level studies (normally 2 units) and 24 points of third-year level studies (normally 4 units)
OR
- 18 points of second-year level studies (normally 3 units) and 18 points of third-year level studies (normally 3 units.)
While course regulations specify the basic structure of any major in the Faculty of Arts, different schools and centres may have specific requirements for their own areas of study, such as the completion of a core (compulsory) unit. You should familiarise yourself with the requirements for your major by checking individual undergraduate area of study requirements in the Monash University Handbook.
Minor
A minor is units in a single discipline totaling 24 points including no more than 12 points at first year level.
Normally students complete a first-year sequence (12 points), followed by at least 12 points (normally two 6 point units) of study at second year level.
While course regulations specify the basic structure of any minor in the Faculty of Arts, different schools and centres may have specific requirements for their own areas of study, such as the completion of a core (compulsory) unit. You should familiarise yourself with the requirements for your minor by checking individual undergraduate area of study requirements in the Monash University Handbook.
Note: It is possible to study all units towards the minor at an advanced level. Where schools only offer a minor in this form, this will be indicated under the relevant area of study heading.
Part-time
Any enrolment in units that total less than 18 points (less than 3 units) in a semester.
Postgraduate
A university student who has attained a Bachelor’s Degree and is doing further study.
Prerequisite
A prerequisite is a unit which must be completed before a student is permitted to proceed to a further unit.
Proxy
A friend or relative who you authorise to enrol on your behalf.
School
A grouping of a number of related areas of study. For example, the disciplines of History, Bioethics, Jewish Civilisation, Archaeology, Philosophy and Religion and Theology are grouped together to form the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies.
Semester
The university year usually consists of two teaching periods of 13 weeks each, called Semester 1 and Semester 2. Most units in the Arts Faculty run for one semester in length. Some units are offered in either summer or winter semester.
Sequence
A sequence is a pair of units from the same area of study that are normally taken in Semester 1 and Semester 2 of the same year.
Subject
Also known as a UNIT, see definition below.
Undergraduate
A university student who has not attained a Bachelor's Degree.
Unit
(Also known as a SUBJECT.) A unit is the basic unit of study in a degree, usually running for a single semester. For example, ENH1010 Reading Writing Literature is an English unit.
Web Enrolment System (WES)
The Monash student online administrative application that allows students to complete a large proportion of their course-related administrative tasks, like enroling/re-enroling, amending unit enrolment, or checking of results online.
Year level
Within a course there are different year levels at which units are offered. The year level of the units represent the order in which a student should complete the units in their course. For example, ARY1010 is a first-year level Archaeology unit and ARY2050 is a second-year level Archaeology unit. Students must complete a certain number of first-year level units before enroling in a second-year level unit.
-
Undergraduate year levels:
- First-year - units with a "1" after the letters in the alpha prefix
- Second-year - units with a "2" after the letters in the alpha prefix
- Third-year - units with a "3" after the letters in the alpha prefix
-
Honours year level:
- Fourth-year - units with a "4" after the letters in the alpha prefix
-
Postgraduate coursework year levels:
- Fourth-year - units with a "4" after the letters in the alpha prefix
- Fifth-year - units with a "5" after the letters in the alpha prefix
The term ‘year level’ does not necessarily refer to the number of years a student has been studying, but to the level they have achieved. A part-time student, for example, who has only undertaken half of the normal first-year full-time load in 2006, would still be considered as a first-year student in 2007, if they were still undertaking first-year level units only.