University of Melbourne

Unique study opportunities

• Gain supervised research experience through the Science Research Project course.
• Undertake an internship for credit through the Science and Technology Internship course.
• Take many of the pre-med, pre-health, or pre-psych courses that are often impacted at UC.

Language

Language Study: Optional

Foreign language study is available. Check the university course catalog.

Courses and credit

Requirements While Abroad

To successfully complete this program:

• Take a full-time course of study: Four courses for a total of 24 quarter/16 semester UC units each semester.
• You may take one course per semester for pass/no pass credit. 

Current Program Courses

The university offers a comprehensive range of fields of study and is particularly strong in economics, biomedical sciences, computer science, life sciences, psychology, and studio and performing arts. Before you enroll in courses, review the calendar, restrictions, and prerequisites for all courses to ensure success.

Course Numbers and Division
Most class codes are made up of letters (representing the discipline area) and numbers (representing the year level). First-year level Australian classes (where the numerical portion of the code begins with ‘1’) will be assigned lower-division UC credit, while second- and third-year level courses (where the numerical portion of the code begins with ‘2’ or ‘3’) will usually be assigned upper-division UC credit. 

Catalogs and resources

• University of Melbourne Course Catalog: Browse undergraduate course offerings in semester 1 (spring) and semester 2 (fall).
• Science Research Project: Explore your collaborative research project options.
• Australian Universities Comparison Chart: Compare the University of Melbourne with other Australian immersion programs available through UCEAP.
• UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses UC students have taken on this program.
• Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location.

Academic Culture

To help you acclimate to Australian campus life and culture, there are a few key differences and similarities with UC to be aware of:

• The Australian semester is longer and has a slower pace than the UC semester or quarter.
• Students address Australian lecturers and tutors informally by their first name.
• Similar to UC, the main forms of teaching are lectures (50-500+ students), tutorials (10-25 students), seminars (30+ students; half lecture, half tutorial), and labs/practicals.
• All lectures are recorded—beware of waiting until the last minute to watch them.
• In Australia, students are expected to be independent and show initiative. Instructors won't chase you up if you miss classes or assignments.
• Assignments tend to require heavy research and critical analysis.
• You’ll need to use Australian English for assignments.

Grades

You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework. Australian university grades are criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced (i.e., curved). This means that your performance on an assignment will be compared to a predefined standard, not to the performance of your classmates. Your lecturer will advise you of this standard via a grading rubric.

Most assessment is due toward the end of the semester. In a semester, it is not uncommon to have your first assignment due in the sixth week and not receive any grades back until the eighth week. Finals may be very heavily weighted (40-80% of your final grade). There is usually a study week (called swot vac) between the last week of the semester and the start of the exam period.

UCEAP converts your Australian grades to UC grades. Fall grades are usually available in December. Spring grades are usually available in July.