Academics
Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences
The University of Sydney offers summer courses in an intensive format, most of which have no pre-requisites.
Unique Study Opportunities
- Examine the Australian identity through an exploration of Australian film, theater, and television by taking Australian Theatre, Film and Learning.
- Explore the place, meaning and practice of sport in contemporary Australian society and culture by taking the Sport and Learning in Australian Culture course.
Language
Language of Instruction: EnglishLanguage Study: None
Courses and Credit
Requirements While Abroad
Take a full-time course of study: 12 quarter/8 semester UC units, which is equal to 12 USYD points
- A 6 point USYD course= 6 quarter/4 semester UC units
- Since most USYD courses are worth 6 USYD points, most UCEAP students will take 2 courses
All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Course Numbers and Division
Courses that begin with a 1 will earn lower division UC credit.
Courses that begin with a 2 or higher will earn upper division UC credit.
Course Registration and Selection
You will select tentative courses on your USYD application (not your UCEAP application). Courses that you input are tentative, and you can change courses all the way through the add/drop deadline at USYD, which is usually sometime in the week before courses begin.
Catalogs and Resources
- USYD Course Listing: View the list of summer 2027 courses that USYD is offering.
- UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of some courses students have taken on this program. This is not a current representation of course offerings on this program. Reference the above links to review recent course offerings.
- Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location. If the course you want to take is not listed here, that does not mean you can't earn major, minor, general education or elective credit for it, as the database is not fully updated and does not list all courses, even if a UCEAP student has taken it before and has earned major credit for it. Let this database help you if it's able to, but don't let it deter you. It's ultimately up to your major advisor to determine the type of UC credit you'll earn for your classes abroad.
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:
- 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 down 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.
UCEAP converts your Australian grades to UC grades. Summer grades are usually available in September. Requests for early grades cannot be accommodated.