Summer at University of Sydney

Unique Study Opportunities

• Examine the Australian identity through an exploration of Australian film, theater, and television by taking Australian Theatre, Film and Learning.
• Learn about how engagement with natural environments in Australia, whether in formal educational settings, organized leisure activities or through informal recreational experiences, play a role in society by taking the Learning in Outdoor Education course. 

Language

Language Study: None 

Courses and Credit

Requirements While Abroad

To successfully complete this program:

• Take a full-time course of study: 2 courses for a total of 12 quarter/8 semester UC units.
• Both courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

Catalogs and Resources

• USYD Course Listing: View the list of summer 2025 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 detour 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.