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Academics

Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, Science

The University of New South Wales offers a full range of coursework to accommodate your UC major. Fully integrated into the academic and social life at UNSW, you can pursue classes in all kinds of subjects: science, math, architecture and planning, business, economics, engineering and computing, health, psychology, as well as the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Unique study opportunities

  • Kick start your business, economics or finance career with courses from the UNSW Business School.
  • Learn about professional practice and develop your personal capabilities for lifelong learning and work by enrolling in the Practice of Work course. You'll engage with external partners by working on real-word projects, under the guidance of academic and workplace supervisors.

Language

Language of Instruction: English

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:
    • Fall: Three courses for a total of 18 quarter/12 semester UC units.
    • Spring*: Four courses for a total of 24 quarter/16 semester UC units. 
  • You may take up to one-third (33%) of your total unit load for pass/no pass credit (applies to fall program and T1 portion of spring program). Course taken in the ST term of the spring program must be taken for letter grade.

*The UCEAP spring program combines two terms at UNSW (ST + T1). You will take one course during the ST term and three courses during the T1 term.

Current Program Courses

The university offers a comprehensive range of fields of study and is particularly strong in accounting, business, economics, engineering, finance, and marketing. 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

  • UNSW Course Catalog: Browse undergraduate course offerings at UNSW.
  • Australian Universities Comparison Chart: Compare the University of New South Wales with other Australian immersion programs available through UCEAP.
  • UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of 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.

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 January. Spring grades are usually available in June.