Academic Services Policy

Student Workload Policy

Policy:

All coursework degrees in the Melbourne Model

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Course Duration and Enrolment policies.

The University is required to monitor the study load of each student to comply with Government reporting requirements, and to ensure that enrolled students undertake a workload that is likely to lead to successful completion of the course in which they are enrolled.

In addition the University strives to provide each student with a cohort experience particular to this institution. Study load impacts significantly on this experience.

It is expected that students will be able to manage their study load taking into account their capabilities, commitment to activities outside their studies and advice and guidelines provided by the University.


Ordinary Full study load

University of Melbourne degree structures, and published information about course duration, are based on the premise that a full study load will comprise 100 points undertaken within each calendar year, and usually undertaken as 50 points in each of semester 1 and 2 (based upon commencement at the beginning of a calendar year). Completion of fewer than 100 points per year (or by the anniversary of commencement for mid-year entry students), will on average will extend the duration of the course.

The University regulates the maximum number of points in which a student can be enrolled at any one time based upon the ordinary full-time workload, and students require permission to complete more than a specified maximum concurrent enrolment (see Overloading below).

Ordinary part-time study load

Part-time programs usually define 25 points per semester (i.e. 50 points per year) as the 'ordinary' study load. A student with good reason, however, may vary this load, provided the student completes within the established duration of a course, and subject to co-requisite & pre-requisite requirements of subjects undertaken.

Full-Time status

Under Government legislation, some students may be required to maintain a full-time study load in order to maintain their eligibility for income support, or to be eligible for a transport concession card or other benefits available to full-time students. The University does not define full-time status, and students should seek advice from their Student Centre if unclear about whether their year's enrolment meets government definitions of full-time status.

Summer Term & intensive subjects

Ordinarily, subjects taken during the summer period do not count towards the calculation of a student's full or part-time status for an academic year1. For workload calculations, subjects undertaken during the summer term, winter, or intensively, will be included.

Fixed, full-time Courses

In some postgraduate courses, students may be required to maintain a certain, defined full-time study load comprising specified subjects each semester (or term).

The University is obliged to make reasonable adjustments to allow the participation of certain students under the Disability Standards for Education 20052. An adjustment to the expectation that a student will maintain a certain study load in a particular degree is considered a reasonable adjustment, where such an adjustment does not compromise the academic integrity of the student's degree.

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No subject enrolment

Students who are not enrolled in any points in a given standard semester must be on Leave of Absence from their course or, if withdrawn from all subjects after the census date in a semester, will be considered to be on unapproved leave.

Study Load for International Students

The National Code 2007 requires that international students must complete their course by the Course End date on their (last issued) Confirmation of Enrolment (COE). International students may be expected to maintain a full study load in order to meet this requirement.

Overloading

Students who are concurrently enrolled in 62.5 points or more for more than six consecutive weeks at any time, or students who are enrolled in more than 25 points during the Summer semester, are considered to be overloading3. Overloading may shorten the duration of a course, but may also have a significant impact on a student's capacity for academic success. Students must obtain permission before they are able to overload by submitting an application to the relevant Student Centre. Permission to overload is based on past academic performance and the student's particular circumstances.

Overloading in the first teaching period of a student's enrolment, or to make up for failed subjects is not normally permitted.

Students must continue to achieve good results to be able to continue with an overloaded program. An overloading student's performance monitored accordingly. An overload for future teaching periods will not be permitted in advance, and a student's results when overloaded reviewed prior to approval for a further overload.

Accelerated Course Programs

Some degrees, usually postgraduate professional degrees, but including other programs (for example, certain concurrent diplomas) may provide an enrolment option that involves a specified, overloaded program that enables a degree to be completed more quickly.

An accelerated option must be approved by the Academic Board.

Selection into an accelerated program involves consideration4 of a student's ability to complete successfully the required overload.

Students must continue to achieve good results to be able to continue in the accelerated program. A student's performance must therefore be monitored accordingly, and if a student fails to obtain satisfactory marks (as defined by the faculty) they should revert to an ordinary full-time load5.

1 Enrolment is reported to the Commonwealth government on a half-yearly system, which only takes account of studies undertaken within the University's defined teaching periods of semester 1 and semester 2. This includes intensive subjects 'related' to either semester. For full-time / part-time purposes, a subject with a census date that occurs within the teaching or assessment period of semester 1 will be counted with semester 1 subjects, and subjects with a census date that occurs after the end of semester 1 until the end of the assessment period for semester 2 will be counted with semester 2 subjects.
Income support is paid for full-time students for the summer period regardless of summer enrolment, unless:

2 The Education Standards were formulated under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Section 3.4 of the Standards describes 'reasonable adjustments'.

3 This includes the full teaching period for the subject – pre-reading, teaching and assessment periods.

4 For concurrent diplomas, this is the faculty responsible for selection into the diploma.

5 For concurrent diplomas, this is the responsibility of the faculty with custody of the student's primary degree.

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