A four-year degree program leading to the potential award of honours based on overall performance. The program requires students to undertake a single major which includes a research project. The program is composed of four streams of courses covering: discipline-specific technical content, a research project, free electives and the General Education components.

Whereas the development of depth of understanding and practical skills in a specific discipline is a key part of the program, the degree will also focus on instilling a culture of research and enquiry through early induction into the research ethos and access to research groups and facilities. The program covers fundamental knowledge in mathematics and a number of the "enabling" sciences, upon which the major plans of study are then developed.

To graduate scientists with both breadth and depth of scientific knowledge and professional skills.
To develop the capacity for critical thinking and independent learning
To provide training in the practice and management of research and instill a research ethos
To endue general and science-specific graduate attributes
To expose students to disciplines outside science, and the social context of science

Conditions for the Completion of the Advanced Science Program.

A student must complete a total of 192 units of credit.

At least 150 UoC in courses delivered by Science schools (see Rule 5 below for clarification of 'science electives' and 'free electives'), including:

      

    -   SCIF1121 Advanced Science: Professional Practice and Perspective (6 UoC) completed in your first year  

 

12 units of General Education courses;

No student may normally commence Level II courses until 18 Level I UoC have been successfully completed unless approved by the Program Authority;

Students must declare their Major before enrolling in Level II courses;

Progression to Stages 2, 3 and 4 is subject to academic performance. A student will be required to have attained a single term weighted average mark (WAM) of 70 or higher in each prior semester.

Majors Available in Advanced Science

Anatomy
Archaeology and Palaeoenvironments
Biochemistry
Biological Science
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Climate Science
Ecology
Genetics
Geosciences
Geochemistry
High Performance Students (Science)
Marine and Coastal Studies
Mathematical Physics
Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Physical Oceanography
Physics and Astronomy
Physics
Physics and Computing
Physiology
Psychology
Vision Science

Students in this program must also satisfy the University's General Education requirements. For further information, refer to General Education Requirements in the Handbook. For details on the restrictions to a Science student's choice of general education course, please see the Faculty of Science General Education rules.

See also "Conditions for the Completion of the Advanced Science Program" above.

Rules on Progression and Transfer in the Advanced Science Programs.

1.Transferring Majors

Students must formally apply to transfer between Majors within each of the Advanced Science programs. Applications are assessed on academic performance and approval is subject to places being available in the nominated study plan.

2. The High Performanmce Student Program and Accelerated Progression in Advanced Science Programs

Admission to the High Performance Student Program will be by invitation of the Program Authority. To be considered for the High Performance Student Program students must have demonstrated high capabilities (such as Olympiad participants or those with very high UAI or equivalent). There is provision for exceptionally talented students to take higher level courses in Stage 1, to be exempted from from some Program Rules and for early access to upper level courses and research projects. Contact the Science Students Centre for details http://www.sso.unsw.edu.au.

3. Progression to Stage 4 Honours in Advanced Science

Progression to Stage 4 is subject to academic performance. Students seeking to enrol in a Stage 4 Honours are required to have the approval of the Head of School and normally will be required:

Students should also seek the guidance of the appropriate School at an early stage of study to ensure that the study plan being followed is best suited to lead to the stage 4 Honours. Also please note, that entry into some Honours programs are highly competitive and may require a higher level of academic performance than a WAM of 70. Please consult the relevant School regarding entry requirements for Honours.

In addition, admission to a particular Stage 4 Honours Major is subject to appropriate research and supervision resources being available. Quotas may be imposed for entry in any year, in which case admission will be determined on academic merit.

Students who do not attain a WAM of 70 or higher in Stage 3 of their program are normally required to transfer to the Science program (3970) and take out the BSc award at Pass level.

4. Transfers from Advanced Science to the Science Program

Students enrolled in the Advanced Science programs (program codes 3972; 3986) who wish to take out the BSc award at Pass level and without proceeding to Stage 4 are required to transfer to the Science program (3970).

Applications to transfer should be lodged no later than the census date for the semester in which the student expects to satisfy requirements. Students applying after that date may not be able to graduate in the next round of graduation ceremonies. The application should state the 3970 major in which the student wishes to be enrolled.

Students must satisfy all requirements for the designated Major in order to qualify for the award of the BSc. Further information regarding the transfer from the Advanced Science program to majors that are available in the Science program is available through the Science Student Centre.

Students entering Stage 3 or 4 of a combined degree program will need to consult with the Science Student Centre.

5. Science Electives and Free Elective Courses

Students enrolled in Advanced Science must complete at least 150 UoC from Science schools. Science schools are defined as the Schools of Chemistry, BABS, BEES, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology, Physics, Optometry, Risk and Safety Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Medical Science and the Department of Aviation. This 150 UoC must include the components as outlined above under "Conditions for the Completion of the Advanced Science Program". Once students have satisfied these requirements the remaining UoC are free electives and can be any other courses.

6. Graduation and Majors

In order to graduate, students must satisfy requirements for the award by passing all courses and the requirements specified for their program. Students who successfully complete Stage 4 of their program will be considered for the award of Honours. The following scale generally applies to Honours gradings, and depending on the structure of the program, is based either on performance in stage 4 or on performance over the entire program:

Honours Class 1:
mark or weighted average of 85 or greater.
Honours Class 2 Division 1:
mark or weighted average from 75 to 84
Honours Class 2 Division 2:
mark or weighted average from 65 to 74
Honours Class 3 or Pass:
mark or weighted average below 65

The award will appear on the testamur as:
Bachelor of Science (Advanced) with Honours in (name of Major)

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html