The Chief of Defence Force Students (CDFS) Programs offer the opportunity for students entering UNSW@ADFA with a high Entrance Rank, and who maintain a high level of performance in their studies, to undertake research in a range of disciplines that will develop their critical thinking and independent research skills beyond that available in the standard Bachelor Degree programs.

The range of CDFS Programs is characterised by the inclusion of specialist courses in critical analysis and/or research methods appropriate to the area of study. All programs also include discipline-specific research projects. The research projects will be supervised by academic staff from the relevant discipline. With the approval of the relevant Heads of Schools, multi- or cross-disciplinary projects may be undertaken. Students in the research courses may work independently or as part of a team, depending on the nature of the project undertaken, though all students will submit individual assessment. Final assessment will be based on a written paper or report, or a unique IT artefact, and oral presentations.

Throughout the program, and in addition to completing the courses given in the following schedules, students will be engaged with cohort activities so as to develop and maintain their interest and continuing involvement in the program via invited lectures, seminars, general reading and social events.

The CDFS Program has objectives and learning outcomes in common with the standard Bachelor degree in Information Technology, but extends the educational principles embodied in the standard degree to a higher level. In the program, students will be exposed to courses in critical analysis and/or research methods in the IT discipline, which will offer significant extensions to the ideas and analysis normally available in the standard degree program. This will allow all CDFS to successfully undertake research-oriented courses at the appropriate level through their program, thereby integrating research into their studies in a way that is not available in the standard degree. The individual projects undertaken in close association with academic staff on research topics of mutual interest underpin the CDFS Programs and give students the ability to develop their full potential.

A typical program in the Bachelor of IT (CDF) is presented below. Students may vary the program in Years 2 and 3 by swapping the timing of GE courses with IT or other electives, subject to timetabling.

Year One: 30 UoC IT Core Courses, 18 UoC 'other' Level I courses - total 48 UoC

Year Two: 24 UoC IT Core Courses, 12 UoC IT Electives (Level II & III), 12 UoC General Education Courses - total 48 UoC

Year Three: 30 UoC IT Core Courses, 6 UoC IT Electives (Level II & III), 12 UoC 'other' Electives (Level II & III) - total 48 UoC

Students must complete a min 18 UoC from the following list:

Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students

A student must comply with the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students. In the event of a conflict, the rules for the Bachelor of Information Technology (CDFSP) take precedence over the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students.

Program Rules Dictionary

“Level I” means courses at an introductory level, normally taken at Stage I.
“Level II” means courses at an upper level, normally taken at Stage II.
“Level III” means courses at an upper level, normally taken at Stage III.
“Upper-Level” means courses normally taken at Stage II and Stage III.

Program Rules

To qualify for the degree of Bachelor of Information Technology, a student shall normally be enrolled for a minimum of six semesters and gain a minimum of 144 Units of Credit (UoC) including:

(a) A min. of 48 UoC of Level 1 courses, with 30 UoC comprised of Information Technology Core courses;

(b) A min. of 54 UoC of upper-level Information Technology Core courses;

(c) A min. of 18 UoC of upper-level Information Technology Electives courses;

(d) A min. of 12 UoC of General Education courses;

(e) 12 UoC taken from upper-level courses offered by any School at UNSW@ADFA;

(f) No more than 60 UoC may be gained for Level I courses; and

(g) At least 84 UoC must be taken from Upper-Level courses.

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