Complementary Studies
Complementary Studies is when you study a unit(s) at another Australian university as part of your Monash degree. You can do this if the unit(s) is not offered by the Faculty of Arts at Monash in a particular semester.
If you want to take Complementary Studies at another tertiary institution you should complete a Complementary Studies application form and lodge it with the Arts office on your home campus by the relevant due date for that semester (see Closing Dates).
What counts?
Course: you can complete a maximum of 48 credit points via complementary studies, provided you have room in your course structure within a bachelors degree.
Major: you must complete a minimum of 18 points of Monash studies at a third-year level to have a discipline listed as a major on your academic record. To have complementary studies counted toward your major studies you must get written approval from the program which offers the discipline within the Faculty of Arts (i.e. School of Historical Studies, School of Philosophy and Biotheics, Italian Program, etc.)
If you complete 48 points of complementary studies at another insitution within a single discipline these cannot be counted in place of your core Arts major or minor. We are unable to award disciplinary specialisations for disciplines we do not teach. If you wish to complete a full 48 points of complementary study you should seek course progression advice before enrolling.
Notification of approval and enrolment
You will be advised of the outcome if your application in writing (so make sure your contact details are up to date).
You will then be asked to add the complementary studies unit/s to your Monash Arts enrolment by completing and lodging an Enrolment Amendment form with your Faculty Office by the Friday of the second week of the semester in which the unit is to be taught. Complementary studies units in Arts will be recorded on your academic transcript with ACL codes (i.e. ACL1000, ACL3000).
In order to plan the following yearÃs proposed course of study, re-enrolling students should try to submit their applications prior to or during the re-enrolment period.
Important
You must also contact the institution that offers the unit(s) you propose to study and complete any appropriate application and enrolment processes.
If you are applying for a CSP place at the other institution they will require confirmation of your student status - to get this you will need to request a short letter from Student Services.
Deadlines at different institutions do vary enormously. Do not assume that the other institution will accept your application just because you met our deadline. Check with the other institution before applying.
What if I need to change my complementary studies enrolment?
Due to changes in your study plan or changes to unit offerings at Monash or the other institution you may need to amend or discontintue your enrolment after you have enrolled.
Discontinuing
It is important that you remember that standard census dates apply to complementary studies units.
If you are discontinuing your complementary studies completely you must do so at both Monash and the other institution to avoid fees and fail grades. You will need to discontinue your Monash ACL unit by using an Enrolment Amendment form.
Amending your enrolment
To change units at another institution you must submit a new complementary studies application so we can assess whether the unit(s) are appropriate replacements for your course. Please make a note on the form that this is a replacement unit. You will need to meet any deadlines that the other University advertises as well as standard variation to enrolment deadlines with Monash (i.e. end of second week of semester).
Results
Successfully completed Complementary Studies units will show a result of SFR on your Monash transcript - this stands for "Satisfied Faculty Requirements".
To have an SFR returned on your Monash transcript you must supply us with the original (or certified) copy of your results from the other institution. You may need to officially request a transcript from the other institution if it is not automatically supplied. Please send the transcript/results to the Faculty Office on your home campus. Please note: print-outs of on-line results will not be accepted.
Important
When you send your results in make sure you include a cover letter that indicates your Monash ID and that the results are for Complementary Studies units so we know what to do with them! If you don't supply us with the results a FAIL will be recorded against your ACL unit(s).