Text Transcript of Pre-enrolment Information for Single Degrees
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Welcome
Hi, my name’s Patrick.
Congratulations on getting into Monash and welcome to the Arts Faculty. We hope that your degree is a rewarding experience and that you enjoy your time here.
Before you launch into your course however, we have to make sure you know how to enrol and what’s expected of you. We recommend you take a look at the ‘Ten Steps to Enrolment’ on the Arts website.
Slide 1 — Ten Steps to Enrolment
What we’re covering today though is Steps 3-5. That’s
- course structure
- choosing units, and
- how to use the Web Enrolment System, or WES.
Course Structure
Okay, firstly let’s take a look at how the course is structured. And don’t worry, it’s easy.
Slide 2 — How Long Does the Course Take
An Arts degree takes 3 years to complete if you’re studying full time. If you’re studying part time you have up to (but no more than) 8 years. The year is divided into two semesters of around 13 weeks each.
Now let’s get down to the detail, how are you going to structure your degree?
Well, the next part gets a little technical but bear with me, by the time we’re through you’ll be an expert.
Slide 3
| First year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Studies | International Studies | Politics | Politics | Spanish | Spanish | Archaeology | Gender Studies |
| Second year | |||||||
| International Studies | International Studies | Politics | Politics | European Studies | Film & TV Studies | History | Gender Studies |
| Third year | |||||||
| International Studies | International Studies | International Studies | International Studies | European Studies | Film & TV Studies | Australian Studies | Gender Studies |
| Major Units | Minor Units | Sequence | Other Arts Units | ||||
An Arts degree is made up of units and these are worth points.
There are generally 24 units in total.
Each unit is usually worth 6 points but the whole Arts degree adds up to 144 points.
Now these 144 points are divided into four compulsory parts.
- a major, which is 48 points — that’s the red bit on the slide called international studies
- a minor, which is 24 points — that’s the orange bit called politics
- a first year Arts sequence which is 12 points — that’s the pink bit called Spanish
- an additional 12 points of Arts units at any year level and
- points of elective units.
Slide 4 — Definitions
So let’s take a closer look at these compulsory parts but before we do that I’ll quickly outline what a unit and area of study is.
A unit is like a high school subject. Units make up areas of study. These are broad topic areas like history or international studies. An area of study is sometimes called a discipline.
So back to the compulsory parts:
Firstly we have a major.
This is the area you’ll specialise in. It’s 48 points in the same area of study, say International Studies for example. A major normally runs over 3 years.
Having said that, you’re not locked in to choosing your major in first year, you can do it in second. There is some flexibility in the way you can structure your degree.
Secondly we have a minor.
A minor is 24 points in the same area of study completed over two years. It’s like half a major — so you ‘semi-specialise’ in this area.
OK, next is a sequence.
A sequence is a pair of units in the same area of study. Like the name suggests, the units are sequential so you do part 1 in semester 1 and part 2 in semester 2.
What does ‘other Arts units’ mean?
It means 12 points from Arts and 48 from Arts or another faculty.
Slide 5 — Summary
So let’s summarise:
The Arts degree is 3 years full time, up to 8 years part time. It’s made up of 144 points.
There are four compulsory parts:
- a major
- a minor
- a sequence
- other Arts units
Bachelor of Arts — Basic First Year Structure
So you’re enrolling in first year, now we’re going to have a closer look at how you structure the year.
If you’re studying part time you generally enrol in 2 units in first semester 2 in second semester.
If you’re full time you enrol in 4 units in first semester and 4 in second.
But the bottom line is this: In first semester the only thing you need to focus on is to choose four units. Easy.
Slide 6 — Basic First Year Structure
| First Semester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts Unit History: Medieval Europe 6 points |
Arts Unit Sociology: Sociological Reflections 6 points |
Arts Unit French 6 points |
Arts Unit Australian Studies 6 points |
| Second Semester | |||
| Arts Unit History: Renaissance Europe 6 points |
Arts Unit Sociology: Global Sociology 6 points |
Arts Unit French 6 points |
Arts Unit Politics 6 points |
Generally three of these units will be sequences. Remember we said a sequence is like part one and part two. So you’ll do part 1 in first semester and part 2 in second. As you can see on the slide, in this example the sequences are history, sociology and French.
The other unit doesn’t have to be a sequence, it can even be a unit from another faculty.
Remember it doesn’t matter what your major or minors are at this stage — you can decide in second year. And there is flexibility for you to change your mind as you go along.
Slide 7 — Summary
In summary:
- Choose four units for semester one and four units for semester two.
- Normally you have three sequences at this point.
- Don’t worry about what your major or minor is at this stage.
Variations to the Arts Degree
Some of you will be doing variations to the Arts degree so we’ll quickly run through those now.
Slide 8 — Variations to Course Structure
Bachelor of Arts (Global)
The variations are:
- Must do International Studies in first year.
- Global Studies is compulsory.
- It’s compulsory to spend time studying overseas.
Bachelor of Arts Languages
- a first year sequence in Linguistics is compulsory.
- at least one sequence must be a language
- the third sequence must be either another language or European or Asian studies
Slide 9 — Variations to Course Structure
Bachelor of Communication
- First, it’s compulsory to enrol in a first year communications sequence
- Second, it’s compulsory to enrol in a first year film and television sequence.
Bachelor of Arts Journalism
- One, a first year journalism sequence is compulsory
- Two, a first year communications sequence is compulsory
Okay, so there’s the variations. We’ve done the course structure, now we’re moving on to the second topic — choosing units.
Slide 10 — Choosing Your Units
Each area of study is made up of lots of units. There are first year units, second year and third year.
To have a look at the different areas of study and units, there are two useful resources:
- the Arts handbook and
- the areas of study link.
Slide 11 — Schools and Centres
The areas of study and units are owned by the Schools and Centres that make up the Arts Faculty. There are nine altogether and they are responsible for teaching and assessment.
- Historical Studies
- Humanities (Gippsland)
- English, Communications, Performance Studies
- Geography & Environmental Science
- Languages, Cultures, Linguistics
- Music – Conservatorium
- Philosophy & Bioethics
- Political and Social Inquiry
- Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies
Slide 12 & 3 — Unit Codes
When you have a look online you’ll see that every unit has its own formula or way of being written and this is what you enter when you enrol. The first three letters, or prefix, are an abbreviation of the area of study — so here INT stands for International Studies. The number 1 means first year level and 010 is the unit code.
When you’re choosing your first year sequences, you choose units with the same prefix and from the same year level. So for International Studies you’d choose INT1010 in first semester and INT1020 in second semester.
Slide 14 — Studying Units from Another Faculty
Studying Units Outside the Arts Faculty
Another great thing about the Arts degree is that you can study units from other faculties such as Art and Design, Business and Economics, IT and Science. For example, psychology is owned by the Faculty of Medicine and visual culture is owned by Art and Design.
To find out more, take a look at their websites under ‘Future Students’.
- Unit from Faculty of Medicine – Psychology
- Unit from Art and Design – Visual Culture
- Units from Business and Economics – Marketing and Management
- Units from Information Technology – (various)
- Units from Science – (various)
Slide 15 — Choosing Your Units Summary
So key points to remember about choosing your units:
- Units are run by the Faculty’s schools and centres. They are responsible for teaching and assessment
- Go to the handbook: www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/undergrad/
- to have a look at the units
- You can study units outside the Arts Faculty
So now we’re on to the final topic — how to complete your enrolment via the Web Enrolment System or WES:
How to Enrol Using the Web Enrolment System or WES
Something you really need to get friendly with during your time at uni is WES.
Slide 16 — Using the Web Enrolment System or WES
WES has a number of functions. Apart from enrolling, WES lets you to update personal details, complete enrolment questionnaires, complete fee application forms and enrol in your units (or unenrol!).
You can also look at your results, your academic record, check your exam timetable and get updates and important messages. So you can see it’s a pretty important thing to know how to use.
Slide 17 — How Do I Use WES?
Using WES is a bit like internet banking — you have to complete all the steps.
So this is how it works:
- Step 1: log in with your username, password and date of birth (or postcode)
- Step 2: click on the enrolment, re-enrolment summary link
- Step 3: complete each section in order — contact details, questionnaire, CSP application and unit enrolment.
- Step 4: and most importantly you can make sure you enrol in both semesters!
Slide 18 — Enrolment Declaration
You’ll be asked to electronically sign the e-enrolment declaration which means you agree to check your student email account on a regular basis. And we say that a regular basis is at least once a week.
Regarding the Enrolment Declaration
A transaction number will appear every time you make changes so make sure you file and keep your transaction numbers in a safe place just in case you need them for future reference.
How to You Know Your Transaction Has Worked?
You receive an email to your student account describing any changes you made.
What If I Can’t Enrol Via WES
If you’re having any problems using the WES, don’t panic. You can do it manually on your assigned enrolment day it will just take a little bit longer.
It’s a good idea to start getting comfortable with WES because it’s a vital resource right throughout your degree.
Lastly - Getting Your Student ID card
If you do successfully enrol online there is no need for you to attend an enrolment session. You will however have to attend the student services centre on the day and time allocated in your offer letter to get your student ID card.
Slide 19
So there we have it. Let’s recap on what we’ve been through.
The degree is made up of 144 points. To graduate you have to accrue 144 points.
When you enrol in first year you must enrol in both semester 1 and semester 2. Get friendly with WES.
It’s a flexible degree — you don’t have to decide on your major or minor until second year. And, you’ve got 55 areas of study to choose from.
