FSTE Policy and Administration Guide
Matters Affecting your Enrolment
2.1 Pre-requisites
2.2 Invalids
2.3 Variation of Enrolments
2.4 Overloads
2.5 Transfers between courses
2.6 Applications for Advanced Standing
2.7 Intermission
2.8 Honours
2.9 Re-enrolment for 2009
2.10 Industry Experience
Most of the Faculty's unit offerings are semesterised. To help students make informed choices about their second semester units, the University releases results for first-semester units prior to the commencement of Semester Two.
In the event that you fail a first-semester unit which is a prerequisite for a second-semester unit in which you are enrolled, your second semester unit will be changed from enrolled to invalid.
An INVALID unit can occur for any of the following reasons:
- You have failed a pre-requisite or co-requisite unit in a prior teaching period
- You have selected a unit that has a class quota limit
- You have overloaded your enrolment in a teaching period
INVALID units MUST be corrected prior to the published Census Date for the respective units.
If a unit is listed as INVALID, this means that you are not enrolled in it. If it remains INVALID you will not appear on any class lists and a seat will not be available for you in the examination. Please also note that you will not receive a result for the unit and fees may be calculated incorrectly.
If you have any INVALID units on your enrolment, please check to see if it relates to a unit with a quota. If it does, you will be advised of the status of this unit closer to the commencement of the teaching period.
If you have any INVALID units on your enrolment which do not relate to quotas you will need to do one of two things:
1. Withdraw from the invalid unit and replace with an appropriate alternate unit via a Variation of Enrolment form.
OR
2. Have the unit co-ordinator approve your enrolment in the invalid unit by signing the ‘Unit Approval Advisor of Studies’ box on your ‘Variation of Enrolment’ form.
Please note changes made to your enrolment by the checking of unit and course rules may have an effect on your study load and alter the fees you will be required to pay. Students, who are required to maintain a full time study load, receive any type of private or government allowances or are current recipients of a scholarship, may be adversely affected.
If you wish to vary your unit enrolment you should do so as soon as possible, preferably before the end of the second week of semester. This will give you a realistic chance of passing any unit you add to your enrolment.
To vary your enrolment you have two options:
- You may visit StudentOnLine and process your changes via the web. It is a good idea to discuss any changes with your course advisor prior to changing your enrolment. If signatures are required you may need to submit a hard copy Variation to Enrolment form to the Faculty Office for processing.
- You may collect a Variation to Enrolment form from the Faculty Office, discuss the proposed changes with your Course Advisor, and return the signed form to the Faculty Office where changes to your enrolment will be processed.
You will be issued with a copy of your variation at the time of submission. Variations will then be processed by the Faculty Office. All students are required to confirm their enrolment details via StudentOnLine. You will be contacted and advised of the appropriate follow up action should there be a problem with your variation.
The last date for withdrawing from a unit without financial penalty is the census date. If you withdraw after this date you will still be liable for the cost of the unit.
Students who fail one or more units sometimes seek permission in the subsequent year to study the failed unit(s) in addition to a normal full-time load. While overloading up to a maximum of 10% of the normal full-time annual load is permissible without special authority, overloading beyond this level is not normally permitted. You need to be aware that failure in one or more units commonly results in an extension of your course by at least one semester and you should plan your studies accordingly. Overloads beyond the 10% permitted require approval by the relevant Course Adviser and are normally approved only for students with a B average (or better) across a full-time year's study in a previous year. Please note that an overload is not considered sufficient grounds for special consideration or as an excuse, should you subsequently have to show cause.
The Faculty advises that you check the requirements for the degree you are undertaking in the University Handbook for any further conditions specific to your course.
If you wish to apply to transfer between courses, you should lodge an Application for Course Transfer form at the Faculty Office.
Please note:
(i) Transfer applications must be submitted to the Faculty Office by Friday 28 November 2008.
(ii) Students will not normally be permitted to transfer to another course during their first year of study.
(iii) Transfer applications will not normally be considered until after annual results are known in December.
(iv) All students should re-enrol in their current course until the outcome of their application is known.
(v) You will be notified in writing in January on the outcome of your transfer application.
2.6 Applications for Advanced Standing
If you have completed formal studies which you believe may exempt you from a unit in your course, then you should submit a completed Application for Advanced Standing form (available from the Faculty Office). Original or certified copies of academic transcripts must be provided.
International Students:
If you have been granted unspecified credit and you would like to have it specified in a discipline or would like to apply for more advanced standing, you will have to do so within the first two weeks of the commencement of your degree. Any applications submitted after that date will not be considered.
Local Students:
You are permitted to apply for advanced standing within the first two weeks of the commencement of your degree. Any applications submitted after that date may not be considered if they affect they current semester's enrolment.
Application for Intermission of Studies forms are available from your Faculty Office or Central Student Administration Office at all the La Trobe campuses. Students who wish to intermit their studies until the following year are normally permitted to do so. However, this does not necessarily apply if you have failed your first semester units and you wish to intermit until the beginning of next year. In these circumstances, you are subject to the normal academic progress rules (see Section 1.4). The maximum period of intermission is one year unless there are extenuating circumstances.
It is Faculty policy that for entrance to an Honours degree following a three-year pass degree, students must obtain a minimum average of 60% across all of their third-year units and obtain at least 65% in third-year units to the value of 60 points which are germane to the Honours discipline. Some Departments may set higher entrance standards than this. Obtaining these marks is not a guarantee of a place as resource restrictions may limit the number of Honours places available in some Departments.
If you complete your degree this year and are selected for Honours candidature, you will receive a written offer from the Faculty. Your letter of offer will also contain enrolment information. If you do not receive an Honours offer and wish to proceed to fourth-year studies in a particular discipline, you are encouraged to discuss prospects for entry to a Postgraduate Diploma with the relevant Head of Department or Fourth-Year Coordinator.
Please note that Psychological Science students apply for Honours through the School of Psychological Sciences.
Detailed re-enrolment information will be emailed to students' official La Trobe email address by the Student Administration Office usually in September. This information will also be available from the Faculty Office and on the web at www.latrobe.edu.au/scitecheng/
Students are required to re-enrol online in October/November (dates to be finalised) for the following year. Late re-enrolment in January 2009 and beyond will be subject to availability of places. Please note that students who do not submit a re-enrolment plan as instructed in the re-enrolment guide, will not be guaranteed a place in their course for the following year. It is imperative that students follow the instructions set out in the re-enrolment email.
A number of the courses offered by the Faculty have an industry experience component which must be completed prior to you qualifying for your course. The courses with such a requirement are:
Computer Science and Computer Engineering
Bachelor of Computer Systems Engineering
Bachelor of Computer Network Engineering
Bachelor of Software Engineering
Bachelor of Computer Technology
Electronic Engineering
Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours)/Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
Bachelor of Electronic Engineering/Master of Biomedical Engineering
Bachelor of Electronic Engineering/Master of Microelectronic Engineering
Bachelor of Electronic Engineering/Master of Telecommunication Engineering
Bachelor of Science (Honours)/Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
Bachelor of Electronic Technology
Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Civil Engineering
Agricultural Science
Bachelor of Agricultural Science
Bachelor of Viticultural Science and Wine Production
Bachelor of Agricultural Science/Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Agricultural Science/Bachelor of International Development
If you are enrolled in one of the above courses, you should contact the relevant Department for details relating to the requirements and administration of the industry experience component.