HDR Coursework

As a research student, depending on your faculty, school or course requirements, you may need to complete certain coursework units of study. You can also request access to units of study that you think will benefit your study. 

HDR coursework (Table R units of study)

To support your research capability, the University offers a range of interdisciplinary coursework units of study at 5000 level or above. These are known as HDR coursework units of study (or Table R units of study) and are listed in the Interdisciplinary Studies Handbook.

Some faculties and schools require their HDR students to complete some of these units of study within their first (or second) year of candidature, as listed below. If this applies to you, they will appear as milestones in your RECS record, along with their associated deadlines. 

If you are not required to complete any Table R units of study, you may still choose to enrol in any that you believe would support your research. You may also request special permission to enrol in any other unit of study that you believe would support your research. For more information, see the handbook website.

Required units by faculty/school

Unit code

Unit name

Course

Year

ARCF9001

Modes of Inquiry: Research and Scholarship

All

1

Code

Unit name

Course

Year

Notes

BUSS7901

Research Design

All

1

Must be taken in first semester of candidature, and before First-year Faculty Milestone (Thesis Proposal Defence)

Offered in Semesters 1 and 2

BUSS7902

Introduction to Quantitative Methods

BUSS7903

Introduction to Qualitative Methods

BUSS7904

Advanced Quantitative Methods

PhD only
(MPhil students intending to transfer to PhD must take either BUSS7904 or BUSS7906)

1–2

Pre-requisite: BUSS7902

Must be taken within first three semesters of candidature

Offered in Semester 2 only

BUSS7906

Advanced Qualitative Methods

PhD only
(MPhil students intending to transfer to PhD must take either BUSS7904 or BUSS7906)

1–2

Pre-requisite: BUSS7903

Must be taken within first three semesters of candidature

Offered in Semester 2 only

BUSS7908

Research Reading Seminar

All

1

Offered at discipline’s discretion

BUSS7910

Philosophy of Business Research

All

1

Must be taken within first available session of candidature

Offered in Semesters 1 and 2

Code

Unit name

Course

Year

Notes

LAWS6077

Legal Research 1

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Juridical Studies

Master of Laws (Research)

Master of Criminology (Research)

1

Offered in Semester 1 only

LAWS7001

Legal Research 2

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Juridical Studies

1 or 2

Offered in Semester 1 only

 

Code

Unit name

Course

Year

Notes

MCGY5111

Creative Work Seminar 1

Master of Music (Composition)

Master of Music (Performance)

Doctor of Musical Arts

1

Must be taken in first semester of candidature

Offered in Semesters 1 and 2

MCGY5112

Creative Work Seminar 2

Master of Music (Composition)

Master of Music (Performance)

Doctor of Musical Arts

1

Must be taken in second semester of candidature

Offered in Semesters 1 and 2

Conservatorium of Music units of study offered in Table R

Master of Music (Composition)

Master of Music (Performance)

1

6 credit points must be taken within first year of candidature

Master of Music (Music Education)

Master of Music (Musicology)

1

18 credit points must be taken within first year of candidature

Doctor of Musical Arts

2

12 credit points must be taken within second year of candidature

Requesting an exemption

You may be eligible to apply for an exemption from a particular faculty/school–required HDR coursework unit of study, based on coursework you have previously completed.

If you believe you might be eligible for an exemption, discuss this with your lead supervisor. If they agree, they will submit an exemption request through RECS on your behalf, and you will be informed of the outcome.

How to enrol

If you began your HDR degree on or after 1 January 2021

Self-enrol in each unit of study by logging in to Sydney Student and selecting ‘My studies’, then ‘Units of study’, then ‘Change your units of study’ and following the prompts.

In some cases, you will be prompted to apply for:

Permission/exception Circumstances Instructions
Departmental permission

For certain units of study, as indicated. Follow the prompts in Sydney Student. When your application has been assessed, you will be informed of the outcome.
Enrolment exception If you try to enrol in more than the number of credit points required to complete your degree. Check your eligibility and follow these instructions to request an enrolment exception.
Special permission If the unit of study you wish to enrol in is not listed in Table R) Follow the instructions below under ‘If you began your HDR degree before 1 January 2021’.

You need to apply for special permission to enrol in any HDR coursework unit of study, even those required by your faculty/school. Apply at least two weeks before the relevant deadline for adding or removing coursework units of study, to allow time for your application to be processed.

Go to Sydney Student, then ‘My studies’, then ‘Research details’, then ‘Apply for special permission in course’ and follow the prompts. If you have written approval from your program director to enrol in your chosen unit of study, upload this with your application, but note that this does not guarantee special permission.

If additional documentation is required, you will receive an email requesting this, and your application will not be assessed until you have provided it. When your application has been assessed, you will be informed of the outcome.

Faculty-specific enrolment requirements

If you wish to enrol in a language unit, you must first contact the unit of study coordinator to confirm the appropriate level of study.

To view the units of study available to you, check your faculty/school handbook for the year you began your HDR studies, and the unit of study selection screen in Sydney Student.

When to enrol in HDR coursework

There are two separate academic calendars that may apply to you as an HDR student: the research calendar, which relates to your research project, and the coursework calendar, which relates to any units of study you take.

The research calendar comprises four periods per year – Research Periods 1, 2, 3 and 4 – each of which has a fixed start and end date regardless of the calendar year.

The coursework calendar comprises multiple coursework sessions per year, each of which has a start and end date that depends on the calendar year. Depending on your faculty or school’s offerings, coursework may be offered in Semesters 1 and/or 2, in shorter sessions that align with the research periods, or in one or more of the University’s intensive sessions scheduled throughout the year.

To determine when to enrol in an HDR coursework unit of study, check the Study dates page for the semester or session you wish to enrol in. It indicates the last date within each semester or session that you can add (enrol in) a unit of study, as well as the last date you can withdraw from one without academic penalty.