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Academic advice

Science

If you're studying in the Faculty of Science, find out how to approach degree planning and academic advice on the Science Student portal on Canvas. If you are a new student, you can also visit Welcome to Science for more information.

There are many different contacts in the Faculty of Science for academic advice. You'll need to decide which contact best matches your study background/plans or the questions you have, and then contact them directly. You must tell the contact who you are, what you are studying, and what you’d like advice on.

Science academic advisers are academics available to offer you advice and support throughout your studies. You can talk to them about a range of different topics including:

  • strategies for managing your studies
  • improving your academic performance
  • understanding the range of different student support services available to you and accessing the best resources for your needs
  • what to do if you are struggling at university and need some advice.

You can find the full list of Science academic advisers in Canvas.

Selecting units and planning your course

For help planning your course please refer to the requirements for award in your handbook's course resolutions for your degree to see what you need to complete. Your handbook also contains a sample enrolment plan for each course. Please note, Honours in the Bachelor of Advanced Studies requires two majors to be completed prior to starting Honours. You can find out how to approach academic advice and degree planning in Canvas.

In some circumstances one unit of study can count towards more than one course component - this is called double counting. You can double count 1000-level core units towards two majors if those 1000-level core units overlap. As this is double counted manually, the overlapping core unit won’t show as being counted towards your second major in Sydney Student. In the place of the unit that is double counted, you will need to complete one elective unit to ensure 144 credit points are completed for your degree, or 192 for the combined degree. This elective need not be in the discipline of your second major or minor.

You can count one unit of study towards two majors (or two minors/programs), but this depends on whether the unit of study is core or selective. For example, if you are completing two majors and the unit is core to both majors, it can count towards the two majors. If the unit is core to one major and selective in the other, it can only count to the major for which it is core. If the unit is a selective in both majors, it can count to one of these majors only. Even when a unit is able to count towards both majors, it only counts once when counting the total number of credit points you have completed towards your degree.

Information about different unit levels can be found on the course components webpage (under 'unit of study levels and codes').

For further unit of study advice, contact your unit of study coordinator (listed in the unit of study descriptions in your handbook) for assistance.

For advice about your course or course components, find a list of the relevant contacts on the Science Student portal on Canvas.

Last updated: 07 April 2025

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