Planning your course
Understanding units of study
Units of study are the individual subjects you'll undertake that make up your course components. As you start planning it's important to understand how to choose the right units and the rules you need to follow. This page will get you started with an introduction to the different kinds of units and some key rules.
Credit points
All units have a credit point value. Most units are worth 2, 3 or 6 credit points, although there are exceptions (e.g. 0 and 12 credit point units).
The credit points for all your enrolled units for a semester add up to your study load.
Rules
Many units have rules you'll need to meet to be able to enrol in them. You'll find the rules in both your handbook and unit outlines.
| Prerequisite | A requirement that needs to be completed before you are able to take the unit, such as already having completed a particular unit of study or a certain number of credit points. |
| Corequisite | A unit that you undertake with another specific unit at the same time. |
| Prohibition | A unit that has a significant overlap in content. You can't enrol in the unit if you have already completed one of the prohibited units. |
| Assumed knowledge | Where it's assumed that you have passed a relevant unit or Higher School Certificate subject. Although you’re generally advised against taking a unit which you do not have the assumed knowledge for, you are not prevented from enrolling in the unit. |
Codes
Unit codes indicate the subject area and the level (e.g. CHEM1001, which is Chemistry 1A). Use the level as a quick guide to help understand when to schedule your units.
| 1000 | First-year undergraduate students. |
| 2000 | Students who have completed first-year undergraduate units. |
| 3000 | Students in their third year of undergraduate studies. |
| 4000 | Students who have completed their third year of undergraduate studies (e.g. Honours students, Advanced Studies students). |
| 5000 and above | Postgraduate students. |
Tables
Your handbook separates units (as well as majors and minors) into tables.
| Table A | The units offered by your faculty or school that are specific to your course. |
| Table S | Table S is a 'shared pool' of units across different faculties and schools that you might be able to study. |
| Table O | Open Learning Environment (OLE) units. |
| Table D | The units available only to students enrolled in the Dalyell Scholars program. |
Enrolling in your units
When it's time to enrol, you'll be asked to choose your units in Sydney Student. You'll see that units are grouped together into 'collections' based on your course rules. Often, the same unit will appear in more than one collection such as Degree Core, Major and Elective collections.
It's important that you select your unit from the right collection. Your handbook will guide you on how to do this.
Find out more about enrolling in your units, including deadlines, by reading Selecting units in Sydney Student.