A beginner’s guide to understanding uni jargon

Starting university can feel like stepping into a whole new world, with new places to explore, friendships to form – and its very own secret language to decode.  

While it may seem overwhelming, the lingo is easy to grasp with a little help. Let’s go!

Assumed knowledge
While at UTS we don’t have any HSC subject prerequisites (specific subjects or courses you must complete before you can enrol in a particular course), each faculty identifies assumed knowledge and/or recommended studies. Take a look at our admissions requirements by course tool for more info.

Bridging course
If you don’t meet the assumed knowledge requirements for your preferred course, take a look at these short, intensive courses to help you prepare. For example, if you wanted to study a Bachelor of Nursing but did not take biology in the HSC, you would choose to take a bridging course before your course begins.

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
A place at a university or higher education provider where the government pays part of your fees.

Core subjects
Subjects that are compulsory within a specified course. Whether a subject is a core subject depends on the course in which it resides, so a subject that is core in one course may be available as an option or elective in another.

Course
At UTS, the term ‘course’ refers to your entire degree. It is often used synonymously with the word ‘degree’. For example, I am studying a Nursing course (or Nursing degree). This can be a little confusing, as other universities use the term course to refer to a subject (i.e., a single unit of study within a degree).

Course program
Your course program helps you to work out the order you should enrol in subjects. Following the course program lets you complete the degree in the minimum time. If the course program is not followed, the course duration may be extended and not all subjects may be available when preferred.

Credit points (CP)
The units used to measure the workload for individual subjects. Students gain CPs when they pass subjects within their course. Most subjects are 6cp or 8cp. As a standard measure at UTS, a normal full-time study load is equivalent to 48cp a year. So, to complete a 3-year degree, you would need to have accumulated 144cp (3x48cp).

Defer
Electing to hold off on studying for your degree for up to 12 months. This is common for students who want to take a break from study, often so that they can work or travel.

Electives
Some courses provide the opportunity to select electives where the subjects chosen are not constrained to the course program. In this instance, you can select from a wide range of subjects, within the constraints of the access conditions applying to each subject.

Faculty
A division within UTS that comprises a number of related subject areas. For example, the Health faculty comprises nursing, midwifery, and sport and exercise science. At UTS, there are seven faculties specific to undergraduate students: Arts and Social Sciences; Business; Design, Architecture, and Building; Engineering and Information Technology; Health; Law; and Science.

Major
A stream of related courses taken as part of a degree, which allow you to specialise in your chosen undergraduate course. For example, if you wanted to study a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at UTS, you would need to select a major in civil, electrical, mechanical or environmental.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Previously known as ‘credit recognition’. If you’ve completed education or employment that’s equivalent to a UTS subject, RPL means you may not need to repeat the subject/s in order to complete your degree.

Session
The UTS equivalent of a school semester (other universities may use 'semesters' or 'trimesters'). Our main teaching sessions are Autumn session (March - June) and Spring session (July - November). You can also choose to study subjects in our optional Summer session (December - February).

Subject
One unit of study which you enrol in as part of your course. For example, if you are studying a Bachelor of Business, you would need to study subjects such as: Accounting and Accountability, Economics for Business, and Business Statistics.