Enrolment and subject selection - postgraduate programs

How will I know what to enrol in?

Please visit https://economics.uq.edu.au/program-plans. This link will take you to the option/s for the Postgraduate Coursework programs on offer by the School of Economics. Choose the relevant commencement year, select required program and start semester and then “download program plan”. Students who commenced programs prior to 2013 should contact the School. You do have the option to submit a suggested program plan to the Administrative Officer who oversees your program of study and they will advise you if this plan is appropriate and will meet the requirements of your program of study.

Please note:
Due to changes in program entry requirements from 2015 onwards, special provision has been made for pre-2015 students to change programs in 2015 or later to another program in the pre-2015 program suite and complete under the pre-2015 program course requirements.

The program entry requirements and course requirements for students commencing programs in 2015 will not be the same as those for pre-2015 students. Students who commenced programs pre-2015 must complete the pre-2015 program course requirements. There may be exceptions to this requirement. If you have any queries about which program requirements you are completing, please contact the School of Economics on email: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au and a Postgraduate Administrative Officer will assist you.

The program information and course list on the UQ Courses and Programs website and via mySI-net will default to the “current year”. This information is updated in September each year with the following year information. Students may need to change the current year showing to the year the program was commenced, i.e. “Show information for” select relevant year, then press “change”.

Can someone help me put together a plan for the courses that I need to enrol in for each semester?

You can access our program plans or if you require further assistance you may wish to make an appointment with the Administrative Officer for your program and they can assist you to compile a program plan. There are two Administrative Officers who oversee the Postgraduate Coursework programs.

Julie Waldon     Phone: 3365 6684     Email: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au

Julie and Rachel can assist you to put your progression plan together to ensure you meet program requirements in order to be able to graduate. They are able to assist you with administrative procedures and forms but are not able to supply academic advice on course content etc.

Completion of the relevant program requirements, according to the year you commenced your program, is imperative. If you have any questions about what courses you need to enrol in to fulfil your program requirements for graduation please contact econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au

What is Orientation Week?

Orientation week is the week prior to the commencement of classes for each semester. You can find out the relevant activities for your program at www.uq.edu.au/orientation. This will open a page that has an interactive planner to organise your attendance during Orientation week. Please ensure that you read the activities closely as there are compulsory activities that you must attend. There is a welcome by the Head of School and an advisory session that covers a number of the things that you will need to know while studying as a Postgraduate Coursework Student at The University of Queensland.

How do I find out about fees, and the cost of my study?

There is a fees calculator available on the university website. You will also notice that on the Programs and Courses website under each program there is an estimate of the cost of the study for the programs. Access more information on fees and the fee calculator. This information is updated regularly.

I have looked at the course profile and it sounds like a course I have done at another university. Do I have to do it again?

If you believe that a course you are required to complete, that is a compulsory course for your program, is very similar to a course you have previously completed you can apply for either Exemption or Credit so that you do not have to study this again.

What is the difference between credit and exemption?

If you have already completed undergraduate or postgraduate courses similar to those offered in the program, you may be eligible for exemption from these courses or credit for courses in your chosen program.

Credit - Students who have completed comparable postgraduate study may be eligible for credit. Credit is granted on the basis of previous postgraduate study that is deemed to be at least 70% equivalent to Economics postgraduate courses, subject to the program rules. When granted credit, students are required to complete fewer units towards the award of the degree. No credit is given for undergraduate study towards a postgraduate degree.

How do I apply for either credit or exemptions?

You first visit http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/forms/enrolment/credit-exemptions.pdf to download the appropriate form requesting credit/exemptions. You must then attach to this form a detailed course outline (which includes a week-by-week list of topics; texts, assessment criteria, contact hours etc) from the institution that you completed the course. The appropriate year/semester outline that the course was completed is normally required – not the current year version. The application form and documentation can be submitted directly to either of the Postgraduate Coursework Administrative officers in the School of Economics.

Alternatively, the application form together with scanned documentation is able to be submitted by email to: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au. Australian applicants are able to request credit and or exemption and upload scanned course outline documentation with their online application. This will then be assessed by the relevant course coordinator and you will be informed by the school of the decision.

Once you commence a program, a Credit Transfer can be completed if credit is approved. You will receive an automatically generated email when the credit transfer is completed.

If an Exemption is approved/granted, a text noting will be inserted on mySI-net which is viewable from your Studies Report. You will also be advised by email (student email), the outcome after the text noting has been inserted on mySI-net, or if the exemption is not approved.

Please ensure that you leave ample time to have the course assessed prior to the commencement of semester. If you do not do this it may interfere with your ability to meet program requirements and graduate by the expected date. It can also interfere with the progression of your program if the course is a pre-requisite to another course within your program. The application form indicates that this process may take 3-4 weeks. We would hope to finalise credit/exemption applications within 1-2 weeks, however finalisation will depend upon the time of year your application is submitted and the availability of the appropriate Academic Staff to assess course details. It is preferable for any credit/exemption issues to be finalised prior to commencing your studies.

I have seen a course at another university that I think would be interesting to study. Can I study this course?

Under special circumstances you can apply to study on a cross institutional basis at another University. However, you do need to have the course assessed to ensure that it is suitable and of the same standard as a Masters course offered at UQ. It would also need to be relevant to your program and not cause you to overload your studies. Permission would need to be given by the Head of School. To apply you would need to ensure that you meet the application requirements of the other institution as well. You would need to fill out the form located here. The host University that you plan on applying at for cross-institutional study will also have an application form which usually requires approval from this University. Please complete both of these forms and bring them to the school for action by the school. Once a decision has been made, if approved, you will then be required to submit the application form to the intended institution. Please note the submission date for a cross-institutional application for your host University and allow sufficient time for course assessment and approval of your request at UQ. A number of Universities have early submission deadlines and will not accept late applications or application without UQ approval.

I have seen a course that I want to enrol in but it says that it has a pre-requisite, what does that mean?

A pre-requisite means another course that you should have completed prior to being able to enrol in the course. It will contain information that you will need to be able to successfully complete the course. It means that when you enrol in the course it will be assumed that you possess the knowledge in the listed pre-requisite.

From 2015: Students approved to commence our #24 Master degree programs will be deemed to have completed courses such as ECON7000, ECON7001, ECON7150 & ECON7300. These courses are not included in the #24 Master degree course lists. Please consider whether your background knowledge is sufficiently current to commence the #24 program which will include intermediate level microeconomics & macroeconomics courses and Econometrics. It may be the case that the #32 program is more suitable, particularly if you need to refresh your knowledge in any of the introductory courses.

I have looked at the elective list for my program but there is another course that I would like to study that isn’t on the list. Can I just enrol in the course as an elective?

It isn’t as simple as just enrolling in a course that is not on the course list for your program. If you want the course to be credited to your program of study you would need to apply to study this course as a “non-scheduled elective”. You can request the application form from the relevant Administrative Officer. This can be done by emailing: econ.pgrad@uq.edu.au. The application will be emailed to you for completion and return. Please contact the administrative officer for your program to discuss the intended application. The course would need to be proven to be relevant to your program of study. Your application will be assessed by the (Postgraduate Coursework Coordinator) and then by the Head of School.

I am interested in completing the thesis in my masters degree. What do I need to do?

Planning your program is essential if you are considering studying the thesis to ensure you can fit it into your program of study. Due to the scheduling of compulsory Part A courses it is imperative that you have the progression plan in place. It is the student’s responsibility to determine the research area that you are interested in pursuing. It is also the students’ responsibility to liaise with and secure an Advisor who is usually an Academic staff member of the School of Economics. Learn more about economics staff research interests.

Please note: you cannot study ECON7950 Research Methods in Economics and the Thesis at the same time. You must have completed ECON7950 (or ECON7920/1/2 (pre-2015)) and ECON7310 Elements of Econometrics or ECON7350 or ECON7360 prior to commencing the Thesis.

Thesis (ECON7930, ECON7931, ECON7932)

This is an independent study to produce a 20,000 word document of a high academic standard through in-depth research. The course seeks to encourage critical thinking and informed judgement. The topic for the Thesis is required to be original which may make contribution to economic knowledge. The Thesis would normally contain the use of empirical methods such as data analysis or econometrics. Students will need to confirm their topics and Advisor details with the Course Co-ordinator for the ECON7930/1/2 Thesis. Further details will be available in the Course Profile.

Summer Semester Enrolment in the Thesis Courses

It may be possible to complete the Thesis course over Summer Semester if an academic staff member is available and agrees to be your Advisor over this teaching period. As Summer Semester is a non-standard teaching period, not all academic staff members will be available.

If you are intending to enrol in Summer Semester, it is strongly recommended that you make arrangements with an Advisor well before Summer Semester commences. Once it is confirmed by a Postgraduate Coursework Administrative Officer that the Academic staff member has agreed to act as your Advisor, you will be placed on a permission list which will then allow you to enrol. Enrolment in Summer Semester for ECON7930 Thesis is blocked until an Advisor is found by you and agrees (by email) to act as your Advisor.