Planning your course structure with the course planner
You will need to plan which units you are going to study before you enrol online. Learn how to plan your course using the course planner tool.
Your course planner shows you how many core (compulsory) and component (or elective) units you must enrol in for each semester or teaching period.
Your course planner also shows when you need to study your major or minor units if you're completing a degree.
You must read your course planner before you enrol online. It will help you plan the units you enrol in.
Choosing your units
This is the fun part where you get to choose your academic adventure. Most course planners show a recommended course structure and you can change some of the recommended units.
You can choose your component or elective units and your major and minor units. You need to study some units in a certain order.
Majors and minors in bachelor degrees
There are different types of majors and minors that can form part of a bachelor degree:
- A major (or first major) is an area you would like to specialise in. A major is a set of 8 units of the same study area or topic, spaced throughout your course.
- You can sometimes study a second major or co-major alongside your first major. Swinburne lists first majors and second majors on the testamur you receive when you graduate.
- A minor is a set of 4 units that you can choose from any field of study. These units are spaced throughout your course and all 4 units must be selected from the same study area or topic.
- An advanced minor is a set of 4 units in a field of study that builds upon your major.
- Elective units are single units that don't form part of a major or minor.
Units you need to study in a certain order
There are three types:
- Prerequisite — you must complete this unit before enrolling in a following unit. For example, Innovative Business Practice is a prerequisite unit students must complete before they can enrol in the unit Advanced Innovative Business Practice.
- Co-requisites — you must complete this pair of units at the same time.
- Concurrent prerequisites — you may complete these units either at the same time or before the higher unit.
Check 'My Study' to make sure you are planning to enrol in the right prerequisite and co-requisite units. If you enrol in units in the wrong order it can affect future units you're able to study and how long it takes you to complete your course.
You may have covered off requirements for a requisite course through previous completed study or work experience. If this is the case, you can apply for a prerequisite waiver.
Course structure and unit details
To view your course structure and which units you can choose to study:
- Go to Find a course.
- Enter the name of your course in the search bar at the top of the page (e.g. Bachelor of Business).
- Choose your course from the list of search results.
Once you've clicked on your chosen course from the search results, you'll be able to:
- see what majors are available to study (select the blue ‘Choose a major’ box to see a list)
- see the core units and other units that make up your course
- choose other areas of study (such as second majors, minors or electives).
You can also read a detailed description of each unit by selecting the link on the unit name.
Use this information to help plan your course in your course planner.
Using your course planner while you enrol
To help you enrol, make sure you either:
print your course planner and have a copy with you while enrolling
enrol with a desktop or laptop computer.
It's a good idea to keep your course planner open in a separate window as you work through the steps.
Download your course planner
Refer to your course planner to see what units are required each semester throughout your course. The units in your planner are colour-coded to make it easier to map out your studies.
Course planner example
This is an example of a course planner for a bachelor degree. It shows what the information in the course planner means and how the units are colour-coded.
Note: Your course planner may look different from this example.
Professional placement and work-integrated learning (undergraduates)
If you're a local student enrolled in a three or four-year undergraduate degree you may take six-to-twelve months of professional placement as work-integrated learning. This learning is then credited towards your Swinburne degree.
Note: Only international students enrolled in a professional degree can undertake a professional placement.
Credit for study abroad and study tours
If Swinburne approves your application to study abroad, you will enrol into the host institution overseas. You will earn academic credit from your host institution for the units you complete, however, Swinburne will not give you academic credit until your return.
Academic credit is credit for a unit or several units in your course. When you get academic credit for a unit, you don’t need to study it. You can apply for academic credit if you have prior study or experience that’s relevant.
Note: Academic credit will not always be equivalent across different institutions.
Some study tours offering academic credit have a unit code and you can enrol in them like any other unit. Costs and additional requirements can apply.
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Enrolling in Summer and Winter Terms
Enrolling in Summer or Winter Term units is a great way to fast-track your course and is available for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
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Outgoing Cross-Institutional Study
If you're currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate program at Swinburne and want to undertake cross-institutional study at another institution, learn more about what is required.
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Study online units
Want to enrol in an online unit as part of your course? You can choose from the online units delivered by Swinburne as well as Swinburne Online and Open Universities Australia (OUA).
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Course delivery options
We offer a range of flexible course structures so you’re able to organise your study around your family, work and other commitments.
Ready to enrol?
Downloaded your course planner and ready to enrol? Great! Follow these steps and begin the enrolment process.