(note: pictures will be added when I'm back home and have access to basic snipping tools)
We seem to have been getting a lot of questions along this line recently, so I figured I'd make a little tutorial for everything!! (also because I'm in another country on New Years Eve with the family and I have nothing else to do, lel)
So, before we actually talk about planning your degree, I'm going to start with some FAQs! (yes, this is usually done at the end of tutorials. But I'm a revolutionary, so
)
I haven't actually got my offer yet... But I'm definitely going to Monash. How do I plan my degree?Woah kiddy, slow down there!! Nothing wrong with getting a head start on things.
But a week after you get your offer, the university will teach you about degree planning and picking units. After that, you have a whole month to try and figure it out without ANY repercussions whatsoever! If you're having trouble now, and this guide doesn't help, wait until after that intro session before asking for more help. You never know - they might have the missing piece you needed.
Alright, alright... But what if I don't know what I want to do?!WAIT UNTIL YOUR ORIENTATION SESSION. Yeesh.
However, I will mention you only need to have your first year planned out - not your entire degree. Feel free to take everything one step at a time!! Look through the handbook for each unit, decide what sounds interesting, and just pick those. No pressure - you only have to plan your degree one year at a time, and after you put in all the subjects you want to enroll into, you can actually CHANGE these units with no repercussions up until the census date (usually about 2 weeks into the semester the unit is for)
Okay, so I'm now at Monash, and this guide STILL didn't help... How do I plan my degree?Speak to a course advisor for more help - each faculty has their own special one, so you'll need to visit the faculty help desk to find out more.
What's a Major?A major is a collection of units in one area which total 48 credit points. Usually, half of these credit points are 3rd year units, but you can usually split it so it's more like a third.
Wait - what's a credit point?It's a little piece of a unit.
For whatever reason, the university lists things in terms of "credit points" instead of units. Usually, 6 credit points = 1 unit. There are some exceptions, but the only one I've heard of are units worth 12 credit points (so, two units) and units worth 36 credit points (six units), so you may as well divide everything by six and think of them in terms of how many "units" they are.
Okay, so what's a minor?Half a major - 24 credits (4 units) instead of 48 credits (8 units). Because of this, the minor has no third year units in it. They're generally pretty easy to pick up, but don't get mentioned on your academic transcript.
Ohhh - so an extended major is just twice a major, yeah?Nope, awks.
An extended major has twice the amount of third year units as a major, but not twice the amount of units - so it's 14 units (72 credit points) instead of 8 units.
Okay, cool. Well, I followed your guide, and I got my major, minor and electives, and so far I have 20 units. Is that okay?Probably not. A single degree is usually 144 credit points, or 24 units. This is important - just because you have all the requirements of the degree, in terms of majors, minors, etc., this doesn't mean you can finish your degree. Nearly every degree (with few exceptions - you'd know if you were an exception) has a certain amount of credits you must obtain before you get the degree, which is listed in the handbook.
Handbook? I can't find that entry, where is it?! 
Usually, a good google search will take you to the handbook entry you want. If that doesn't work,
use the Monash course search. Once you've found your degree, click the "See Course Requirements" button, and that'll take you to the handbook.
I started in the year XYZW, but now it's the year WXYZ. Which handbook do I use and how do I find it?You use the handbook for XYZW. I've heard rumours that you can use future handbooks as well, but that's something you'll have to take up with your faculty, because I also get contradicted by a few people on this as well. Some say you can, some say you can't, best to get it from the horses mouth because it might just differ from degree to degree. To find the handbook entry from XYZW, you can do the good ol' google search again but include the year you want. You can also look through the
archived handbooks.Can I do electives from another faculty?Usually, yes, but there may be some restrictions based on the faculty. Some are very exclusive (like biomed) and don't want you to, some want you to apply to do them (art/design), and some just don't give a shit (arts, science and comm). However, you also need to make sure your degree has room for electives! So, look into that in the handbook
I'm in med and this doesn't make sense...Med does weird things, soz.
This walkthrough is for people who don't have their enrollment planned out for them!
Now then, onto the show! For this tutorial, I'm going to pretend I'm a science student - just because I'm familiar with how that degree works.
Plus it has a few more requirements than arts, but not as many as some others (like eng which has the whole damn thing planned out for you...), so it'll give me a good thing to go with.
The method to planning out your degree is the same for ANY, though, so don't feel intimidated if you don't do science!! With that, on with the show:
Single DegreesFirst off, let's look at the single degree. The first thing we need to do is find the handbook for our degree, using the information from above. For science, the handbook entry is
here.
Okay, so on the right hand side of this webpage is a box with a green header - in this box, we need to find how many credit points the degree has. In this case, it's 144 credit points, so we have to fill the degree with 24 units. The way I like to do it is set up a spreadsheet, listing each year and two semesters for each. So, let's do that:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | |
| Semester 3 | | | | |
| Semester 4 | | | | |
| Semester 5 | | | | |
| Semester 6 | | | | |
Yay, we have a spreadsheet now! Except it's blank, oops. That's fine, though, we just need to fill it up! So, let's go back to the handbook and pick some units.
In the handbook, you'll notice a bunch of fancy headings - "description", "structure", etc. Ignore them - they're useless to us. You will, however, see a course progression map in there. IGNORE IT. This course map is useful to get an idea of what you have to do, of course, but doesn't let you use your degree to its fullest. If you're confused by all of this and have NO idea what to do, sure, use it - but, if you want more out of your degree, don't do it.
Case study: I will be walking out of my degree with an extended major and a major. If you use the course map for science, this is not possible - just a case of how the map might "jib" you a bit. (and no, I'm not the only one doing this)
Okay, so now we go the section we care about - the "Requirements" section. For some degrees, like engineering, this will include a semester by semester list of units you should take. This is because those degrees have a lot more core units than science does - in those cases, you'll have a much easier time planning! Yay for you! For us, though, we start off with:
Part A: Science Specific StudyIgnore the bit where it says "48 points" - this is so false it's not funny. Let's go down this list one by one and see what we have to include.
Year One:
a)
Okay, so we need two sets of level 1 sequences. That is, we just need to pick two pairs of level 1 units in things we're interested in! Let's pretend I like chemistry and biology. In this case, I might pick:
BIO1011 and BIO1042
CHM1011 and CHM1022
These are the first classes of units in the list, so I hope you can find them.
Okay, so now that I've picked that, this is first year, so our spreadsheet now looks like this:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | | |
| Semester 3 | | | | |
| Semester 4 | | | | |
| Semester 5 | | | | |
| Semester 6 | | | | |
Make sure you check which SEMESTER each unit runs in. Some units run in both semesters, but this is no guarantee!! Some only run in one semester. Check the handbook page for each unit (click on the unit code) to find out which semester it's in.
b)
Okay, so now we need to pick one maths unit. If you can't find this next requirement, it is a little hidden - you'll have to read carefully through all the units for part a to get to this one! I'm going to pretend that I hated maths and don't want to do it anymore - unfortuantely for me, I have to!
But, SCI1020 is the "easiest" unit on the list, so I'll pick that. It's offered in both semesters, and I want to wait a while to do more maths... So, I'll do it in second semester. Now, our spreadsheet looks like this:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | SCI1020 | |
| Semester 3 | | | | |
| Semester 4 | | | | |
| Semester 5 | | | | |
| Semester 6 | | | | |
NOTE: The handbook says that this maths unit MUST be done in first year - THIS IS NOT TRUE. This is only a "suggestion" - at the end of your degree, the faculty only checks that you've "fulfilled" your requirements, now "when" you fulfilled them. So, if you want to do this maths unit in your final year, go ahead! Nothing is stopping you.
c)
Okay, so now we need a minimum of 6 science units at level 1, eh? Well, I only need one more unit... And after looking through the handbook for biology majors (this has assumed you've looked at part b and can see you need a major...
), and I think I might major in biology, I need to have done BIO1022 for a bunch of the majors!! So, I'll add that unit in, so now I have:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | SCI1020 | BIO1022 |
| Semester 3 | | | | |
| Semester 4 | | | | |
| Semester 5 | | | | |
| Semester 6 | | | | |
and that's filled up semester 2!! We'll have to be a little careful now - but thankfully, the next bit is...
Years two and three
d)
We have to do one of two units. No ifs, buts, or hows. I know that SCI2010 is shit and SCI2015 is marginally better, but I don't know how well I'll do in first year - so, I'll hope for 2015, and just suck it if I do 2010. Either way, I can do it in either semester, so let's just chuck it in first semester. Rip off the bandaid:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | SCI1020 | BIO1022 |
| Semester 3 | | | | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | | | | |
| Semester 5 | | | | |
| Semester 6 | | | | |
e)
Okay, last bit - we need at least 10 units at levels 2 and 3, with at least 4 units at level 3. We'll look at this requirement later, though, and try to fill out the rest of requirements. Who knows - we might finish this one off after we do the others?
Part B: Science Listed MajorAlright, so now we need to pick a major - just grab one from the list. The bit also suggests picking units from multiple areas of study... Which is fine! I want to major in either chemistry or something bio. In fact, physiology looks pretty interesting, I might go for that one!
So, now I look through the requirements in the subject handbook (soz, this isn't a guide for that one - mainly because the process is the same. Go to the handbook for the area you want to major in, read its requirements. The majors handbook is a lot easier to decipher than the courses one, so), and pick the units I want. So, now my degree looks like this:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | SCI1020 | BIO1022 |
| Semester 3 | CHM2911 | PHY2011 | | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | CHM2922 | PHY2032 | CHM3922 | CHM3180 |
| Semester 5 | CHM3911 | CHM3942 | PHY3111 | |
| Semester 6 | PHY3012 | PHY3072 | PHY3102 | |
Yay, we now have TWO majors!! Just to cover our bases.
Of course, we only had to do 1, but we mentioned I wasn't sure which to do, so we're doing both now.
You'll notice I'm doing third year units in the second year, though - once again, this is okay. I've actually covered the pre-reqs for those two units when I selected CHM2911, so there's no issue with doing them! Even if I didn't have the pre-reqs, I could ask the unit coordinator to let me in, and they're usually okay with this. (not always, though, so watch out)
That's it for part b, you'll notice. So, before we continue, let's look at e from Part A - 10 units at level 2/3, with 4 units at level 3. Well, thanks to the two majors, we now have 12 units at level 2/3, with 8 units at level 3, so we've covered that! Now, we just need to worry about Part C...
Part C: Free Elective StudyYay, electives! Now, this section actually mentions your electives can come from another faculty - in fact, with 48 credit points, you could get a majors worth of units done from another degree!! Imagine doing science with a philosophy major, or marketing major. Saves even more time than a double degree!!
However, because I want to demonstrate the power you have over your degree if you ignore the course map, INSTEAD I'm going to say that we're massive science nerds. We want an extended major in chemistry, and keep the physiology major. Thankfully, we can do chem units early!! Furthermore, we only need 6 level 3 units to do the chem extended major, so I'm going to put in some second year units:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | SCI1020 | BIO1022 |
| Semester 3 | CHM2911 | PHY2011 | CHM2951 | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | CHM2922 | PHY2032 | CHM3922 | CHM3180 |
| Semester 5 | CHM3911 | CHM3942 | PHY3111 | |
| Semester 6 | PHY3012 | PHY3072 | PHY3102 | |
Which COMPLETELY finishes off second year... Oops. Okay, well, we still need 3 more chem units - but we only have two spaces left!! ... Except for in first year, that is - we still have two whole spots there. And after reading the handbook, it turns out I can do food chemistry with only CHM1011!
But then I have to move SCI1020... Oh well, I'll just get it finished ASAP. So, we make the appropriate changes:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | SCI1020 | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | BIO1022 | CHM2962 |
| Semester 3 | CHM2911 | PHY2011 | CHM2951 | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | CHM2922 | PHY2032 | CHM3922 | CHM3180 |
| Semester 5 | CHM3911 | CHM3942 | PHY3111 | |
| Semester 6 | PHY3012 | PHY3072 | PHY3102 | |
Now, I just need two more level 3 chem units!! So, I add those in:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | SCI1020 | |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | BIO1022 | CHM2962 |
| Semester 3 | CHM2911 | PHY2011 | CHM2951 | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | CHM2922 | PHY2032 | CHM3922 | CHM3180 |
| Semester 5 | CHM3911 | CHM3942 | PHY3111 | CHM3930 |
| Semester 6 | PHY3012 | PHY3072 | PHY3102 | CHM3990 |
Well, we're almost done - but we still have that one unit left we need to fill... But we've already satisfied all the pre-reqs!! Unfortunately, we HAVE to do 24 units to get the degree, so I'll just put in some random filler unit - I heard that there's a biophysics unit, so I'll put that one in there:
| | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
| Semester 1 | BIO1011 | CHM1011 | SCI1020 | PHS1031 |
| Semester 2 | BIO1042 | CHM1022 | BIO1022 | CHM2962 |
| Semester 3 | CHM2911 | PHY2011 | CHM2951 | SCI2015 |
| Semester 4 | CHM2922 | PHY2032 | CHM3922 | CHM3180 |
| Semester 5 | CHM3911 | CHM3942 | PHY3111 | CHM3930 |
| Semester 6 | PHY3012 | PHY3072 | PHY3102 | CHM3990 |
Congratulations!! You just planned a degree.
Double DegreesWe won't talk too much here - double degree planning requires you go through the exact same process, really. However, I still have this section to make a slight note.
Whilst planning out our single degree, you may have noticed some notes. For example:
"Note 5: Students in the double degree course with Biomedical Science or with Engineering who complete BMS1031 or PHS1080 as part of the Biomedical Science or Engineering requirement, take any other level 1 science unit in lieu of PHS1031 or PHS1080 as these units are equivalent and fulfil the prerequisites for the second semester PHS units."
Take note of these notes - they'll help you plan your double degree!
Aaaand that about sums up planning your degree... Any questions, shoot below. I hope you enjoyed the journey!!
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