Advanced standing (credit for previous study)

Principles

Students are reminded that eligibility for credit does not guarantee a place in the course in which that credit would be available.

In considering requests for advanced standing on the basis of previous study, the faculty acknowledges the principles set down by the University in its advanced standing policy.

In particular, the faculty accepts that:

• action on the granting of advanced standing should be initiated promptly upon request and with the submission of full and sufficient information by applicants who have undertaken previous relevant study;

• a student granted advanced standing but who has good grounds for not wishing to make use of it should not normally be required to do so;

• no discrimination will be made against the type of institutions or the type of courses for which advanced standing may be granted;

• the principal factors in assessing advanced standing shall be the standard and the content of the previous study, the results achieved, the period elapsed since its completion, and the student's perceived chances of success in the course;

• when considering any units for advanced standing towards faculty courses, the relevant departmental representatives, in the case of undergraduate studies, or the course director in the case of graduate studies, must ensure that the depth and breadth of the content and assessment of those units is equivalent to that of units offered as part of the course;

• procedures determining advanced standing should include provision for the setting of individualised programs of study for the completion of a course or part of a course in order to take maximum account of an enrolling student's prior learning experiences.

The minimum proportion of study to be undertaken for the completion of each course should be stated.

For undergraduate courses offered by the faculty, at least eight units (48 points) must be undertaken from the degree family in which the degree is awarded, and a minimum of 12 units (72 credit points) from courses offered by Monash University. The total credit granted towards any one degree must not exceed 96 credit points.

For the award of a post graduate degree students must have undertaken at least one third of the units from the prescribed course of study for the award, and a minimum of half of the units within the award must come from Monash University courses.

All advanced standing must be granted consistent with Faculty policies and degree rules.

As long as requirements for the minimum proportion of study to be undertaken have been satisfied, no distinction will be made in determining advanced standing on whether or not the previous study had earned the student a qualification.

Appeals procedures are available for the hearing of complaints related to the granting of advanced standing.

For undergraduate courses:

• advanced standing must be granted at a year level no higher than the prior studies were undertaken;

• specific credit should be based upon at least 80% equivalence in unit content;

• if previous studies completed in an area outside business and economics are not deemed to be equivalent to Faculty units, credit may be granted for elective units;

• the number of specific and elective credits granted should be consistent with the rules of the degree into which the student is enrolled or wishes to transfer into, including the rule that in any degree the number of first-year level units including electives must not exceed 10 (60 credit points);

• advanced standing cannot be cumulative. Where a student has completed two qualifications recognised for admission, the maximum units of advanced standing granted will be equivalent to that granted for the higher level qualification: (eg, if a student has been awarded two advanced diplomas from TAFE, and the maximum advanced standing for a single advanced diploma is 8 units, the student will be entitled to no more than eight units of advanced standing in total);

• a maximum of 8 units total advanced standing can be awarded to students whose prior studies were undertaken as part of non-university awards;

• a maximum of two non-specific elective units may be granted as credit at the first-year level;

• when granting credit for units undertaken from non-university awards which are not business-related, a maximum of two electives may be granted. These must be at first year level;

• students who have received the maximum advanced standing upon entry may be granted exemption without credit for additional units where appropriate.

Advanced standing procedures

Undergraduate courses

The Faculty may recognise for the purpose of credit transfer units:

1. in courses from Universities:

• in the unified Australian system (not including those courses taught off-shore)

• in the New Zealand System

• in the United Kingdom and Ireland

• in Canada

• in the European Union

• which are Monash Study Abroad partners

• approved by the Faculty’s Qualifications Assessment and Advanced Standing Committee.

Any advanced standing given on the basis of studies undertaken outside the business area must reflect the non-equivalence of units studied, and shall only be given as non-specific electives. When assessing prior university study for credit, specific and elective credits will be specified at the year level they were achieved. If the prior university study has been completed at second- or third-year level, the specific and elective credit(s) will be specified as second- or third-year accordingly. This procedure shall also apply to transfers and credit between Faculty degrees and degrees from other faculties with differences in the inner core unit requirements

2. from completed post-secondary business courses from the Australian TAFE system (completed Diploma or higher). For the purpose of advanced standing units from these courses will be considered equivalent to no more than university first-year level unless a sequence of four TAFE units in a single discipline area related to business has been completed, and all units will be assessed on a “two for one” basis (2 TAFE units equal 1 university unit). Courses where assessment is competency based (“pass/fail”) will not be considered for admission or advanced standing. Any advanced standing given on the basis of studies undertaken outside the business area must reflect the non-equivalence of units studied, and shall only be given as non-specific electives. Students with a non-business TAFE award may be granted a maximum of two electives as credit, and these will be at first-year level.

3. from completed post-secondary TAFE-equivalent courses approved by the Faculty’s Qualifications Assessment and Advanced Standing Committee (eg, Singapore Polytechnics diplomas, or Hong Kong Associate degrees in business). For the purpose of advanced standing units from these courses will be considered equivalent to no more than university first-year level unless a sequence of four units in a single discipline area related to business has been completed, and all units will be assessed on a “two for one” basis (2 units equal 1 university unit). Courses where assessment is competency based (“pass/fail”) will not be considered for admission or advanced standing. Any advanced standing given on the basis of studies undertaken outside the business area must reflect the non-equivalence of units studied, and shall only be given as non-specific electives. Students with a non-business award may be granted a maximum of two electives as credit, and these will be at first-year level.

4. from diplomas approved by the Faculty’s Qualifications Assessment and Advanced Standing Committee as equivalent to the first year of a course from a recognised Australian university (eg, MIBT, PIBT). For the purpose of advanced standing units from these courses will be considered equivalent to no more than university first-year level. Any advanced standing given on the basis of studies undertaken outside the business area must reflect the non-equivalence of units studied, and shall only be given as non-specific electives.

5. from courses from other institutions approved by the Faculty’s Qualifications Assessment and Advanced Standing Committee. Advanced standing must be granted at a year level no higher than the prior studies were undertaken. Any advanced standing given on the basis of studies undertaken outside the business area must reflect the non-equivalence of units studied, and shall only be given as non-specific electives.

The granting of credit at the second-year level for the TAFE, Hong Kong or Singapore diploma/advanced diploma/associate degree programs or equivalent will only be considered where it is clear that there is a minimum of four inter-related sequential units in a cognate discipline area related to business

Individual course entries in the Undergraduate Guide to Courses handbook also have specific advanced standing entitlements for various qualifications.

When applying for advanced standing, candidates must provide either original or legally certified copies of academic transcripts together with detailed unit outlines for all units for which advanced standing is sought. An ´Application for advanced standing' form, available from the faculty student administration office, must be completed and lodged at the time of enrolment. The last date for lodgement of applications is the first Friday of each semester; applications received after this period will not be considered. (Note that there are alternative application procedures for students registered for the Bachelor of Business Studies.)

Students may lodge only two applications for advanced standing for any one course. Advanced standing is granted towards a specific course, and students transferring to another degree will be required to submit a new application. Students must not consider advanced standing to have been granted until they receive official notification from the faculty student administration office.

Units studied and completed more than 10 years prior to admission to the degree are regarded as beyond a reasonable time limit for applicability and therefore are not acceptable for advanced standing. In practice, the 10-year period is deemed to commence from the date a result is returned for the unit rather than from the date of enrolment in the unit.

Graduate courses

For information on the granting of advanced standing, staff and students should refer to the individual course entries in the Postgraduate Guide To Courses handbook. An ´Application for advanced standing' form, available from the student administration office, must be completed and lodged at the time of enrolment and candidates must provide either original or legally certified copies of academic transcripts of previous studies and detailed unit outlines for units for which credit is sought. Assessment is undertaken by the graduate course director.

Generally, advanced standing may be granted in some graduate courses for units considered to be equivalent to particular requirements of the course of study. For units considered to be similar in content but not equivalent to particular requirements of the course of study, students may be permitted to substitute another unit relevant to the course. Advanced standing will not be granted for units studied more than five years ago.

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