Student Information

This page contains information that we hope will be helpful to your studies, including how to plan your course of study and where to get support when you need it.

On this page:

• Help and advice
• Important dates
• Policies
• Prospectuses
• Scholarships
• Course Codes, Trimesters, CRNs and points
• Course Planning

Help and Advice

You are welcome to approach staff members for advice. If it is a matter concerning a particular course, you should in the first instance contact the course coordinator. For more general advice on planning, first contact the Faculty Student Administration Office and the staff will direct you to the relevant course advisor.

If a problem arises for which you would rather not approach the course coordinator or lecturer, feel free to consult your programme director, Head of School or Associate Dean (Students).

Designated staff in the School of Architecture are available to advise women students, Maori and Pacific Nation students, international students and students will disabilities about any specific concerns. You can find these in the staff directory.

If you wish to seek an external aid, the Student Services Group is available to provide a variety of support and services. VUWSA and STUDiO are also available for welfare and representation needs.

Students with impairments are protected by the "Meeting the Needs of Students with Impairements Policy". This policy aims to give students with impairments the same opportunity as other students to demonstrate their abilities. You should contact your course coordinator if you feel your impairment will hinder you academic performance in any way. You may wish to approach a Student Advisor from Disability Support Services to confidentially discuss your individual needs and the options and support that is available.

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Victoria's home site contains approved dates and deadlines for trimesters, withdrawls and holiday breaks. This is also in the front of the School prospectus.

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Students should familiarise themselves with the University's student policies and statutes.

You should particularly familiarise yourself with:

• Academic Grievance Policy
• Student Conduct Statute and the Staff Conduct Policy (to understand your right to report improper staff conduct)
• Meeting the Needs of Students with Impairments

In addition, there are other important aspects of your study that you must be aware of:

• The support available to you as outlined in the Help and Advice section of this page
• Victoria's plagarism rules.
• There is a grace period that allows you to withdraw from courses early in each trimester. The deadlines for withdrawals are on the university's dates and deadlines page.

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The School of Architecture site holds undergraduate and postgraduate prospectuses.

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Scholarships

New scholarships, for which you may be eligible, become available frequently. You should visit the Univetsity's scholarships database regularly.

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Course codes include a 4 letter subject code and a 3-digit number - the first digit denotes the level of the course. The subject codes for a course taught by the School of Architecture include:

Courses are offered in three trimesters: some are offered more than once and some are completed over two consecutive trimesters. Each version of a course has a unique Course Reference Number (CRN) which will needed for enrolment forms and accessing information online. The trimesters, including the exam periods, are:

• 1st trimester (TRI 1): 2ns March - 1st July
• 2nd trimester (TRI 2): 13th July - 14th November
• 3rd trimester (TRI 3): 16th November - Mid February 2010

A full time workload in one trimester is 60 points. From 2010, all courses will be changing to 15 points as per the new proposed Bachelor of Architectural Studies* (subject to approval).

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You should plan your course of study as a coherant programme over the three or more years required. Usually, first-year students can only enrol in 100-level courses. In choosing your courses it is important to take account of:

• The overall requirements of the degree(s) you have chosen.
• Entry criteria for 100-level courses.
• Prerequisites for courses, especially those that have prerequisites in other subject areas.
• Workload constraints: 60 points per trimester represents standard full-time study. Most first-year students will take seven or eight courses (105/120 points per year).
• Timetable constraints: draw up your own timetable to ensure you do not have any clashes. You may find the course timetable useful for this.
• There will generally be some choice about which courses you take, especially in your first year. This enables you to build a programme that can keep options open if you are unsure of your preferred major/specialisation. There are many interesting courses around, and your specific interests may change as you advance through your degree.

Each degree offered by the School of Architecture has their own requirements. Please follow the links below to find out more.

• Bachelor of Architecture (BArch)
• Bachelor of Building Science (BBSc)
• Bachelor of Design specialising in Interior Architecture (ITDN)
• Bachelor of Design specialising in Landscape Architecture (LADN)

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