College of Fine Arts

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions can be found in alphabetical order by course code in the Online Handbook. Timetable constraints and availability of staff do not allow all courses to be offered every year, although endeavours are made to offer the full range over a 3-year period.

Enrolment Procedures

All students enrol via the UNSW student portal, myUNSW (https://my.unsw.edu.au/). It is the responsibility of the students to enrol in courses consistent with the rules and requirements of their program.

Core, Elective, Prerequisite, Corequisite and Excluded Courses

All programs are governed by basic conditions or rules that specify what a student needs to complete in order to qualify for a degree. Normally a student will study a mixture of compulsory and elective courses.
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Compulsory or core courses are ones that must be studied, usually at the stage specified in the program. One compulsory course is often a prerequisite for another that comes later.

Elective courses allow students to plan their studies to specific needs, interests and careers aspirations. Some student choose electives to focus and deepen their studies, others will choose electives across a broad range of areas. Some electives may have to be taken from a specific list. Please refer to the list of Undergraduate Elective Courses or the list of Postgraduate Elective Courses for further information, or consult the COFA website at www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/currentstudents/. Where a choice of elective courses is available, students should take care to satisfy prerequisites and corequisites and not complete excluded courses.

Prerequisites are courses that must be satisfactorily completed before a student can progress to a later course. Prerequisites are specified in the course descriptions and students without the necessary prerequisite for a course will be block from enrolment into that course.

Corequisites are courses that must be either be completed successfully before, or studied concurrently with, the course for which it is prescribed.

Excluded courses are courses students are excluded from taking, generally because they have content in common with courses for which the student has previously completed or has been granted credit.

General Education Requirements

The objectives of General Education and details of the courses offered across the University are available in the General Education section in the Online Handbook. Further information regarding the Faculty's rules and requirements on General Education are on the COFA website at www.cofa.unsw.edu.au/currentstudents/generaleducation/.

Access and Safety

Students are required to abide by the building closing times determined for the campus. Opening and closing times will be determined by an authorised College officer from time to time and will be shown on official notice boards. Building and other campus premises or grounds are to be vacated at any time when required by an authorised officer of the College.

In the interests of safety and student welfare, persons under the age of 16 years are not permitted on campus unless expressly authorised by the Dean.

In the interests of general comfort and safety, students, staff and visitors are required to obey the campus rules regarding smoking, eating and drinking.

Students seeking to serve alcoholic drinks at social functions are required to have the prior permission of the Dean or delegate.

Animals are not permitted on any part of the campus, except with the permission of an authorised College officer.

Students who fail to comply with these rules may be required to show cause why they should not lose their entitlement to membership and privileges of the College and, subsequently, may be subject to such penalty as may be determined by the Dean.

Traffic and Parking

The College grounds are private property and the University reserves the right to regulate the entry of individuals and vehicles and their behaviour and operation within the grounds. Students may not bring vehicles onto College grounds unless they have the express permission of the Facilities Zone Manager and accept the College Traffic and Parking Rules and the penalties for the infringement of those rules.

Any vehicle brought onto the grounds is required to be driven, parked and managed in compliance with the College rules and in the observance of the directions of authorised University/College officers.

The College does not accept responsibility for any damage caused to vehicles while travelling, standing or parked in the grounds, nor for any damage to, or loss of, accessories and/or contents.

The bringing or driving of vehicles or cycles on paths, grassed areas, or elsewhere on the grounds, except for roadways and car parks, is prohibited except with the permission of an authorised University/College officer.

Where a breach of the Traffic and Parking Rules occurs, the following penalties will apply:
  • for the first infringement or offence, an authorised officer will record the vehicle registration number and issue a written "first parking warning notice";
  • for the second and subsequent infringements or offences, an authorised officer will record the vehicle registration number and issue a "second parking warning notice". The driver shall be required to pay a minimum fine of $50.
Students may appeal in writing to the Dean against imposition of any penalty for infringement of the Traffic and Parking Rules.

Study Levels

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