The Chief of Defence Force Students Program in Science offers the opportunity for students either entering UNSW@ADFA with a high Entrance Rank, or who achieve a high WAM in their first year, to undertake research in a range of disciplines that will develop their critical thinking and independent research skills beyond that available in the standard three-year BSc program. Students in the CDF Students Program will complete majors/minors as per the standard BSc and, in addition, will undertake a stream of research courses, normally through Years 2 and 3, working in close collaboration with an academic supervisor. In Year 1 of the program, students will enrol in an introductory course on research methodology either in Science or in Information Technology and will undertake a project. They will also be engaged with group activities so as to develop and maintain their interest and continuing involvement in the program (such as seminars, general reading and social events).

Research projects will require the approval of the CDF Students Program Subcommittee of the UNSW@ADFA Undergraduate Education Committee, acting on the recommendation of the relevant Head of School. Students in the research courses may work independently or as part of a team, depending on the nature of the project undertaken, though all students will submit individual assessment. Students in the research courses will be expected to present a short introductory seminar on their topic outlining their understanding of the project and their approach to the research to be undertaken. Final assessment, due by the end of session, will be based on a written paper and an oral presentation.

Entry into the program is limited and is subject to the approval of the Head of School.

The BSc(CDF) program has objectives and learning outcomes in common with the standard BSc program though it extends the educational principles embodied in the standard BSc to a higher level. In the program, students will be exposed in first year to research methods in the Sciences and will be offered significant extensions to the ideas and analysis performed in the standard program. This will allow the CDF students to undertake research projects, at the appropriate level, in their later years thereby more fully integrating research into their undergraduate degree. The individual projects undertaken in close association with academic staff on research topics of mutual interest underpin the program and give the students the ability to develop their full potential.


Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for the Bachelor of Science (CDF Students Program) would be the same as for the Bachelor of Science, with the following variations:
Enrolment requires approval of the Head of School
The Entrance Rank will be a UAI of 98 or higher;
A student enrolled in a standard BSc may, at the discretion of the Head of School, transfer to the BSc(CDF) on completion of a minimum of 24 units of credit of Level I Science courses in Session 1 of Year 1 with a WAM of 85 or greater. Transfer to the BSc(CDF) may also be allowed up to the commencement of the Year 2 research courses provided the student has a WAM of 85 or greater.

Please see the 'Sample Program' tables below.

 

 

 

 

 

Pass Degree
1.0 Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students
1.1 A student must comply with the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students. In the event of a conflict, the rules for the Bachelor of Science (CDF) take precedence over the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students.

2.0 Degree Rules Dictionary
2.1 'Major' means an approved combination of 48 units of credit in the one discipline area, of which at least 36 units of credit are for upper-level courses.
2.2 'Minor' means an approved combination of 24 units of credit in the one discipline area, of which at least 12 units of credit are for upper-level courses.
2.3 'Level I' means courses at an introductory level, normally taken in Year 1.
2.4 'Upper level' means courses at Level II and Level III, normally taken in Years 2 or 3.
2.5 'Science discipline areas' means Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Information Systems, Mathematics, Oceanography, Operations Research and Physics.
2.6 'Arts discipline areas' means Economics, English, History, Indonesian, Indonesian-Malay Studies, Management and Politics.
2.7 'Elective courses' means courses from any related discipline area as identified in Clause 2.5 above.
3.0 Degree Requirements
3.1 A student must obtain, normally over three years of study, a minimum of 144 units of credit, including one of the following combinations ('a' or 'b')–
a) 96 units of credit for two Majors from Science discipline areas.
One major must include the Level III course ZPEM3901 Research Project 2 or the Level III course ZITE3901 Information Technology Research Project 2 , each worth 6 units of credit. The other major must include the Level III course ZPEM3902 Research Project 3 or the Level III course ZITE3902 Information Technology Research Project 3, each worth 6 units of credit.
Also included must be -
i. 6 units of credit for Science elective courses at Level I.
ii. 6 units of credit from the Level I course ZPEM1901 Contemporary Issues in Science or the Level I Course ZITE1901 Introduction to Research in Information Technology.
iii. 6 units of credit from the Level II course ZPEM2901 Information Technology Research Project 1 or the Level II course ZITE2901 Information Technology Research Project 1.
iv. 6 units of credit for a Directed Studies course, either ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management or ZHSS2002 Introduction to Strategic Studies, or an approved equivalent.*
v. 12 units of credit for General Education courses, or approved equivalents, normally taken in the second and third years of study.
* Currently the only Directed Studies course available in Session 1 is ZHSS2002
b) 96 units of credit for one major and two minors from Science discipline areas; and -
i. 18 units of credit for Science elective courses at Level I.
ii. 6 units of credit from the Level I course ZPEM1901 Contemporary Issues in Science or the Level I course ZITE1901 Introduction to Research in Information Technology.
iii. 6 units of credit from the Level II course ZPEM2901 Research Project 1 or the Level II course ZITE2901 Information Technology Research Project 1.
iv. 6 units of credit from the Level III course ZPEM3901 Research Project 2 or the Level III course ZITE3901 Information Technology Research Project 2.
v. 6 units of credit from the Level III course ZPEM3902 Research Project 3 or the Level III course ZITE3902 Information Technology Research Project 3.
vi. 6 units of credit for a Directed Studies course, either ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management or ZHSS2002 Introduction to Strategic Studies, or an approved equivalent.*
vii.12 units of credit for General Education courses, or approved equivalents, normally taken in the second and third year of study.
* Currently the only Directed Studies course available in Session 1 is ZHSS2002
4.0 Special Rules
4.1 To enrol for the degree of BSc(CDF), a student must have an Entrance Rank equivalent to a UAI of no less than 98.
4.2 A student in the BSc(CDF) who does not maintain an overall Weighted Average Mean (WAM) of 85 or better at the end of each session will be transferred to a standard BSc program degree.*
4.3 A student enrolled in a standard BSc may, at the discretion of the Head of School, transfer to the BSc(CDF) on completion of a minimum of 24 units of credit of Level I Science courses in Session 1 of Year 1 with a WAM of 85 or greater. Transfer to the BSc(CDF) may also be allowed up to the commencement of the Year 2 research courses provided the student has a WAM of 85 or greater.
* A student transferring from the BSc(CDF) program to a standard BSc program will be granted credit for successful completion of ZPEM1901 or ZITE1901 and if applicable, ZPEM2901 or ZITE2902
Honours
Rules governing the award of the degree of Bachelor of Science (CDF) with Honours
5.0 Entry
5.1 To enrol for the award of the degree at Honours level in one or two specialisations, a student must –
a) complete the pass-degree program requirements; and
b) have achieved a WAM of at least 85 across the entire undergraduate program including a WAM of at least 85 over the Level III courses in a major sequence which is in the same discipline area as the proposed Honours program.
6.0 Degree Requirements
6.1 A student must obtain, normally over one year of study, a minimum of 48 units of credit in one or two areas of study approved by the Head of School.
7.0 Class of Honours
7.1 The Honours degree is awarded in three classes (Class 1, Class 2 in two Divisions, and Class 3).

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

These regulations apply to all undergraduate degrees and are to be used in conjunction with Academic Rules and Program Information, which appear in the following section. All rules in this Handbook apply to each student who enters an undergraduate program in 2007. The rules remain applicable until the student exits their program, either by discontinuation or graduation. Students who entered a program in another year should consult the rules and regulations for that year.

1.0 Meeting degree requirements
1.1 To be eligible to graduate, a student must comply with the Faculty Regulations for Undergraduate Students and specific program rules.
1.2 Every student must complete courses as part of their degree. The requirements of a course will be outlined by its course convenor.
1.3 A student will be prevented from enrolling in a course if they have not met the prerequisites specified.
1.4 A student will be prevented from enrolling in a course if they have not met the co-requisites specified.
1.5 Students are required to complete the prescribed amount of first-year courses, or be granted the equivalent credit from a recognised tertiary institution, before enrolling in Level II or Upper- Level courses.
1.6 Students are required to complete the prescribed amount of Level II courses, or be granted the equivalent credit from a recognised tertiary institution, before enrolling in Level III courses.
1.7 Each course completed or granted as credit towards a program may be counted towards only one major/minor in that program.

2.0 Multiple enrolment
2.1 No student will be admitted into a UNSW program without the approval of the relevant Head of School if they are already enrolled in another program of study at any tertiary institution.

3.0 Study required per UOC
3.1 25-30 hours of work, including face-to-face teaching sessions and private study time, is expected for 1 UOC per session (e.g. 150-180 hours of study is expected for a 6UOC course).

4.0 Directed Studies courses
4.1 All undergraduate students must complete the Directed Studies courses ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management and ZHSS2002 Introduction to Strategic Studies (12UOC) except in the following circumstances:
4.2 Students enrolled in the BTech (Aero) or BTech (Aviation) are exempt from the Directed Studies requirement.
4.3 Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Engineering are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management (by virtue of meeting the Leadership and Management requirement through equivalent work in the engineering schools).
4.4 Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Business are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management.
4.5 ZHSS2002 An Introduction to Strategic Studies may be taken as part of a major or minor in History or Politics. Students who choose this option must complete an additional 6UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 UOC required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.6 Students are exempt from ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management if they complete both ZBUS1101 Organisational Behaviour and ZBUS2302 Leadership. Students who choose this option must complete an additional 6UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 units of credit required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.7 Any student who has completed ZBUS1101 Organisational Behaviour but not ZBUS2302 Leadership is required to take ZBUS2802 Leadership and Management (Leadership) but is exempt from enrolling in ZBUS2801 Leadership and Management and ZBUS2803 Leadership and Management (Management). Students who choose this option must complete an additional 3UOC Upper-Level course to make up the 144 units of credit required for their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
4.8 Students studying the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) programs may be exempt from studying one or both Directed Studies courses. Students within CDF programs should refer to their program rules for Directed Studies requirements.

5.0 General Education courses
5.1 All undergraduate students must include 12UOC of General Education courses in their program. These courses cannot be counted towards a major or minor.
5.2 No more than two General Education courses can be taken from any discipline area, as set out in the General Education Schedule, unless exempted in the Degree Rules.
5.3 No student can take a General Education course concurrent with or subsequent to a first-year course in the same discipline area.
5.4 Normally mainstream courses may not be substituted for General Education requirements. In exceptional circumstances students may seek to substitute one first-year course (6UOC) for two GE courses. This first-year course must be substantially different in nature to the remaining mainstream courses in their degree.

6.0 Limit of Pass Conceded (PC)
6.1 A student cannot be awarded more than 18UOC for PCs.

7.0 Limitation on enrolment each semester
7.1 In any session, a student cannot enrol in more than 27 UOC without the approval of the Registrar's Nominee (Manager, Student Administrative Services).

8.0 Credit Cancellation Period
8.1 No units of credit shall count towards any award at undergraduate level if ten or more years have elapsed since a candidate accumulated the units of credit.

9.0 Credit for previous study
9.1 Credit may be granted on the basis of previous studies at a recognised tertiary institution provided a Credit for Previous Study form is submitted and approved within the credit cancellation period.
9.2 If a student believes their previous studies and/or work experience have given them the knowledge and skills taught within a core course, but they have not completed suitable studies at a recognised tertiary institution, they may seek approval from the relevant program authority to substitute this course for one outside their degree rules.

10.0 Variation of program or course requirements
10.1 Upon sufficient cause being shown, the Presiding Member, Academic Board may, in special cases, vary the requirements of the degree rules provided that any proposed variation shall be initiated by a recommendation from the relevant Head of School and the Registrar's Nominee.