Future Students High School Students Study at JCU Common university terms
Common university terms
- Future Students
- JCU Global Experience
- International Students
- Student experience
- Open Day
- How to apply
- Pathways to university
- Living on Campus
- Courses
- Publications
- Mature students
- Scholarships
- Fees and financial support
- Entry options
- JCU Families
- JCU Heroes Programs
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Marine Science
- Elite Athletes
- Defence
- AI@JCU
- AALL
- Current Students
- Student Ambassador Program
- New students
- JCU Orientation
- LearnJCU
- Placements
- EDQS
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- Graduation
- Off-Campus Students
- JCU Job Ready
- Safety and Wellbeing
- JCU Prizes
- Professional Experience Placement
- Employability Edge
- Art of Academic Writing
- Art of Academic Editing
- Careers and Employability
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- Career Ready Plan
- Careers at JCU
- Partners and Community
- Alumni
- About JCU
- Reputation and Experience
- Chancellery
- Governance
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Academy
- Indigenous Engagement
- Education Division
- Graduate Research School
- Research
- Research Division
- Research and Innovation Services
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- Anthropological Laboratory for Tropical Audiovisual Research (ALTAR)
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC)
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- AMHHEC
- Aquaculture Solutions
- AMHRA
- JCU Digital Wellbeing Group
- ARCSTA
- Lions Marine Research Trust
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Boating and Diving
- Clinical Psychedelic Research Lab
- Centre for Tropical Biosecurity
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- CMT
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Fletcherview
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Turtle Health Research
- MARF
- Orpheus
- TESS
- JCU Ideas Lab
- CNL
- TARL
- eResearch
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Past Course and Subject Handbooks
- Estate
- Work Health and Safety
- Staff
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Cyber Security Hub
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Services and Resources Division
- Environmental Research Complex [ERC]
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity at JCU
- Give to JCU
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- Inherent Requirements
- IsoTropics Lab
- IT Services
- JCU Webinars
- JCU Events
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Sport
- Library
- Mabo Decision: 30 years on
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Outstanding Alumni
- Policy
- PAHL
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- RDIM
- Researcher Development Portal
- Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing
- Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
- State of the Tropics
- Strategic Procurement
- Student profiles
- SWIRLnet
- TREAD
- TropEco for Staff and Students
- TUDLab
- VAVS Home
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
- JCU Respect
- Pay review
University study includes terminology that you may not be familiar with at first. These are some of the more common terms you’re likely to come across while exploring your study options.
What does it mean?
ATAR
The Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank, which provides a national comparative ranking of a student’s academic performance in Year 12 relative to others graduating in the same year.
BACHELOR DEGREE
An undergraduate academic qualification, typically requiring three to five years of full-time study or part-time equivalent.
BACHELOR (HONOURS) DEGREE
A Bachelor degree with a further full-time year of advanced studies offered to high-achieving students or included in a Bachelor (Honours) degree structure, providing a pathway into research and further study.
COMMONWEALTH SUPPORTED PLACE
A study place where your tuition fees are subsidised by the Australian Government. JCU offers Commonwealth Supported Places for eligible students on all undergraduate degrees.
CREDIT POINTS
A basic measure of study load for each subject, with most subjects at JCU carrying a unit value of three credit points. A typical full-time study load for one academic year is 24 credit points (8 subjects), while part-time is generally no more than 75 percent of a full-time study load.
HANDBOOK
Official and central source of information for all courses and subjects offered by JCU.
INTAKE
The time of year that you can start your degree, usually the start of a semester or trimester.
MAJOR
A primary area of specialisation within a Bachelor degree, including eight related subjects in a particular discipline.
MINOR
A sub-specialisation in a Bachelor degree, including four related subjects in an area of study.
OFFER ROUNDS
The series of dates throughout the year when universities offer study places to applicants, either directly or through a tertiary admission centre.
PREFERENCES
You can select up to six undergraduate degrees you’d most like to apply and be accepted for. First and second on your list would be the degrees you’d most like to study, followed by other options you’re interested in as third and fourth. Your choices for five and six would be courses you are willing to study as a back-up and are confident you’ll receive an offer for. You’ll only be eligible for an Early Offer on JCU courses you nominate as your first preference. You can add, delete, or change the order of your preferences online via your tertiary admission centre.
PREREQUISITE
A high school or university subject that you must complete before starting your degree or taking a higher-level university subject.
QTAC
The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) operates a centralised tertiary application service. It assesses applications against entry requirements provided by JCU and then makes offers to successful applicants during offer rounds.
RECOMMENDED KNOWLEDGE
While not essential, prior study in these areas may assist you to understand more about the topics in a course of study.
SEMESTER
A study period of around 13 weeks duration, with the academic year divided into two study periods.
SPECIAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Some degrees require applicants to meet additional selection criteria or complete additional steps in the application process. This could be demonstrating prior study or industry experience, a supporting written application or a personal interview with JCU academic selectors.
STUDY LOAD
The number of subjects and associated credit points you take on per study period.
STUDY PERIOD
The period of time during which all aspects of subject delivery are scheduled, including reading and preparation, lectures, tutorials, practical sessions and assessment.
SUBJECTS
The building blocks of academic study, with each carrying a unit value in credit points that count towards a degree. Core subjects must be completed to meet course requirements, while elective subjects can be chosen from a broader range of options.
TRIMESTER
A study period of around 10 weeks duration, with the academic year divided into three study periods.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDY
An academic program of study leading to a Diploma, Bachelor degree or Bachelor (Honours) degree