Glossary of terms related to course requirements

• Co-requisites
  A corequisite unit is a unit that must have been completed previously or is taken concurrently (at the same time) with another unit.
  Co-requisite requirements are listed in the unit description in the Undergraduate Studies Handbook. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have satisfied any necessary co-requisites before enrolling in a unit.
• Core units
  These are compulsory units you are required to complete towards your course or your major(s) and minor.
• Credit points
  Each unit has a credit point value. For science units this is typically 6 points. The credit point value for each unit is included in the Undergraduate Handbook entry.
• First year requirements for the BSc
  These are also referred to as foundation studies. These units are intended to develop basic generic skills and to provide breadth in your science course. They also give you an opportunity to “taste” different areas of science so you can make an informed decision when choosing majors and minors. [More]
• Free electives
  These are units you can choose from other Faculties at Monash, provided the host Faculty allows you to enrol in them. Science students can normally take units from the Faculty of Arts, Information Technology and Business and Economics.
• Major
  A major is a sequence comprised of approved combinations of eight 6-point science units at levels one, two and three in the same, or a closely related, area of study.
• Minor
  A minor is a sequence comprised of approved combinations of four 6-point science units at levels one, two and three in the same, or a closely related, area of study.
• Pre-requisites
  Most Monash units require prior completion of study before you can enrol into a unit at a higher level; this is known as a pre-requisite. A pre-requisite is generally expressed as either a Monash unit or study completed at VCE.Enrolment in units for which the pre-requisites have not been completed will be invalidated. It is your responsibility  to ensure that you have completed the necessary pre-requisites before enrolling. Prerequisites are listed in the unit description in the Undergraduate Studies Handbook
• Prohibition
  Prohibitions occur between units of similar content. You are unable to enrol in a unit if you have completed the listed prohibition unit. Prohibitions are listed in the unit description section in the Undergraduate Studies Handbook. It is your responsibility to ensure what the prohibitions are before enrolling in a unit.
  
• Science units
  A ‘science unit’ is a unit that is listed under ‘units offered’ in one of the entries in the section Science areas of study and sequences in the Undergraduate Handbook. This includes some psychology, geography and computer science units, which count as ‘science units’ for the purposes of meeting the science course requirements. Note the designation SCI on the top right of the unit handbook entry does not necessarily identify the units that are science units. All Science Units are 6 point units, and are the equivalent of 6 contact hours per week. A full-time study load is 4 Units per semester.
• Science areas of study
  These are the different science disciplines offered in which you can complete minors and majors, and are listed in the Undergraduate handbook
• Science sequences
  Science sequences are well defined combinations of units in a science area of study. There are various types of sequences: level-one sequences, minors, majors, double majors, and combinations of minors and majors. The requirements for all science sequences are described in the Undergraduate Handbook under Science areas of study and sequences
• Unit
  A unit (formerly called a subject) is the building-block of a degree.  A full-time study load is four six-point units per semester. Combinations of units from the same (or related) discipline areas make up minor and major sequences.
• Unit codes
  All science unit codes consist of three letters and four digits, eg BIO1042, or ESC3322. Normally, the first digit after the three letters indicates the year level. For example, BIO1042 is a level-one unit, and ESC3322 is a level-three unit. The last digit usually, but not always, indicates the semester of offering (1=semester one, 2=semester two, 0=either semester one or semester two or both). When planning your enrolment always check the Undergraduate Handbook entry for the semester of offering of the units you intend to take.