Graduate Diploma of Science (GDSI)

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GradDipSci

Graduate Diploma of Science (GDSI) - GradDipSci

CRICOS code (International applicants): 031448M

	On-campus*#~^	External#~
Semester intake:	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July)	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July)
Campus:	Ipswich, Toowoomba	-
Fees:	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place
Standard duration:	1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Program articulation:	To: Master of Science; Master of Science (Research)

Footnotes
*	All specialisations are available to external students, although some courses may also be available on-campus. Therefore, these specialisations may not be suitable for international students who wish to study on-campus. The Agricultural Science specialisation, Applied Climate Science specialisation and Environment and Sustainability specialisation are not available to International on-campus students as the core courses are only available in external or online mode. The Mathematics and Statistics specialisation is only available to International on-campus students who can meet pre-requisite requirements (or equivalent) for or or .
#	Other entry requirements also apply for articulation into the Master of Science (Research).
~	Semester 1 intake for Applied Data Science specialisation is only available to students who have completed and in their Bachelor degrees.
^	The Sport and Exercise specialisation is the only specialisation available on-campus in Ipswich. The Sport and Exercise specialisation is also available on-campus in Toowoomba and via the External mode.

Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students	Future International students	Current students
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: study@usq.edu.au	Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au	Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email: usq.support@usq.edu.au

Program aims

The program aims to produce graduates that are equipped with essential scientific and/or mathematical knowledge and an appreciation of the latest literature and technologies.

Agricultural Science specialisation
This specialisation provides graduates with a knowledge of contemporary issues associated with agricultural production and sustainability. The program aims to produce graduates with the capacity to engage with a range of agriculture related disciplines.

Applied Climate Science specialisation
The global climate service industry is estimated to have a significant and growing economic value. In Australia, the need for ‘climate smart’ professionals working within their chosen industry is growing with hundreds of job opportunities in industry and the public sector organisation. This specialisation is designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and decision-making skills to work as ‘climate smart’ professionals in many sectors of economic activity including agriculture, food, water, energy, health, and natural resource management industries.

Applied Data Science specialisation
This specialisation is designed to provide an opportunity for graduates from all disciplines to gain skills and knowledge in handling data which are commonly known as Big Data, as well as producing and interpreting data analytics. The aim of this program is to provide students with a career path in the Data Science area or an opportunity for advancement in their career.

Environment and Sustainability specialisation
This specialisation provides graduates with knowledge of selected basic concepts and skills associated with environmental and climate science and the broad area of sustainability. The program aims to produce graduates with knowledge and skills for the integration of social, environmental and economic research within an interdisciplinary planning and policy framework and to provide capacity for the sustainable management of natural resources, businesses and communities.

Physics and Astronomy specialisation
This specialisation is designed to provide an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in physics and astronomy and develop scientific research skills. The program provides professional development in science for those in educational or science communication careers.

Mathematics and Statistics specialisation
This specialisation aims to provide graduates with skills in key areas of mathematics or statistics that relate to the needs of their profession or industry, including teaching.

Sport and Exercise specialisation

This specialisation aims to provide graduates with the opportunity to develop and extend their knowledge and skills relevant to health, fitness and sports performance across the lifespan to an advanced level. The specialisation is designed to meet personal achievement goals or provide for career opportunities within the health, sports and fitness industry such as sports coaches, personal trainers, sports development officers or a range of other roles.

Program objectives

On completion of the program graduates will be able to:

demonstrate an advanced understanding in their chosen specialisation
conduct scholarly investigations into applications and methodologies in their chosen field
communicate scientifically in manner appropriate to their discipline
apply the specialist knowledge and skills acquired in their specialisation.

Specialisation Objectives

Agricultural Science specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

demonstrate an understanding of broad range of issues associated with agricultural production and agricultural science
conduct enquiries into contemporary issues associated with agricultural production
understand the risks of climate change and climate variability on agricultural production.

Applied Climate Science specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

demonstrate an advanced understanding of the climate systems
appraise the impact of climate processes and variations on many sectors of human activity
apply climate information and methodologies/tools in industry specific decision making processes
evaluate the economic value of climate services in industry specific applications.

Applied Data Science specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

demonstrate advanced theoretical and technical knowledge of data science to a complex body of knowledge in sciences
analyse, generate and transmit solutions to complex problems in sciences
analyse critically and reflect on ethics and professionalism for data science.

Environment and Sustainability specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

understand and apply the principles and approaches of sustainability
demonstrate an understanding of the functioning of the global climate system and global climate changes
understand and assess the risks of climatic changes and climate variability and their influence on sustainable practices
evaluate opportunities that may arise from environmental and climate changes
identify and establish strong links between science, effective community engagement and sound policy to support sustainability
demonstrate, through the breadth of their studies, an advanced understanding of issues, concepts and applications of sustainability in environment and natural resource management.

Physics and Astronomy specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

demonstrate a general professional understanding of the science of astronomy
conduct scholarly enquiries into the research literature in astronomy and astrophysics
apply scientific principles to solve problems with conceptual, observational or computational elements
demonstrate competency in observational techniques, data analysis, and the interpretation of results.

Mathematics and Statistics specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

acquire specific knowledge and skills in mathematics and/or statistics which are relevant to their disciplines and careers
apply problem solving and innovative thinking, to be able to contribute at a higher level to their professional environment
understand the meaning and basis of fundamental mathematical and/or statistical ideas and techniques
demonstrate the ability to model real-life scenarios in order to enable mathematical and/or statistical analysis
demonstrate the ability to apply mathematics and/or statistics to the solution of problems in a variety of situations.

Sport and Exercise specialisation
On completion of this specialisation graduates will be able to:

demonstrate an advanced level of theoretical and technical knowledge and skills relevant to health, fitness and sports performance across the lifespan
critically analyse and evaluate complex concepts of exercise related issues and circumstances of individuals and groups, including sports performers and those with disabilities, chronic diseases and from a range of age groups across the lifespan
demonstrate highly-developed practical skills relevant to laboratory, clinical and field situations in the sport and exercise area
display a high level of evidence-based practice, communication skills, professional development and research
demonstrate competent, safe, professional and ethical responsibility as a practitioner or learner displayed in interactions with clients from a range of populations, and a variety of contexts, across the lifespan.

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

Completion of an Australian university three year Bachelor degree in any area, or equivalent.

Or

equivalent professional work experience, as determined through the .
English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ��ýapp-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Program structure

All specialisations within the program consist of eight units of study taken from the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section. At least four units must be at Level 8 for the Environment and Sustainability, Physics and Astronomy specialisations and at least 2 units must be Level 8 for the Mathematics and Statistics specialisations.

Agricultural Science specialisation

The program consists of 4 core courses, all available in external mode, and 4 approved courses that can be taken as a themed ‘minor’ or as independent approved courses.

Semester 1^†^{^}	Semester 2^†^{^}
Mandatory core courses:


Minor/Approved Courses^#
Agricultural Practices Theme




Wine Technology Theme

^*	(Semester 3 only)

^*
Biology Theme
^*	^*
	^*

^*
^#

	^*
	^#
Climate Theme

Footnotes
†	This specialisation may not provide sufficient on-campus courses to be suitable to international on-campus students.
^	Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences .
#	may be available within each of the themes subject to approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences and availability of relevant placement.
*	Residential School

Applied Climate Science specialisation

The program consists of the following courses, which are all available by online mode only. Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. This specialisation does not include sufficient on-campus courses to be suitable for international on-campus students.

Semester 1	Semester 2


^*	^*

Footnotes
*	Two unit course

Applied Data Science specialisation

The Applied Data Science specialisation consists of eight courses which are all available on-campus and online.

Semester 1	Semester 2	Either Semester

Environment and Sustainability specialisation

The program consists of the following eight courses which are all available by online mode. Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. This specialisation does not include sufficient on-campus courses to be suitable for international on-campus students.

Semester 1	Semester 2



	or or or

Physics and Astronomy specialisation

The program consists of eight units of study which are all available by online mode only. Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. This specialisation does not include sufficient on-campus courses to be suitable for international on-campus students.

Semester 1	Semester 2
^*	^*


Plus one course selected from the following four:
^{^}^#	^{^}^#
^{^}^#	^{^}^#

Footnotes
*	Astronomical observations for each course are made remotely via internet access to USQ's Mt Kent Observatory. Voluntary field nights will also be made available.
^	Two unit course.
#	Astronomical observations for each course are made remotely via internet access to USQ's Mt Kent Observatory.

Mathematics and Statistics specialisation

The program consists of eight units of study. The courses studied will depend on the student's background in mathematics.

Students without the pre-requisites can take (S1) and (S1/S2/S3) as part of the program, but may not be able to complete in one year.

Students must complete any eight courses from the following tables, provided that normally at least two Level 8 courses and at least two extra Level 3 or 8 courses are completed.

Semester 1 Courses

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 8
^±	^{^}	^{^}^#^±	^$
^{^}^±		^{^}^±	^±^$
	^±^$	^$	^{^}^$
	^{^}^$	^$

Footnotes
±	Recommended courses for students wanting to teach mathematics.
^	Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.
#	The on-campus offering of this course is offered in even years only.
$	Recommended courses for students wanting to specialise in Statistics only.

Semester 2 Courses

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 8
		^{^}^#^±	^$
	^{^}^±	^{^}^*^±	^±
		^$	^±^$
	^{^}^$	^$	^{^}^$
	^{^}^±

Footnotes
^	Students may vary their enrolment on the basis of prior studies or professional requirements with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.
#	The on-campus offering of this course is offered in even years only.
±	Recommended courses for students wanting to teach mathematics.
$	Recommended courses for students wanting to specialise in Statistics only.
*	The on-campus offering of this course is offered in odd years only.

Sport and Exercise specialisation

The program consists of four compulsory courses and three courses from the list of approved courses below.

Compulsory Courses	Approved Courses (choose three)
	^**

^**
^{^}

Footnotes
**	Mandatory residential school
^	Two unit course

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 3 years to complete this program.

IT requirements

Students should visit the USQ to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software. Students will need internet access to retrieve course materials, undertake assessment and participate in course online activities.

Residential schools

The attendance requirement of residential schools within this degree is indicated by the following letters: V = Voluntary; O = Optional; C = Compulsory; R = Recommended; HR = Highly Recommended; M = Mandatory. Find out more about , visit the to view specific dates for your degree, or visit the .

Sport and Exercise specialisation: For all modes there will be on-campus and practical attendance requirements for some courses. In order to successfully complete the program students must be able to fulfil any designated practical attendance requirements of a one week residential school in each year.

Articulation

Graduate Diploma of Science students may articulate to the MSCN Master of Science coursework program with further completion of eight courses, as required by that program.
Graduate Diploma of Science students may articulate to the MSCR Master of Science (Research) program if they meet other requirements for entry into that program.
Students must advise the Faculty in writing (usq.support@usq.edu.au) of their intention to articulate and this must occur prior to graduation from the Graduate Diploma of Science. If a student is articulating to the higher degree, they will apply to that higher degree and will only graduate from that higher degree.

Exit points

Students may exit with the Graduate Certificate of Science (Sport and Exercise students may exit with the Graduate Certificate of Sport and Exercise) on successful completion of four units of study appropriate for their chosen specialisation and with the required minimum number of level 8 courses. Students should consult the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences should they wish to exit to ensure they satisfy requirements for the Graduate Certificate.

Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Applied Data Science specialisation:

Exemption of four units may be granted if student has completed the GCSC Graduate Certificate of Science offered by USQ.

Students who have completed in their Bachelor degree may replace STA2300 with another STA level 2 or above course.

Students who have completed in their Bachelor degree may replace CSC1401 with another CSC course.

Sport and Exercise specialisation:

Exemption of four units may be granted if student has completed the Graduate Certificate of Sport and Exercise (GCSE) offered by USQ.

Enrolment

Enrolment patterns will need to be determined for individual students. On acceptance into the program, students must submit an enrolment pattern for approval to the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences. Pre-requisite courses should be taken as a guide to the assumed knowledge required for a course. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they have the assumed knowledge before enrolling in a particular course.