Graduate Certificate of Science (GCSC)

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Graduate Certificate of Science (GCSC) - GradCertSci

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: GCSC01; External: GCSC02

CRICOS code (International applicants): 069701A

	On-campus*+	External*^
Start:	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July)	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November)
Campus:	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 semester full-time, 1 year part-time
Program articulation:	To: ; Graduate Diploma of Science

Footnotes
*	Please refer to the Program Structure for further information on mode of offer for each specialisation.
+	The Computing specialisation is available to international on-campus students at USQ Toowoomba.
^	The Psychology in Schools specialisation is only available via part-time study and is the only specialisation that has a Semester 3 intake.

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 Graduate Certificate of Science provides students with the opportunity to further their knowledge in discipline areas critical to their professional responsibilities and interests.

Program objectives

On completion of the program graduates should be able to:

Understand a body of specialised knowledge in a discipline of science
Apply established theories to a body of specialised knowledge or practice in a relevant science discipline
Critically analyse and reflect on complex information, problems, concepts and theories applicable to a relevant science discipline
Interpret and transmit specialised knowledge, skills and ideas, both individually and collaboratively, to a range of audiences
Display autonomy, responsibility, adaptability and ethical practise in decision-making and engage in lifelong learning through critical reflection in a range of professional and cultural contexts.

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 four units of study taken from the Recommended Enrolment Pattern section. The Program Coordinator, via usq.support@usq.edu.au may also grant substitution of one course from outside these disciplines. At least two courses must be Level 8 (all specialisations). The student must select courses according to the pre- and co-requisite requirements contained in individual course specifications. Some courses may include a mandatory or highly recommended residential school.

Specialisation	Offering
	ONC	ONL	EXT
Agricultural Science (part-time only)^@	Toowoomba	Online	or external with highly recommended residential schools depending on chosen approved courses
Applied Climate Science (part-time only)		Online only
Applied Data Science (part-time only)^{^}	Toowoomba	Online
Astronomy (part-time only)		Online only
Biology (part-time only)^@	Toowoomba	Online	or external with highly recommended residential schools depending on chosen approved courses
Chemistry (part-time only) ^@	Toowoomba		external (some courses have highly recommended residential schools)
Computing (full-time or part-time)^@	Toowoomba	Online	or external (some courses, depending on topics, have workshops)
Environment and Sustainability (part-time only)	Toowoomba	Online
Mathematics and Statistics (part-time only)	Toowoomba	Online
Mathematics for High School Teaching (part-time only)^#	Toowoomba	Online
Mathematics for Primary/Middle School Teaching (part-time only) ^#		Online only
Physics (part-time only)		Online only
Psychology in Schools (part-time only)			External (two courses have mandatory residential schools)
Science for Primary/Middle School Teaching (full-time or part-time) ^#^@	Toowoomba	Online	or external with highly recommended residential schools depending on chosen approved courses
Wine Science (S1 part-time only, S2 full-time or part-time) ^@	Toowoomba	Online	or external with mandatory or highly recommended residential schools depending on chosen approved courses).
General	Toowoomba	Online	or external with highly recommended residential schools depending on chosen approved courses

Footnotes
@	Some approved courses for selection have mandatory or highly recommended residential schools and students enrolled externally must be able to attend the residential schools at the specified USQ campus.
^	The Semester 2 intake for the Applied Data Science specialisation will be subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator and may only be available less than part-time (<2 courses in some semesters).
#	The teaching specialisations alone do not meet eligibility for teacher registration and therefore should only be taken by students who already have completed an initial teacher education program.

Those teachers studying who are relying on government scholarships or are seeking accreditation in a particular state, are advised to check with their funding agency or Education Authority that they are enrolled in an appropriate approved combination of courses. For further advice on these and other possible course combinations please contact the Program Coordinator via usq.support@usq.edu.au.

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. To find out more about , visit the to view specific dates for your degree, or visit the .

Agricultural Science (approved course)
•

Biology (approved course)
•

Chemistry (core courses)
•
•

Psychology in Schools
•
•

Science for Primary/Middle School Teaching (approved courses)
•
•

Wine Science (approved courses)
•
•
•

Articulation

A student successfully completing all courses in the Graduate Certificate of Science program will receive full credit towards the Graduate Diploma of Science in the same specialisation. Students intending to continue with the Graduate Diploma must apply for separate admission and may EITHER Graduate with a Graduate Certificate and receive full credit as exemptions into the Graduate Diploma, OR choose not to graduate with the Graduate Certificate, in order to transfer their grades, maintain their GPA and articulate into the Graduate Diploma and ultimately qualify from this higher award only. Students who wish to transfer their grades and maintain their GPA into the Graduate Diploma, must advise the Faculty in writing (usq.support@usq.edu.au) of their intention to articulate and this must occur prior to completion of the Graduate Certificate of Science.

Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Students who have successfully completed are not permitted to undertake . Instead they should contact the Program Director to choose an alternative Level 8 course.

Applied Data Science specialisation: Where a student’s enrolment pattern does not allow them to complete in S1, they may replace it with in S2 or S3, as long as the student completes the required number of Level 8 courses for their program.

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 Program Coordinator via usq.support@usq.edu.au. 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.