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Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology (BSST) - BSpScTech

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Unspecified (Toowoomba campus: 907801; External: 907805); Surveying (Springfield campus: 927801)

CRICOS code (International applicants): 053512D

 On-campus^External
Start:Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Campus:Springfield, 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:3 years full-time, 6 years part-time 
Program articulation:

From: Associate Degree of Spatial Science

To: Bachelor of Spatial Science (Honours); Master of Spatial Science Technology

Footnotes
^Only the Surveying major is available on-campus at Springfield.

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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: studyeng@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 

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology (Surveying) program is accredited by the Surveyors Board of Queensland and is recognised in every Australian state and in New Zealand through reciprocal arrangements. The degree, together with relevant industry experience, enables registration as a graduate surveyor with the Queensland Surveyors Board. The degree, together with relevant industry experience, enables registration and/or licensing as a professional mining surveyor with the Surveyors Boards of Queensland and New South Wales.

The Spatial Science Institute has accredited both program majors and graduates are eligible for membership with the .

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Program aims

The Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology program equips students with a core of basic technical, scientific, analytical, business administration and communication skills that will permit them to undertake further study of the science and practice of spatial science in one of two fields: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or Surveying. The program provides students with sufficient knowledge of surveying, spatial information systems or urban and regional planning to be eligible to gain employment, certification and, where appropriate, registration as a Graduate Surveyor or GIS Spatial Scientist.

In addition, students obtain knowledge of the natural, legal, commercial, industrial and social environments in which they will function as professionals. The program instils in students the need for continuing professional development and gives them the ability to adapt to change.

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Program objectives

A student who successfully completes the Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology should be able to apply:

  • broad and coherent knowledge in the theories, concepts, methods and technologies in the areas of surveying and spatial science

  • skills and knowledge of the analysis and evaluation of appropriate technologies, methods and processes to solve and complete a range of surveying and spatial science activities

  • well-developed technical and cognitive skills to create innovative and sustainable solutions utilising cutting-edge technologies, supported by research to collect, store and manipulate spatial data

  • knowledge and skills to autonomously apply well-informed judgements regarding specialised practices, theories and processes in their domain of knowledge

  • well-developed communication skills to transmit and convey the necessary information and ideas to relevant stakeholders

  • consistent application of academic norms and ethical standards in decision making when working collaboratively in a professional capacity

  • knowledge of surveying or spatial information systems to sufficient depth to be eligible for employment, certification and, where appropriate, registration as a Graduate Surveyor or GIS Spatial Scientist.


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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 07. Graduates at this level will have broad and coherent knowledge and skills for professional work and/or further learning.

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

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Program Information Set

View UniSQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

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

  • Have achieved a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 65.6, or equivalent qualification.^
  • Subject Pre-requisites: English (Units 3 & 4, C) and Mathematical Methods (Units 3 & 4, C) or equivalent.

  • English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 2.


All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

^

These are determined by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app for specific programs each Semester. The 2021 ATAR and tertiary entrance ranks are based on agreed QTAC schedules which assess formal study at Year 12 or , tertiary, preparatory, professional or vocational qualifications or work experience, as detailed in the QTAC Assessment of Qualifications Manual and QTAC Assessor Guidelines.

Adjustment factors may help you get into the program of your choice by increasing your entrance rank. The additional points don't apply to all applicants or all programs. Please read the information about UniSQ's carefully to find out what you may be eligible for.

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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 .

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Program structure

The Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology is a 24-unit program comprising Academic Courses plus Practice Courses.

Academic courses are one-unit courses and involve approximately 155 hours of student workload per unit.

Practice courses are zero-unit courses and each involves approximately 50 hours of student workload.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 8 years to complete this program.

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Electives/Approved courses

Approved courses are part of the Academic program and students should select approved courses from a specified list of approved courses.

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Practical experience

Work experience is desirable and encouraged but is not required for the completion of the Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology program. Students are encouraged to obtain work experience during vacation periods.

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IT requirements

Access to an up-to-date computer is necessary. On-campus students can access appropriately equipped laboratories, but should consider acquisition of their own computer. External students should be able to access a computer with the following as advised by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app. All students should have access to email and the Internet via a computer running the latest versions of Internet web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. The ¾«¶«´«Ã½app has a wireless network for on-campus students' computers. In order to take advantage of this facility and further enhance their on-campus learning environment, students should consider purchasing a notebook/laptop computer with wireless connectivity. Specialist software is required for some courses.

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Residential schools

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

Students are required to undertake practical and professional activities relevant to their program through enrolment in a series of Practice courses in the program. Practice courses are zero unit courses that may be undertaken in either on-campus or external mode and the final grades available are Pass (P)/Fail (F) only. They are a compulsory part of the program and do not attract a student contribution charge for Australian residents or a tuition fee for international students. The recommended enrolment schedule for Practice courses is shown in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern for the program in this Handbook.

External students must attend a number of residential schools during their program to obtain experience in practical and professional activities appropriate to the program. The residential schools are included in Practice courses which are conducted in Semester 3 or during the recess periods. The dates for each residential school Practice course are shown in the in this Handbook and external students should ensure they are able to attend the residential school prior to enrolling in a Practice course. Personal protective equipment is compulsory in many engineering, construction and spatial science laboratories, students should confirm the requirements before attending residential schools for Practice courses.

Students who enrol in on-campus mode for Practice courses normally undertake a series of weekly activities and/or attend a compulsory residential school.

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Articulation

Students can articulate into the Bachelor of Spatial Science (Honours) program.

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Exit points

Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete the Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology and who satisfy all of the requirements of either the Associate Degree of Spatial Science or may be permitted to exit with that award.

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Work Experience

Work and industrial experience that has not been formally assessed, does not normally qualify for course credit in the Bachelor of Spatial Science Technology program.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Geographic Information Systems Major recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

To satisfy the requirements of the program students must complete all of the Academic and Practice Courses in the following table that shows the recommended enrolment patterns for on-campus and external students. Students following a non-standard enrolment pattern should consult the to ascertain if a course is offered in another term.


Major ¾«¶«´«Ã½app: Geographic Information Systems (Major ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Code: 15405)
CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1, Semester 1

Academic Courses

ENM1600 Engineering Mathematics111,2
GIS1402 Geographic Information Systems111,3
SVY1102 Surveying A111
ENG1003 Problem Solving in Engineering and the Built Environment111,2

Year 1, Semester 2

GIS1401 Geographic Data Presentation122
ENG1002 Introduction to Engineering and Built Environment Applications121,2
SVY1110 Introduction to Global Positioning System122
CSC1401 Foundation Programming121,2,3

Practice courses Year 1

SVY1901 Surveying and Spatial Science Practice 11121M

Year 2, Semester 1

Academic Courses

ENV2201 Land Studies211
URP1001 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning211
GIS3407 GIS Programming and Visualisation#211Pre-requisite: GIS1402 and CSC1401 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDST or MSST or GCST or MENS or MSPT
ENG2002 Technology, Sustainability and Society211,2,3

Year 2, Semester 2

Approved Course (Select from the Approved Course list)222
URP2002 Local Government Planning Practice and Technology#222
SVY3302 Property Valuation and Development†222
GIS3406 Remote Sensing and Image Processing222

Practice Courses Year 2

GPL2901 GIS and Planning Practice 143MPre-requisite: (GIS1401 and GIS1402) or (URP2001) or (Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GDNS or MENS)
GPL3902 GIS and Planning Practice 253MPre-requisite: (GIS1402 or URP2001) Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: GPL2901

Year 3, Semester 1

Academic Courses

SVY4309 Practice Management for Spatial Scientists#311
SVY3202 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing311
Approved Course (Select from the Approved Course list)311
CSC3400 Database Systems311,3Pre-requisite: CSC1401 or CIS1000 Enrolment is not permitted in CSC3400 if CIS2002 has been previously completed.

Year 3, Semester 2

GIS3008 Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing322Pre-requisite: GIS1402 and GIS3406 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSPT
GIS3405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling322
GIS4407 Web Based Geographic Information System322Pre-requisite: GIS1402 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSST or MSPT or GCNS or GDNS or MENS
Approved Course (Select from the Approved Course list)322

Approved Courses (Select 3 courses from the following)

     CSC2406 Web Technology 122Pre-requisite: CSC1401 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: UCCC or GDTI or GCEN or METC or MCOT or MCTE or MCOP or MPIT or MCTN or BSED
     MKT1001 Introduction to Marketing11,2,3
     MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour11,2,3
     REN1201 Environmental Studies<11Enrolment is not permitted in REN1201 if REN8101 has been previously completed.
     ACC1101 Accounting for Decision-Making1,21,2,3
     AGR2301 Agricultural Science22
     LAW2107 Environmental Law#11Co-requisite: LAW1101 or LAW1500 or ENG2002 or REN1201 or (Students enrolled in BEDU (Legal Studies) or BLAW or LLBP or BALW or BBLA or BCLA or BCLW & Co-requisite LAW1201 or LAW1111) or (Students enrolled in DJUR & Co-requisite LAW5501 or LAW5111)
     REN3302 Sustainable Resource Use*22
     SVY1104 Survey Computations A22Pre-requisite: SVY1102 or SVY1500 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSPT
     URP4002 Urban and Regional Planning Theory#11Pre-requisite: URP1001 or URP3201 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDST or MSPT or GCNS or GDNS or MENS or GCBU or MPPM
     URP2001 Planning Structures and Statutory Planning#11
     URP3201 Sustainable Urban Design and Development22

Footnotes
#Unavailable in on-campus mode in 2022
†Unavailable in on-campus mode at Toowoomba in S2 2022
<Unavailable in on-campus mode at Springfield in 2022
*on-campus mode is only available at Toowoomba.

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Surveying Major recommended enrolment pattern (Toowoomba and Springfield campus)

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

To satisfy the requirements of the program students must complete all of the Academic and Practice Courses in the following table that shows the recommended enrolment patterns for on-campus and external students. Students following a non-standard enrolment pattern should consult the to ascertain if a course is offered in another term.



Major ¾«¶«´«Ã½app: Surveying (Major ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Code: 15406)
CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1, Semester 1

Academic Courses

ENM1600 Engineering Mathematics111,2
GIS1402 Geographic Information Systems111,3
SVY1102 Surveying A111
ENG1003 Problem Solving in Engineering and the Built Environment111,2

Year 1, Semester 2

ENG1002 Introduction to Engineering and Built Environment Applications121,2
SVY1110 Introduction to Global Positioning System122
GIS1401 Geographic Data Presentation122
SVY1104 Survey Computations A122Pre-requisite: SVY1102 or SVY1500 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSPT

Practice Courses Year 1

SVY1901 Surveying and Spatial Science Practice 11121M

Year 2, Semester 1

Academic Courses

SVY2301 Automated Surveying Systems211Pre-requisite: SVY1104 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSPT
SVY2106 Geodetic Surveying A*211Pre-requisite: SVY1110 and SVY1102 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MSPT or MENS
SVY3202 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing211
SVY2302 Mine Surveying211Pre-requisite: SVY1104 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSPT

Year 2, Semester 2

Approved Course (Select from the Approved course list)222
SVY2303 Construction Surveying222Pre-requisite: SVY1104
ENG2002 Technology, Sustainability and Society221,2,3

Choose one of the following courses:

     SVY3304 Cadastral Surveying (Queensland)^^222Pre-requisite: (SVY1102 and SVY1104) or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MSPT or MENS
     SVY3306 Cadastral Surveying (New South Wales)^^2Pre-requisite: (SVY1102 and SVY1104) or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MENS

Practice Courses Year 2

SVY2902 Surveying and Spatial Science Practice 22133MPre-requisite: SVY1901 and SVY1104 and SVY1110 and GIS1401
SVY2903 Surveying and Spatial Science Practice 32243MPre-requisite: SVY1901 and SVY2301 and SVY2106 and SVY3202

Year 3, Semester 1

Academic Courses

CIV2701 Road Design and Location311Pre-requisite: MAT1500 or ENG1500 or ENM1500 or ENM1600 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or GCEN or GEPR
Approved Course (Select from the Approved Course list)311
ENV2201 Land Studies311
SVY2105 Survey Computations B311Pre-requisite: ENM1600 and SVY2106 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MSPT or MENS

Year 3, Semester 2

SVY3302 Property Valuation and Development†322
SVY3400 Advanced Surveying†322Pre-requisite: (SVY2106 and SVY2105) or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSPT or MENS
URP3201 Sustainable Urban Design and Development322
SVY3107 Geodetic Surveying B†322Pre-requisite: SVY1110 and SVY2105 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MSPT

Practice Courses Year 3

     SVY3904 Surveying and Spatial Science Practice 462,3MPre-requisite: SVY2902 or SVY2903 and SVY3304 or SVY3306 and SVY3202

Approved Courses (Select 2 courses from the following)

     SVY4309 Practice Management for Spatial Scientists#11
     ACC1101 Accounting for Decision-Making1,21,2,3
     CIV2605 Construction Engineering11
     SVY3304 Cadastral Surveying (Queensland)**22Pre-requisite: (SVY1102 and SVY1104) or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MSPT or MENS
     SVY3306 Cadastral Surveying (New South Wales)**2Pre-requisite: (SVY1102 and SVY1104) or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GCST or GDNS or GDST or MSST or MENS
     GIS3407 GIS Programming and Visualisation#11Pre-requisite: GIS1402 and CSC1401 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDST or MSST or GCST or MENS or MSPT
     URP4002 Urban and Regional Planning Theory#11Pre-requisite: URP1001 or URP3201 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDST or MSPT or GCNS or GDNS or MENS or GCBU or MPPM
     CSC1401 Foundation Programming21,2,3
     SVY4304 Land and Cadastral Law§22
     GIS3405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling22
     GIS3406 Remote Sensing and Image Processing22
     URP1001 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning11
     URP2001 Planning Structures and Statutory Planning#11
     URP2002 Local Government Planning Practice and Technology#22

Footnotes
*Unavailable in on-campus mode at Toowoomba campus in 2022
^^students should study the course appropriate to their intended jurisdiction of practice.
†Unavailable in on-campus mode at Toowoomba in S2 2022
#Unavailable in on-campus mode in 2022
**The alternative to the previously completed Cadastral core course may be taken as an elective/approved course.
§Unavailable in on-campus mode in S2 2022