Jargon buster
Assumed knowledge: Some programs may have an assumed knowledge subject. This means lecturers will assume you have knowledge in this particular subject area. For example, the Bachelor of Physiotherapy has an assumed knowledge of year 12 biology and physics but if you haven’t done biology and/or physics in year 12 you can still gain a place in Physiotherapy.
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR): this is a rank out of 99.95 which indicates how you have performed in year 12. For entry into UniSA, you need to know about ATAR ‘cut off scores’. These are the minimum ATARs that UniSA accepted for entry into a program the year before you applied. This score is a guide only and gives you an idea of the level of score you need to have to gain entry into a particular program. The name has previously changed from Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER).
Bachelor degree: awarded to a student once they have successfully completed an undergraduate program. Bachelor degrees usually take three years of full-time study.
Course: subjects that are studied as part of a degree program. Some programs have compulsory, or core, courses designed to give a basic understanding of the field of study.
Credits: students need to achieve 200 credits to be awarded the SACE.
Foundation Studies: A one-year preparatory program offered by UniSA to help students gain the fundamental knowledge they need to enter an undergraduate program.
Postgraduate: a person who has already completed a university degree or diploma and is studying at university level for a higher qualification.
Prerequisite: this is a subject you must take and pass in year 12 with an achievement score of 10 or better. If a program has a prerequisite subject then you must have completed studies equivalent to the year 12 subject to be eligible for entry into the program. For example, most engineering programs at UniSA have Maths Studies as a prerequisite.
Program: the award in which a student is enrolled – for instance, a Bachelor of Engineering or a Diploma in Business.
SACE: South Australian Certificate of Education
SACE Board: The SACE Board is responsible for the accredition of subjects, the recognition of learning and the assessment of student learning that contribute to meeting the completion requirements of the SACE.
SATAC: South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre
Stage 1: first stage of a SACE subject
Stage 2: second stage of a SACE subject
STAT: special tertiary admissions test
TAFE: Technical and Further Education
Tertiary Admission Subject (TAS): Students need to study a minimum number of credits of TAS to be eligible to receive a TAFE Selection Score or ATAR. Non-TAS subjects include Community Studies, Modified Subjects and Research Project A and are not recognised by the Universities for an ATAR.
Undergraduate: a student who is undertaking their first qualification at university level.
Unit: SACE subjects are either 1 unit (half year) or 2 units (full year).