Typical Program of Study
A typical program of study at Dickson College involves a combination of courses studied over one or two years.
A "course" is a combination of "units" that are grouped to form "Minors", "Majors", "Major/Minors" or "Double Majors".
A Minor is 2 - 3 units from a course.
A Major is 3.5 - 5 units from a course.
A Major/Minor is 5.5 - 6.5 units from a course.
A Double Major is 7 - 8 units from a course.
Students must complete one of the following combinations
For university entrance:
Three Tertiary Majors and three Minors (at least one Tertiary Minor with up to two Accredited Minors).
OR
Four Tertiary Majors and one Tertiary or Accredited Minor.
OR
Five or more Tertiary Majors.
For the award of an ACT Senior Secondary Certificate, without university entrance:
At least four Accredited Minors from at least three different course areas. All students must complete a course from the English course area as a requirement for the award of an ACT Senior Secondary Certificate.
An example of a package of study:
| Year 11 | Year 12 | Course Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | Semester 1 | Semester 2 | |
| English (T) | English (T) | English (T) | English (T) | Major (T) |
| Maths Methods (T) | Maths Methods (T) | Maths Methods (T) | Maths Methods (T) | Major (T) |
| Global Studies (T) | Global Studies (T) | Global Studies (T) | Global Studies (T) | Major (T) |
| Visual Art (T) | Visual Art (T) | Minor (T) | ||
| General Science (A) | Science Science (A) | Minor (A) | ||
| Photography (A) | Photography (A) | Minor (A) | ||
| Latin (T) | Latin (T) | Minor (T) | ||
In this situation the student has studied English each semester over the two years. Having completed four units, the student is awarded a Major in the English (T) course of study.
The student was also awarded a Major in the Maths Methods (T) and Global Studies (T) courses.
In Year 11 the student completed two units of Visual Art (T) and two units of General Science (A) and is therefore awarded a Minor in both courses.
In Year 12 the student completed two units of Photography (A) and two units of Latin (T) and is therefore awarded a Minor in both courses.
Will the student receive an ACT Senior Secondary Certificate?
Yes the student has easily met the requirements for an ACT Senior Secondary Certificate:
- The student has completed more than the minimum requirement of 4 minors in at least three different course areas (the student has 3 majors and 4 minors)
- The student has completed more than the minimum requirement of 17 points (the student has completed 20 semester units of study worth 1 point each = 20 points)
Will the student also receive a Tertiary Package and an ATAR for university entrance?
The student has met the requirements for a Tertiary Package of study:
- The student has completed more than the minimum requirement of 3 Majors and 3 Minors (the student has 3 majors and 4 minors)
- The student has completed the minimum requirement of 20 points (the student has completed 20 semester units of study worth 1 point each = 20 points)
If the students sits the ACT Scaling Test, then it is possible to generate an ATAR as they have also completed at least 3 Tertiary Majors and 1 Tertiary Minor in their tertiary package of study.
This is general advice only. All students must discuss their individual circumstances with a member of the college Student Services team.