Please note - Swinburne University of Technology

The Associate Degree generally involves two years of fulltime
study. Part-time study may be arranged with individual
course providers. To qualify for the award of the Associate
Degree students are required to complete the program of
study as outlined.
Course aims
The course is designed to give students the necessary
background, knowledge and skills to allow them to perform
in a range of administrative and service employment
contexts. The course will develop the students' ability to:
collect and organise information
analyse aod interpret social and statistical data
conceptualise and analyse problems and issues
communicate in oral and written forms
use appropriate information technology
work and manage effectively in an organisation
-9 work as part of a team
1.
r. deal appropriately with members of the public.
The course provides students with a working knowledge of
2 major social processes (e.g., Australian political and legal
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systems, social structures, patterns of social inequality) and
5 organisational dynamics. The course is particularly
appropriate for people who are employed or seeking
; employment in:
5 administrative jobs in either public or private sectors
-.
service delivery to the public (especially through
e. government bodies but also in quasi-government and
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private organisations which deal with the public)
public relations, information provision or media liaison
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4, jobs which require research skills and carry responsibility
SL for contributing to the processes of policy development,
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4. implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
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The Associate Degree provides basic skills in the areas listed
above but its structure anticipates the fact that these areas
extend into high levels of professional competence which
cannot be covered by associate degree level education.
Articulation arrangements
Students who complete the Associate Degree in Social
Science will be elig~ble to apply for entry into Swinburne's
Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) but will not automatically be
selected. Those who are selected will be eligible for credit
transfer of up to one and a half years of the BA degree,
depending on the subjects taken as part of the degree and
the BA majors taken.
Course description
The Associate Degree is a two-year full-time course (or
equivalent) with a combination of core subjects plus specialist
streams. The core would be completed in the first year, the
chosen stream in the second year of study. There are four
streams in the Associate Degree:
Administration and Management
Human Services
Planning and Policy
Public Relations
Students choose one of the four streams. Most subjects are
part of a list of prescribed offerings but in both the core and
the streams, some electives can be chosen. The lists of
electives for the various streams are overlapping - a subject
may be compulsory in one stream but an elective in another.
Language study must be taken over a whole year (for two
semesters) and counts as two elective subjects.
Note: Individual school providers will need to assess the
viability of offering all of the four streams at any one
time. Providers may not be able to offer all streams in
the same year.
Entry requirements
Applicants in the following categories will be considered for
admission to the Associate Degree in Social Science course:
VCE
Selection of applicants may be determined on the basis of
their performance and results in Year 12, which will be a pass
in four VCE studies including Units 3 and 4 of English
accredited by the Victorian Board of Studies. (Passes may be
accumulated over more than one year.) In addition selection
may involve a written application and/or an interview.
Special entry
Persons 21 years and over. Applications will be considered
by a selection committee which will evaluate each applicant's
likelihood of comoletina the course. The selection committee
will take into account an applicant's educational backsround,
employment background, and written reasons for wi&ing ti
undertake the Associate Degree course. A quota for this type
of entry may be applied.
Persons under 21 years who have completed studies
deemed by the course providers and the University to be the
equivalent of Year 12. Applications will be considered by a
selection committee which will evaluate each applicant's
likelihood of completing the course. The selection committee
will take into account an applicant's educational background,
employment background, and written reasons for wishing to
undertake the Associate Degree course. A quota for this type
of entry may be applied.
Persons who do not meet the above criteria should, in the
first instance, consult with the Course Coordinator at
Swinburne Universitv of Technoloav. The management of
Billanook College, ~eathmont coiiege and leif fern College
reserve the right to accept applicants from special categories
consistent with the guidelines set down by Swinburne
University of Technology.
Course structure
Core studies
(To be undertaken in first year)
The core studies undertaken in the first year are designed to
provide all students with a basic understanding of maior
elements of Australian society and the econoGy, and with
fundamental skills required for administrative and service
employment.
Compulsory subjects:
AD100 Analysis and Argument
AD1 01 Australian Government
AD102 Australian Society, the Economy and the
Environment - 1
AD103 Australian Society, the Economy and the
Environment - 2
AD1 04 Communication Skills
AD105 Individuals. Groups and Orsanisations
AD106 Using information ~ echnol6~~
1
AD107 Using Information Technology - 2
Plus two electives
AD108 issues in Multicultural Australia