Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training

How do I choose which course/program to study?

Whatever your background or personal situation, choosing what course/program to study is a major decision. Even though it is helpful to be clear about long-term goals before you start to study, it is not unusual for people to be quite unclear, or to change their mind once they have begun to study.

Match goals with study possibilities

Selecting a course/program requires you to match your own personal and career goals and circumstances with available study options. You may find that it takes a long time to weigh up all the options from each of the TAFE institutions or universities and to make a final decision on the courses for which you will apply. This is time well spent.

Gather information

Gather as much information as you can and talk to people who are aware of what it means to study at TAFE or university and of the possible career options that the different courses/ programs lead to so that the decision you make is well informed

Test your interests and abilities

You need to make sure that the course/program will help you to achieve goals. If you are uncertain about what you want to achieve, it is sometimes useful to test your interests and abilities by looking at a course/program that will give you a range of subject choices and career options before deciding on one direction. Changing courses/programs may delay the start of your final career choice and add to your study expense. But it may be a necessary part of the process of clarifying your goals.

What kinds of courses/programs are available?

Generally speaking, universities offer courses/programs:

• which are aimed at providing a broad education (such as the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science)
• which provide specific professional training (such as the Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Engineering).

TAFE SA offers courses:

• which provide specific vocational training (such as the Advanced Diploma of Tourism or Certificates in Beauty Therapy, Bachelor of Dance)

So, the first question that you need to consider is what kind of course/program you want to study — one that is general or one that is focused on a particular occupation.

This is not to say the more general courses/programs will not lead to employment, or that the courses/programs aimed at specific occupations will guarantee you a job. Getting a job depends a lot on the economic climate. Being a graduate, however, will increase your chances of being employed.

Be clear about what the courses/programs offer as not all Institutes of TAFE or universities offer the same courses/programs and where they do offer courses/programs by the same or similar name the content is often quite different.

For example, subjects on offer in the Bachelor of Science course at Flinders University may differ from those offered at The University of Adelaide or the University of South Australia. At TAFE SA courses in Hospitality, for example, are offered at a variety of Institutes and each location may offer different options. You need to be clear what a particular course/program at a specific TAFE or university has to offer.

Courses/programs are often tightly tied to specific careers through the requirements of professional organisations. For example, if you want to become a psychologist you need to ensure the course/program you study meets the requirements of the registering body. You should contact the registering body to find out what aspects of registration, in addition to successful completion of an approved course/program, are required.

You now need to consider:

• your own personal and career interests
• the level of education required to be accepted into the course/program that interests you
• the kinds of support you will need.
  

How do I explore the courses/programs that interest me?

If you are not sure what course/program you wish to study, a good place to begin is with the fields of study you find particularly interesting. Find out the courses/programs available in that area of interest including the career options that are possible. For example, if you are interested in the way people behave, you can choose from a wide range of courses/programs such as advocacy, community services, social work, psychology, behavioural science and social science. A similar range of choices exists in other areas.

Professional associations

Some professional associations regulate who can work in their field. For example, in order to work as a nurse, architect or a physiotherapist, you will be required to register with the relevant professional body. Professional bodies usually identify the level of education required, and in some cases endorse particular courses/programs.

Organise a work placement

If you have recently been a secondary student you may have been able to clarify your interests and abilities through career education workshops and work experience. If you left the school system some time ago you will need to look for other ways to find out about your options. You may need to contact an employer or if appropriate CRS Australia to organise a work placement as this is often a good way to find out what is involved in particular jobs on a day-to-day basis.

Attend an open day

The university sectors and some TAFE's hold an 'Open Day' during August each year. On this day, you are able to visit select campuses and find out about studying at that institution.

Attend a lecture

One useful way of finding out about a particular subject is to attend lectures before you enrol. This is referred to as auditing. The University of South Australia, Flinders University and Professional and Continuing Education at the University of Adelaide all offer this kind of experience of internal university courses/ programs. Students who wish to audit a course/program may be required to pay a small fee. Audit students are not formally enrolled and do not submit work for assessment. Auditing may help you to decide which course/program may suit you.

Auditing of courses is not usually available at TAFE SA. Contact the coordinator of the course to check.

Level of education required

In order to apply for admission to most courses/programs you are required to have achieved a minimum level of eduction or to qualify for consideration on the basis of special entry criteria. If you do not meet these entry criteria your application will not be considered. The entry criteria vary from course/program to course/program and from TAFE to TAFE or university to university. These entry requirements may include one or more of the following:

• qualified for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
• a Year 12 Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER)
• a TAFE qualification
• a partly completed university qualification
• higher education subjects completed through Open Learning Australia
• a score achieved in the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)
• a TAFE Entry Assessment (TEA)
• special entry criteria
• in some cases, specific criteria such as workplace achievement, interviews and portfolios of work you have done.

To find out the entry criteria for the particular courses/subjects in which you are interested you need to check the course/program information available from the TAFE or university which offers those courses/subjects.

Do I need to have a particular level of knowledge?

Prerequisites

In addition to the usual entry requirements some courses require you to have obtained a certain level of achievement in a particular Year 12 subject, for example, Maths or Physics. Such subjects are called prerequisites. Details are in specific TAFE and university publications and in the SATAC TAFE Course and Admissions Guide, the SATAC University Guide or online at www.satac.edu.au. If you do not have the prerequisite subject(s) for the course/program of your choice, you will not receive an offer to that course, however high your overall score.

'Assumed knowledge'

Some courses/subjects specify ‘assumed knowledge’. This is recommended background knowledge without which, while you may still be offered a place in the course/subject, you may well find the course work difficult. There are many ways to make up for a formal lack of ‘assumed knowledge’. Speak to person in charge of the course/program if you suspect your background in an assumed area is not strong.

Is my disability an issue in participating at TAFE or university?

When you are deciding on a course/program it is important that you work through the options and possibilities in relation to your disability, but keep an open mind. While your disability may be an important consideration, do not rule out possibilities on that basis alone. Also refer to the information sheet Accessing support at TAFE or university in this folder.