Australia: University of Tasmania

The University of Tasmania has two main campuses situated two and a half hours apart in Hobart and Launceston as well as two campuses in Sydney, located in Darlinghurst and Rozelle where students can undertake a Bachelor of Nursing.

Hobart Campus lies within the beach side suburb of Sandy Bay, only a five minute drive from the city centre. Hobart allows students to experience Tasmania’s natural bushland while maintaining an urban feel. The campus host 9,500 local and international students. The spacious Launceston Newnham Campus overlooks the Tamar River. A short drive from the downtown, reliable public transportation connects students to the lively city culture. The campus houses approximately 5,000 students. Across both campuses there are close to 100 programs of study offered by seven faculties (Colleges).

A wide range of facilities cater to students on both campuses such as restaurants, cafeterias and bars, bookshop, banks, general store and a hairdresser. There is also a contact centre, post office, travel agency and a student health centre. The campuses offer state of the art sporting and recreation centres where students have the opportunity to participate in a multitude of activities and programs: competitive sport, social competitions, a weight room, aerobics, yoga, Pilates, kick boxing and other fitness classes.

Once you have arrived at the University of Tasmania, the International Student Advisors and International Service Center provide assistance. For international students field trips are also offered and include, the Tarkine, scuba diving and exploring the shipwrecks off the Tasman Peninsula, Concerts at the Gorge, From Crater Falls to Cradle Mountain, biking, surfing, safaris, and much more.

The study abroad program at the University of Tasmania begins with a week-long Orientation Program meant to prepare students for the academic and cultural experience ahead. All Study Abroad and Exchange students are able to study a wide array of courses offered by the University of Tasmania. Course subjects are broken down into 18 areas of study: 

• Agriculture and environmental science
• Architecture and design
• Art, music, and theater
• Arts, humanities and social science
• Business and economics
• Computing and IT
• Education and teaching
• Engineering
• Health sciences and community care
• Journalism, media and communication
• Law
• Marine and Antarctic
• Maritime studies
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Pharmacy
• Psychology
• Science

Courses: Students typically take 3 or 4 courses while studying at UTAS. UNI students can take major, minor, and/or LAC courses while studying in Australia. We recommend students also try to take at least one course in a topic on Australia. Information on courses and when they are offered can be found here.

Teaching Methods and Styles: Australian higher education is derived from the British model. This means that most undergraduate courses consist of lectures, classes, workshops, and tutorials each week as well as 'unstructured' time which means students should be doing individual reading and research. At the beginning of each session, students are given 'deadlines' (final dates) for the completion of assignments in all subjects. If they fail to meet these deadlines, they penalized even though they have completed the work. Lecture and class times for all coursework subjects will be given to students when they enroll during orientation week. All students are required to be at lectures and tutorials at the specified times.

Academic Calendar: The university operates on a semester system with Semester 1 (our Spring semester) running from February to June and Semester 2 (our Fall semester) running from July to December. When thinking about their semester dates, it is important to remember that with it being on the other side of the hemisphere, their spring semester is our fall and vice versa. To view the academic calendar, please see here. 

Credits and Grades:  Australian credits are calculated differently than in the US. UTAS courses are usually 12.5 credits which means a course is usually transferred back as 3.8, which could be rounded. That being said, most UNI students take three to four courses to be considered full-time. Grades are also calculated differently. Below, please find the UNI equivalents to UTAS grading scale. (UTAS grades on the left, UNI equivalent on the right: 

HD        High Distinction    80 -- 100%    = A

DN        Distinction             70 -- 79         = A

CR        Credit                     60 -- 69        = B

PP        Pass                        50 -- 59        = C