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MQ Combined law students - this outline is wrong, please correct it (1 Viewer)

Politic

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See http://www.handbook.mq.edu.au/2011/...r+of+Arts+with+the+degree+of+Bachelor+of+Laws

There are only 9 electives yet there is space for 11, which takes away from units from the degree you combine with law earlier on. Could someone please tell me what the correct version of this is? (i.e. what is wrong and what units should be where). I've emailed MQ but they may not give me the answer I'm looking for. Thanks and reps for any genuine replies.
 

Politic

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actually i think you're confused, there are only spaces for 9 units, coz minimum number of law credit points is 72
That's what I thought it should be, but in the link it shows there are 6 spaces for units in 400 level and 5 spaces for units in 500 level. So I'm like wtf?
 

Politic

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yes but u also have to keep in mind that you have to do 2 other units (1 planet) and (1 people), plus the required credit points to qualify for each arts major differs, as such some arts majors require more credit points. Hope that helped
So the people and planet units are counted separately to your second degree other than law? If that's that case then it makes sense.

Also, how many credit points are available in the combined degree for your second degree other than law?
 

Politic

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-/+ 48 for arts degree, and people and planet units are just 2 elective units everyone at macquarie has to do before completion of their degree.
Here's my reasoning for why the link's outline is wrong (see the link):

Ok its given that 1 unit = 3cps and that you generally do 8 units per year (4 units per semester and 24 units all up for the year). It's also given that you do 9 electives (9 units) from 400 and 500 level LAW.

So let's use all this and what we're given in the link to plan out what 4th and 5th year would look like:

4th year looks like this (Note: ELE = law elective)
Semester 1
LAW459
ELE1
ELE2
ELE3
Semester 2
LAW456
ELE4
ELE5
ELE6

5th year looks like this (Note: ELE = law elective)
Semester 1
LAW555
ELE7
ELE8
ELE9
Semester 2
LAW550
LAW551 (planned unit)
ELE10
ELE11

So therefore there's space for 11 electives yet your only supposed to get 9. How does that work?!?!?
 

Politic

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-/+ 48 for arts degree, and people and planet units are just 2 elective units everyone at macquarie has to do before completion of their degree.
Here's another way of putting it. You generally do 24 cps per year. So that's 8 units. So if we use what we know and what we're told on the unit guide in the link:

4th year: 2 compulsory law units and 6 law electives.

5th year: 3 compulsory law units, the remaining 3 law electives and we have 2 units to spare?!?!?

How does that work?!?!
 

Politic

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and generally people do these people and planet units in the first or second years, but you can do them in later years
So if I do my people and planet units in earlier years, can I put say an Art unit in 4th and 5th year to make up for the spare 2 units?
 

Politic

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yeh but generally people finish the arts by 3rd year, and u can overload in 5th year, with 5 units per sem
I'm not talking about overloading. I just mean as a fourth unit in one semester for 4th and 5th year doing an Arts unit. So that's acceptable even considering as you said its expected you finish Arts in 3rd year?

And wouldn't doing 5 units per semester in 5th year be hell? What would you overload with? More Arts units? But when you say "overload" - that means more HECS debt right?
 

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I'm not talking about overloading. I just mean as a fourth unit in one semester for 4th and 5th year doing an Arts unit. So that's acceptable even considering as you said its expected you finish Arts in 3rd year?

And wouldn't doing 5 units per semester in 5th year be hell? What would you overload with? More Arts units? But when you say "overload" - that means more HECS debt right?
Okay, let's start from the beginning, this is how I approached planning my degree:
1) look at the number of credit points required for your program
2) look at the number of credit points for law/non-law/100-level etc
3) mark out your compulsory units
4) matching 3 and 2 against 1 should give you the number of credit points you have play with for electives (in order to still get the number of credit points for your program)

Tips:
- it isn't really expected to finish your Arts degree by the end of 3rd year, but some students choose to plan their degrees this way. Personally I would try to spread out your non-law units because doing only law units in a semester can be difficult (there is generally a lot more reading in law and the content can be quite complex) and having a non-law unit gives you a refreshing alternative/balance
- generally, the higher the level number of the unit, the more complex or the more effort/work required. Hence overloading in the latter years becomes harder. If you want to finish earlier or want to do more units but still finish on time, I would suggest looking at what units are available in Session 3 and doing those then. Alternatively, try to space out your overloading to your earlier years rather than your last semester to ease some of your stress.

The above is only how I would approach it. Also note that you will have academic advice at enrolment as well as throughout your degree, you just have to bring your plan to them and they can help you through it.
 

Politic

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Yeah, I agree that it would be refreshing to do an Arts unit in 4th and 5th year.
 

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