Clever ways to complete your degree sooner

Just because you’re jogging, doesn’t mean you’re not enjoying the journey!

While education certainly isn’t about racing to the finish line, if you feel like graduation is aaaaages away because you’re studying part-time or if you just can’t wait to leap into your new career, we’ve got a few ways you can finish your studies sooner rather than later.

Summer Semester

Many units can be studied over the ‘summer’ period (aka the ‘build-up’ or ‘wet’ in northern Australia), which means you can complete three semesters each year instead of two. So if you’re studying a three-year degree full time and do Semester 1, Semester 2 and Summer Semester every year, you could actually complete your degree in just two years!

Most students, however, prefer to use Summer Semester to spread out their study load over a full year. This allows them to study part time throughout the year and still get to graduation in the same time, without having to study full-time March to October and then break November to February.

Summer Semester is a great way to get a head start on your degree, get to graduation sooner and make the most of the summer months (which, for anyone in northern Australia, can be unbearably hot and wet – so why not spend those hours indoors studying, not sweating?).

Check out which degrees are open for summer admission!

Credit for prior learning

If you’ve already got some study and life experience behind you, you may be able to fast-track your degree with a credit transfer (credit points applied to your course for studies you’ve already completed) and professional assessment (credit points applied on the basis of your professional background). This advanced standing (or ‘exemption’) means you can complete your degree sooner and don’t have to re-learn knowledge and concepts you’ve already covered in prior studies or in your work life.

Need more information about credit transfers? Check out our comprehensive FAQ section. 

Intensive units

Whether you’re a student with CDU or another Australian university, you can step outside the classroom and enrol in an intensive ‘environmental field study’ unit, which often run during semester break - allowing you to complete a unit towards your degree while you’d usually be between semesters.

Including an intensive unit in your study plan is a unique and enjoyable way to enhance your field, technical and practical skills, and could even take your overseas to Java, Brazil or Galapagos. Read about Tiana Hokins and her experience with an intensive unit where she visited India. Or you might stay closer to home, studying desert ecology in central Australia, Indigenous livelihoods in Darwin-Daly region, or remotely piloted aircraft systems (drones). 

Ready to start your degree sooner? If you need a hand selecting the right degree, completing your application, understanding the entry requirements, or just have questions about studying, we’re here to help. Book a time that suits you, and we’ll give you a call to talk about your future studies. The longer you wait to apply, the longer it’ll take to graduate.