10 top questions about Preparatory Studies

If you're about to start studying and don't feel confident in your maths skills, or perhaps you're returning to university after a long stint in the workforce, CDU now offers a free course to help you prepare. 

From the way units work to the length of time it takes to complete before each semester starts, here's your informal guide to everything Preparatory Studies. 

Who is Preparatory Studies designed for?

This new (free!) course is designed for domestic students who self-identify as having a gap in knowledge or skills for the degree in which they are enrolled.

Preparatory Studies offers units designed to prepare you for specific disciplines—in particular, some of those tricky first year units. 

So far, the two main areas of support include maths and anatomy and physiology.

Maths: If you're entering a degree that requires high level maths knowledge—think engineering, IT, data science, or even a teaching degree to become a maths teacher—you can use the Preparatory Studies Mathematics unit to brush up on algebra, trigonometry and vectors, logarithmic and exponential functions and differential calculus.

Anatomy & Physiology: If you're pursuing a career in healthcare and want to revise your biology knowledge (or perhaps you've never studied it before), the Human Body Essentials units are designed to help you get through that first year of anatomy and physiology knowledge. 

General readiness units are available should you just want the foundational skills to thrive at uni, from digital literacy (DigiPrep) to getting to know CDU's systems and services (UniReady). 

You can also select to study single Tertiary Enabling Program units through the Preparatory Studies course. By selecting a TEP unit this way, you'll actually gain access to the full suite of TEP units without having to undertake the full four-unit program. Keep in mind that TEP units aren't intensives like the Preparatory Studies units and take 12 weeks to complete.

So can I take it at any point during my degree?

Preparatory Studies is designed to give you a strong start to your university studies, but you can take it at any point during your degree to revise your skills and knowledge. 

It's an innovative program and we'll be adding new offerings to support more areas in the future. 

How is it different from the Tertiary Enabling Program?

The idea of Preparatory Studies is similar to TEP in that they both support students to undertake undergraduate study by developing their knowledge of the university environment and its academic expectations as well as discipline-specific knowledge. 

The main difference is when and why you would select one of these enabling programs. 

TEP enables academic entry while Preparatory Studies enables in-course success. 

If you want to do a course that gets you into uni, you need to do TEP. Preparatory Studies will help you bridge and target specific gaps—a little bit like an educational buffet. These units in Preparatory Studies are purely to build your confidence and capability and readiness and you can do this at any time.

Some students do units after they receive an offer, some do the course to bridge into their degree after doing TEP, while others have a ‘wobble’ in their first year and need a safety net and confidence boost before one of the targeted units. 

We want you to have a strong start and understand that for many students, university life is unknown. So, this growing course is striving to provide a safety net . To give you an opportunity to be proud of your learning journey as you make necessary adjustments to accommodate your own learning requirements and leverage your strengths.

If it's free, are there any entry requirements?

You must be a domestic student over the age of 17 (by the relevant semester census date, which you can check here).

How do the units work? How many do I select?

You have 10 credit points to play with. 

Some units are 5 credit points so you can bundle a couple together, while some are 10 credit points on their own.

What if I want to focus on multiple areas?

We are as flexible as we can be, and working towards even greater flexibility so that we can accommodate students wanting to do 10, 20 or 30 credit points worth of units. But, for now, because it's new, you can only completely this course once. 

Who teaches the units?

Preparatory Studies units are taught by Charles Darwin University academics. They have the discipline expertise as well as specialised knowledge in how to help students set themselves up for success at university. 

Can I study it 100% online or do I have to be on campus?

You can study Preparatory Studies 100% online, or if you take a TEP unit you can do it at any time and at any campus where that unit is offered.

How long does it take to complete?

It depends. 

Preparatory Studies units are 'intensives' designed to pre-load semesters. The different pre-semester gaps are utilised accordingly to help you get ready in time for classes to begin. 

Before Semester 1, you can complete your learning over six weeks. As there is less time between Semester 1 and Semester 2, the units are taught in four weeks (it's the same exact course, just run over a shorter time period).

The TEP units are run over the semesters, and if you'd like to the maths unit over a longer period, it's currently being offered over Summer Semester at the end of 2024. 

How do I sign up for it?

Head to the pathways course page, click on the Preparatory Studies course and then click 'Apply' to fill out your details and unit preferences. Easy!

If you've got questions or need advice about what to choose based on your chosen degree or unique needs, you can simply get in touch with Student Central. 

Browse the full range of pathway and enabling courses at Charles Darwin University.