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Engineering

Postgraduate Recognition of Prior Learning

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What is Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)?

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) allows you to receive credit towards your program by demonstrating that you have already met part of its academic requirements. This involves assessing your prior learning to determine if it is equivalent to one or more courses within the program you will be (or have been) admitted to. If approved, credit is awarded, advancing your standing and helping you progress more quickly through your studies.

In addition to the ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Recognition of Prior Learning (Coursework Programs) Procedure, the following rules and limits apply to ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering postgraduate programs.

At ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering, RPL for credit may be granted as:

  1. Block credit
    If you have completed previous studies, you may be eligible for block credit. This is a set amount of credit granted for a specific requirement of your ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç program. This credit is awarded when your prior learning is assessed as comparable to part of the program requirements.
  2. Specified credit
    If you have completed an exact or near exact equivalence to a course (or more than one course) either at ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç or at another higher education provider you may be able to receive credit towards your program.

Not all postgraduate programs at ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering offer RPL, and the type of credit available depends on your program, and whether you meet the eligibility requirements.

Programs that award block credit:

  • 8543 Master of Information Technology
  • 5546 Graduate Diploma in Information Technology
  • 7546 Graduate Certificate in Information Technology
  • 8544 Master of Information Technology / Master of Commerce
    (Block credit is available for Information Technology component only)
  • 8338 Master of Engineering Science
  • 5373 Graduate Diploma in Engineering Science
  • 7373 Graduate Certificate in Engineering Science
  • 8339 Master of Engineering Science / Master of Commerce
    (Block credit is available for Engineering Science component only.)
  • 8037 Master of Food Science
  • 5036 Graduate Diploma in Food Science
  • 7037 Graduate Certificate in Food Science

Programs that award specified credit:

  • 8059 Master of Mine Geotechnical Engineering
  • 5059 Graduate Diploma in Mine Geotechnical Engineering
  • 8335 Master of Mining Engineering
  • 5335 Graduate Diploma in Mining Engineering
  • 8649 Master of Cyber Security
    (Specified credit can only be granted based on postgraduate study)
  • 5649 Graduate Diploma in Cyber Security
    (Specified credit can only be granted based on postgraduate study)

Programs that do not award RPL:

  • 8621 Master of Engineering
  • 7335 Graduate Certificate in Mining Engineering
  • 7543 Graduate Certificate in Computing
  • 7649 Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security
  • 5046 Graduate Diploma in Mine Ventilation
    (Exception: If you have completed the Statutory Ventilation Officers (VO) professional development, you will be given RPL for 50% of the 5046 Graduate Diploma in Mine Ventilation)

Block credit

  • Block credit is a set amount of credit granted for a specific requirement of a ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç program. This credit is awarded when your prior learning is assessed as comparable to part of the program requirements.

  • The Faculty of Engineering introduced block credits in 2024 for some postgraduate coursework programs (see the list of programs in the section above) to streamline your admissions and advanced standing processes. Block credits eliminate the need to assess individual course outlines which significantly speeds up the application process.

  • The block credit you will be eligible for depends on:

    1. The type and level of your qualification
      For example, a 4-year Australian Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree is an AQF level 8 qualification, while a 3-year Australian Bachelor of Engineering Science degree is an AQF level 7 qualification (see for more details).
    2. The field of study of your qualification and how closely it aligns with the specialisation you are applying for
      We refer to a closely related field as a cognate discipline - a discipline that shares key principles, concepts, or methodologies with the primary engineering specialisation.
      ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering has defined a set list of cognates for each specialisation within a program.

    You can choose to accept less UOC block credit than you are eligible for, but once accepted, you will not be able to reapply for more block credit later.

    Maximum UOC of block credit

    You may be eligible for a maximum of 48 UOC of block credit towards your Master’s degree if you have an AQF 8 (or equivalent) degree in a closely related discipline. If you are entering with an AQF 7 (or equivalent) degree, you may be eligible for a maximum of 24 UOC towards your Master’s degree. Please note that some specialisations offer a smaller amount of maximum UOC block credit.

    A maximum of 24 UOC of block credit may be awarded towards your Graduate Certificate or your Graduate Diploma, depending on your qualification and cognate discipline.

  • See the below documents for details on the maximum block credit you may be eligible for, including the category of course/s the block credit applies to (e.g. Foundational Core).

    • Engineering Science (8338_5373_7373) - Coming Soon
    • Information Technology (8543_8544_5546_7546) - Coming Soon
    • Food Science (8037_5036_7037) - Coming Soon

    Please note:

    • The category of courses awarded as block credit is predetermined by ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering and cannot be changed. For example, if you are awarded block credit for 18 UOC of Foundational Core and 6 UOC of Disciplinary Knowledge Electives (total 24 UOC), you cannot change this to 24 UOC of Foundational Core or 24 UOC of Disciplinary Knowledge Electives, or any other variation to the block credit that has been awarded.
    • Information provided is a guide only and is subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information, contact the ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Nucleus Student Hub.
    • Applicants with disciplines not listed in the guide may still be eligible for block credit but must be assessed upon application.

  • There are two ways of applying for block credit.

    During the application stage

    The best way to apply for block credit is during the application stage. You do this by indicating that you wish to be considered for block credit directly in your application.
    Your eligibility for block credit is then assessed by ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Admissions during the admissions stage. This assessment is based on your academic transcript(s), and you will be notified of how much block credit you are eligible for in your official letter of offer.

    After accepting an offer to study at ºÚÁÏÍø´óʼÇ

    If you have already accepted an offer but did not indicate that you wish to be assessed for RPL at the time of admission, you can apply for block credit by submitting a with a copy of your official transcript(s). There is no need to submit copies of individual course outlines.

    Your RPL application will be assessed by The Nucleus: Student Hub and you will be notified accordingly.

    Please note the following:

    • It is highly recommended that you submit your application at least 4 weeks before the start of your first term as the outcome of your block credit application may mean you will need to enrol in different courses. Applying too late may mean you will need to complete courses you are enrolled in, for which you may have otherwise been granted credit.
    • Credit cannot be granted for a course in which you are enrolled if the census date has passed.

    Please contact if you have any further questions.

  • An applicant with an Engineering (Honours) or Engineering Science degree in a discipline that is not considered cognate may be eligible for program entry but not receive any block credit.

    You are eligible to apply for specified credit – see below.

Specified credit

  • Specified credit is granted when an exact or near exact equivalence to one or more courses studied either at ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç or at another higher education provider can be demonstrated.

    You are eligible to apply for specified credit in the postgraduate programs listed in the section above. If you have received block credit (see block credit section), you are not eligible to apply for specified credit.

  • You can apply for specified credit by submitting a . Make sure to include a copy of your official transcript and course outlines (in English) of the studies you have undertaken at another university.

    When you apply for specified credit, you will need to submit course outlines which show the following components:

    • Course code and title
    • Course description
    • Total hours for the whole course (e.g. how many lecture/tutorial hours per week and how many weeks per term)
    • Assessment weighting schedules (e.g. 30% mid-term exam, 70% final exam etc.)
    • Weekly topic schedule (i.e. which topics were taught in each week) 

    In certain circumstances, we may also require the following to assess your application:

    • Textbook materials used
    • Units of Credit for the course and total Units of Credit for a full-time student per term
    • Further proof evidence of studies (if required)

    Your application will be assessed by the relevant Program or Specialisation Authority. The and the Faculty Enrolment Rules must also be satisfied.

    It is highly recommended that you submit your application at least 4 weeks prior to the start of your first term.

RPL limitations 
  • RPL assessments are based on the completion date of the course used for credit. Courses with a completion date of more than 10 years cannot be used for credit transfer.
  • If you are enrolled in a program that consists of 24 UOC, you are not eligible for RPL.
  • Prior learning cannot be counted for credit towards more than 50% of your postgraduate coursework single award program to which you are admitted.
  • Credit will not be awarded if you have already attempted the course or stayed enrolled past the census date while studying at ºÚÁÏÍø´óʼÇ.
  • ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering does not award RPL for microcredentials.
  • ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Engineering does not award RPL for Thesis courses.
  • If you request  and it is approved, you will not be eligible to have it reinstated under any circumstances.

Further information

Please refer to the Faculty Enrolment Rules for more information regarding credit transfer.

You can find additional information on the following ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç websites:

You can contact The Nucleus Student Hub here: The Nucleus: Student Hub | Current Students - ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Sydney

Frequently asked questions

  • If your academic transcript or course outline is not in English, it must be officially translated. Applications will not be accepted where documentation was translated from an unofficial source or appears to be self-written. Please refer to the  page for more information.

    You will be disqualified from receiving RPL and reported to the relevant authority for further action if you have found to have plagiarised any content in your submission.

    The ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Student Code of Conduct and Values provides a framework for the standard of conduct expected of ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç students with respect to their academic integrity and behaviour. Where a student breaches the Student Code with respect to academic integrity, the University may take disciplinary action under the Student Misconduct Procedure.

  • If you have been approved for recognition of prior learning, you should take care to ensure that your skills are up to date, and your background and/or experience matches the assumed knowledge expected of you. While we have made every effort to ensure that our assessment is accurate, you are ultimately responsible for your own enrolment and you should seek advice immediately if you have any concerns about your ability to study higher level material.

  • If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of your RPL assessment, you can submit an appeal in writing by responding to the email with your outcome. You must outline the reasons why you think the decision should be overturned and you may provide additional documentation if appropriate.

    If the decision to deny your credit transfer request is upheld, you may submit a further appeal to the School Student Integrity Officer & Grievance Officer (Key contacts SSIA & Grievance Officer).

  • Students who articulate will receive recognition of prior learning for all eligible courses completed in earlier programs in the articulated suite (e.g. Graduate Certificate and/or Graduate Diploma).

Contact us

Please contact for all enquiries regarding Recognition of Prior Learning.