UWA Handbook 2025

Course overview

Overview

The UWA Diploma in Commerce is designed to meet the needs of overseas students whose first language may not be English, who may fall short of direct entry requirements and/or whose availability for first year study is out of phase with the University's normal entry date. The aims of the Diploma in Commerce are:

• To equip international students with the English language competence they need to study in the second year of a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UWA;
• To provide students with study skills and the intellectual development they need to be academically capable of studying business related subjects in the second year at UWA;
• To provide students with appropriate subject specific knowledge to prepare them for the second year of study at UWA;
• To enable students to develop confidence in communicating complex matters with native speakers;
• To increase familiarity with Australian academic practices including the practical experience of university teaching methods.

Students who pass the program will be awarded the Diploma in Commerce with 48 transferable credits guaranteeing a place into the second year of an appropriate undergraduate program for units studied. Choice of majors include Accounting, Business Law, Economics, Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Management. The program offers a range of compulsory and elective units designed to ensure breadth of study and to provide pathways to the full range of BCom majors run at the Business School. Students will build on existing language, academic and numerical skills with a range of compulsory and optional units that provide a broad overview of the business world whilst also ensuring that students are able to specialise in their future major. Units are modelled on existing UWA level 1 units.

Course code

UWC02

Course type

UWA College Award course

Status

current / 2025

Points

48

Abbreviation

DipCom

Coodrinator

TBA

Course structure

Rules

Title

1. These rules are the Diploma in Commerce – 8 Months Course Rules.

Terms Used

2. The Glossary provides an explanation of the terms used in these rules.

Applicability of the Student Rules, policies and procedures

3.(1) The Student Rules and the UWA College Student Rules apply to students in this course.

(2) The policy, policy statements and guidance documents and student procedures apply, except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

(3) The UWA College policy and procedures apply, except as otherwise indicated in the rules for this course.

Academic Conduct Essentials, Communication and Research Skills And Indigenous Studies Essentials module

4.(1) Except as stated in (2), a student who enrols in an undergraduate degree course of the University for the first time irrespective of whether they have previously been enrolled in another course of the University, must undertake the Academic Conduct Essentials module (the ACE module) and Indigenous Studies Essentials (the ISE module) in the teaching period in which they are first enrolled.

(2) A student must successfully complete the ACE module within the first teaching period of their enrolment. Failure to complete the module within this timeframe will result in the student's unit results from this teaching period being withheld. These results will continue to be withheld until students avail themselves of a subsequent opportunity to achieve a passing grade in the ACE module. In the event that students complete units in subsequent teaching periods without completing the ACE module, these results will similarly be withheld. Students will not be permitted to submit late review or appeal applications regarding results which have been withheld for this reason and which they were unable to access in the normally permitted review period.

(3) A student who has previously achieved a result of Ungraded Pass (UP) for the ACE module or the ISE module, within the last three months at the point of entry to this course, is not required to repeat the relevant module.

English Language competency requirements

To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have achieved an IELTS score of at least 6, (with no band less than 5.5) or equivalent as recognised by UWA.

Admission requirements

6. To be considered for admission to this course an applicant must have achieved an ATAR of at least 70, or equivalent as recognised by UWA.

Course structure

7.(1) The course consists of units to a total value of 48 points.

(2) Units must be selected in accordance with the course structure, as set out in these rules. Students may not take units which are not specified in the unit sequence. Students must ensure they complete all specified core units in the course.

Satisfactory progress

8.(1) To make satisfactory progress in a teaching period a student must —

(a) achieve a pass in units with a total credit point value of more than half the total credit point value of units in which they remain enrolled after the final date for withdrawal without academic penalty;

(b) not fail the same unit on more than one occasion;

and

(c) satisfy any additional requirements stated in the rules of the course, including the successful completion of the Academic Conduct Essential (ACE) module prior to the final teaching period of the program.

(2) A student who has not achieved a result of Ungraded Pass (UP) in one or more of the ACE module, the CARS module or the ISE module when their progress status is assessed will not have made satisfactory progress.

Progress status

9.(1) A progress status is assigned by the relevant school or board to each student once every standard teaching period or equivalent.

(2) A student who makes satisfactory progress under rule 8 is assigned the status of 'Good Standing'.

(3) Unless the relevant board determines otherwise because of exceptional circumstances a student who does not make satisfactory progress under rule 8 may be assigned one of the following —

(a) 'On Probation', in which case the student must see their Student Adviser to discuss enrolment and conditions that may apply to re-enrolment;

(b) Suspended', in which case the student is not permitted to re-enrol in the course for the following teaching period or equivalent; or;

(c) ‘Excluded', in which case the student is not permitted to re-enrol in the course;

(4) A student who does not make satisfactory progress in terms of rule 8.2 is assigned the progress status of 'On Probation', unless they have been assigned a progress status of 'Suspended' or 'Excluded' for failure to meet other satisfactory progress requirements in Rule 8.

(5) Unless the relevant board determines otherwise because of exceptional circumstances, a status of ‘Suspended' or ‘Excluded' may not be assigned to a student who has completed only one teaching period of study at the University.