Prerequisites, corequisites and requisite waivers

A subject may have requisites that you need to meet before you can enrol or while you are undertaking the subject. If requisites apply, these requirements will be listed in the Handbook. In some instances, you may be able to seek a waiver to undertake a subject without having to complete the requisites, however this is usually only possible when you have covered the requisite material via other means.

What are requisites?

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are subjects (or other requirements) that must be successfully completed before you begin another more advanced subject. If a subject has prerequisites, it will be to ensure that you have sufficient background knowledge to cope with its content.

Prerequisites may include:

• Other University of Melbourne subjects
• Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) subjects, including those that have been taken as part of an International Baccalaureate
• A high school certificate
• A relevant overseas qualification such as GCE A Levels, or other tertiary studies.

Concurrent prerequisites

Concurrent prerequisites are prerequisites that are allowed to be taken at the same time as the subject that requires it. For example, you may wish to take a subject and its concurrent prerequisite/s at the same time if you cannot fit the prerequisite/s in your study plan beforehand, or if it is encouraged. The Handbook will state if the prerequisites can be taken concurrently in the Eligibility and requirements section.

Corequisites

Corequisites are slightly different to prerequisites as they are subjects that you must enrol in and complete during the same study period as the subject that requires it. You will only be allowed to enrol in a subject that has corequisites if you are enrolled in both the corequisite/s and the subject during the same study period.

Non-study requisites

These are requirements that are not study-based and can include things like permission of coordinator, a working with children check, clinical experience, or registration with a regulatory body. You may be required to provide supporting documentation as evidence of meeting these requirements, please refer to the Handbook for details.

How do I check if a subject has requisites?

Every subject page in the University Handbook contains information about any required prerequisites or corequisites and it also lists contact details of the Subject Coordinator. When searching the Handbook, 'requisites apply’ will appear next to subjects with requisites and the details will be listed in on the Eligibility and requirements section of the subject page. Not all subjects have requisites and if this is the case, they will be specified as ‘none’ in this section.

How do I enrol in a subject with requisites?

Your Study Plan may recognise that you have met the requisite(s) and allow you to enrol in the subject as normal. If after trying you are unable to enrol, you can submit an Enrolment Assistance Form.

What if I haven’t completed a prerequisite?

If you haven’t completed a prerequisite, or are not enrolled and due to complete a prerequisite by the time the subject begins, you will not be allowed to enrol in the subject.

However, if you have completed studies similar to the prerequisite and those studies are not listed, you may be able to seek approval from the Subject Coordinator to have the requisites waived, allowing you to enrol in the subject. See below instructions on how to request a requisite waiver.

What happens if I withdraw from or fail a prerequisite subject?

If you withdraw from or fail a prerequisite subject, you will be automatically withdrawn from any other subjects that require it as a prerequisite.

Non-VCE subject prerequisite equivalencies

If your subject has a VCE Year 12 (or equivalent qualification) prerequisite, in most cases your Study Plan will automatically recognise when you have met this requirement and you will be approved to enrol. If, after trying, you are unable to enrol in your subject due to the Study Plan not recognising that you have met a prerequisite, you will need to use the Enrolment Assistance Form to request a requisite waiver. You will need to upload the transcript from your non-VCE qualification as evidence that you meet the prerequisite for the subject.

Examples of Year 12 or equivalent qualifications that are usually recognised by the Study Plan are:

• Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
• Year 12 studies in an Australian state outside Victoria
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Some GCE A Levels (Level 1 Languages, Maths and Sciences subjects)

For instructions on how to get non-VCE subject prerequisites approved, visit our Non-VCE subject prerequisites FAQ.

Overseas study

If you completed a prerequisite for a University of Melbourne subject at an overseas institution through an Exchange or Fee-paying program, you can submit an enquiry for Stop 1 to process your requisite waiver.

Select the topic ‘Overseas Study’, and sub-topic ‘Enrolment and Credit for Overseas Study’. You will need to attach a Statement of Results from the host institution, and indicate the subject you completed overseas, and the subject it is a prerequisite for here.

How do I request a requisite waiver?

1. Check if any faculty or school restrictions apply to your subject, to see if waivers are permitted.
2. Look up the subject page in the Handbook to obtain the Subject Coordinator's contact details and the requisite information.
3. Contact the Subject Coordinator to request a requisite waiver. You will need the Subject Coordinator's written permission to take the subject. Melbourne Law School (MLS) students: submit a Subject Prerequisite Waiver Application directly to the MLS. Do not contact the Subject Coordinator for permission.
4. Once you have permission, use the Enrolment Assistance Form to submit your enrolment request. You will need to upload a copy of the Subject Coordinator's written permission when submitting your application as a PDF attachment (we cannot accept screenshots or Word documents). The approval should clearly show the following:
   • Subject Coordinator's name and email address
   • Your name and email address
   • The subject title and code.

Faculty or school restrictions on requisite waivers

Faculty of Business and Economics

Requisite waivers are not allowed for subjects taught by the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE). If you do not meet the prerequisite by the time the FBE subject begins, you are not allowed to take the subject.

You must either:

• Complete the prerequisite first
• Enrol in the prerequisite for a later study period (provided that you enrol and complete the prerequisite by the time the FBE subject begins)
• Choose a different subject (if it is an elective).

School of Biomedical Sciences

Bachelor of Biomedicine core subjects build on the concepts taught in the prerequisite subjects. You must demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge by passing the prerequisite before progressing to the next core subject.

For this reason, requisite waivers for subjects taught by the School of Biomedical Sciences will only be approved if you have completed studies at another institution that are equivalent to the prerequisite subject. This includes requests to complete a prerequisite concurrently. If you fail or withdraw from a core Biomedicine subject, you may need to extend your studies to complete your course.

School of Psychological Sciences

Please note that the following two subjects have strict prerequisites that all students are required to complete. Under no circumstances will a requisite waiver be approved for the two subjects below:

• PSYC30021 Psychological Science: Theory & Practice has the strict prerequisite of PSYC30013 Research Methods for Human Inquiry.
• PSYC40013 Advanced Psychological Theory & Practice has the strict prerequisite of PSYC40014 Advanced Research Methods in Psychology.

Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

Requisite waivers are not allowed for subjects taught in the Architecture major*.  If you do not meet the prerequisite by the time the subject begins, you are not allowed to take the subject.

You must either:

• Complete the prerequisite first
• Enrol in the prerequisite for a later study period (provided that you enrol and complete the prerequisite by the time the Architecture major subject begins).

*One subject is the only exception; this is the capstone ARCH30002 Design Studio Epsilon.  For this subject, a request for a requisite waver for ABPL30041 Architectural Tectonics will be considered where students only have 37.5 remaining credit points (including the two subjects) to complete and have a minimum of 70% average across their studies.

Faculty of Arts

Please note that the following three subjects have strict prerequisites that all students are required to complete. Under no circumstances will a requisite waiver be approved for the three subjects below:

• POLS30003 Public Affairs Internship
• POLS30001 Parliamentary Internship
• SOCI30005 Sociology Internship