Credit points (CP) serve as a measure of study load and provide guidance on various aspects of a student’s academic journey.
They serve to indicate the expected workload for a course, with EIT standardising on one credit point to represent approximately 40 hours of coursework, including all forms of teaching contact, assessment tasks, practical sessions and private study for an average student.
Credit points are also used to determine a student’s enrolment load, whether they are studying full-time or part-time.
Additionally, credit points help define the requirements for graduating from an award and quantify recognition of prior learning for the amount of work completed towards the award.
It’s worth noting that the workload specified by the credit point value of a course is applicable regardless of the course’s length or mode of delivery (online, on-campus, or blended).
Variations
Most EIT units typically carry 3 credit points, although in general the credit point value per unit can range from 0 to 50. Some units for hands on workshops or internship/work placement in industry operate as zero-credit units. These units are considered compulsory prerequisites (e.g., hurdle requirements) for graduating.
EIT credit points:
To pass a Bachelor degree, you normally need to complete 81 credit points. (3 years full time)
To pass a Master degree, you normally need to complete 60 credit points. (2 years full time)
To pass a Doctoral degree, you normally need to complete 120 credit points. (3 years full time)
Why do credit points vary between institutes of higher education /universities in Australia?
In Australia, credit points for courses can differ among institutes and universities primarily because of the allocation of credit hours per credit point (and sometimes the seniority of a unit may attract more credit hours e.g. a third-year unit versus an introductory first year unit). As a general example, Institute A may assign 1 credit point to 10 hours, while Institute B may allocate 1 credit point to 40 hours. Therefore, a course from Institute A with 324 credit points is equivalent to a course from Institute B with 81 credit points since their total credit hours are identical. Essentially, the credit point is a subjective figure established by the institute or university to assess the students’ course workload.
Credit points and regulations
TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) is the national regulator of higher education in Australia, responsible for ensuring that universities and other higher education providers meet certain quality standards.
While TEQSA does not set a minimum credit point requirement for a course, it does require that higher education providers must ensure that all courses they offer are designed to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of the course and are appropriate for the level of study. This includes specifying the credit point value of each course and ensuring credit point value of each course reflects the expected workload (credit hours) and is appropriate for the level of study, as specified in the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.