Destination Sydney Academic Overview
This overview provides information about the academics of the Destination Sydney program.Academic Structure
Destination Sydney students will enroll in 12-16 credits. The curriculum is comprised of the following:Course | Credits | Notes |
---|---|---|
Required University of Sydney courses | 3 | Taught by USyd faculty |
Approved electives | 9-12 | Taught by USyd faculty |
University of Sydney courses
Destination Sydney students enroll in regular courses at the University of Sydney (USyd), one of the oldest degree-granting universities in Australia. Maryland students will be in classes taught by local and international faculty with USyd degree-seeking and study abroad students from around the world. Students get a feel for the lecture/discussion system and have tutors available for questions. All courses are taught in English, except for language classes.
Maryland students choose their electives from those courses that have been evaluated and approved by University of Maryland faculty. See Destination Sydney Course Offerings for options. This list may have additional courses added at any time.
USyd Elective Courses
Maryland students can choose from a list of approved USyd courses that might fulfill major, minor, elective or General Education credit. The main academic foci of USyd courses are:
- Arts and Humanities
- Business
- Behavioral and Social Sciences (including Economics ad Government and Politics)
It is expected that Maryland students have academic activities five days each week.
Credit and Transcripts
Destination Sydney classes will appear on the UMD transcript as a mixture of resident and transfer credit.Academic credit will be assigned and reported on a University of Maryland transcript. Destination Sydney students must take all courses for a letter grade. Students who choose to take courses at USyd that are not approved by the University of Maryland may not receive academic credit for them. Students who drop a course after USyd's Add/Drop period will receive an F on their Maryland transcript for that course.
Please note that credit from the term in Sydney is not posted until about 6-8 weeks after the end of the semester in which a student studies abroad.
Transfer credit courses are worth 4 UMD credits. Students must earn a Passing grade (50 points or more) in order for the credit hours to be accepted, however, the grade will not be calculated into the UMD GPA.
Resident credit courses are worth 3 UMD credits. The grade conversion is as follows, and will be calculated into the UMD GPA.
High Distinction (85-100) = A+
Distinction (75-84) = A
Credit (65-74) = B
Pass (50-64) = C
Pass Concessional (45-49) = D
Fail (0-44) = F