Transition Program

Foundation Academic English will strengthen your abilities in reading, listening, writing and speaking, setting you up for university study. This subject also covers academic skills including presentation and discussion, research and reporting, group work, annotated bibliography, and self-reflection. Working with others, you’ll improve your teamwork, decision making, cognitive flexibility and cross-cultural understanding. 

Assumed knowledge
IELTS skills level (or equivalent) required for entry into the Foundation program you are enrolled in. You also must have the ability and willingness to work both collaboratively and independently.

This subject is designed to help you understand the basics in language, skills, concepts and relationships of general accounting. You will learn to analyse and communicate accounting information responsibly, and develop a capacity for problem solving, understanding how a business is run and the role accounting plays in decision making.

Assumed knowledge 
There is no prerequisite knowledge for this subject, but you are expected to have the ability to work independently and perform basic mathematical calculations.

This subject examines the relationship between the law and business. You will study an introduction to the Australian legal system, the legal implication of different business structures, contract law, negligence and consumer protection law. You’ll build skills in approaching legal scenarios in a structured way, reading legal texts and preparing formal answers both written and orally, individually and as a team. 

Assumed knowledge
There is no assumed knowledge for the Business Law subject. The study of Business Law requires an ability to assimilate specialist words and to develop the language of law. 

Computing for Business incorporates both a practical and theoretical component that prepare you for success at university. In Term 1, you will develop practical skills including recognising and discussing technological trends, impacts and issues; PowerPoint presentations; word processing and referencing. In Term 2, you will learn more advanced spreadsheet techniques using MS Excel to analyse, manipulate and visualise data. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate in groups, work on presentations, and develop and receive peer-generated feedback.

Assumed knowledge
Students should be able to use a keyboard to type accurately, and with reasonable speed.

This subject aims to give you the tools to understand basic economic principles and to question why people and businesses make particular decisions, and how government policies influence them. Subject topics include both microeconomics and macroeconomics, covering the behaviours of individuals and companies, up to the performance, structure, behaviour and decision making of an economy as a whole. 

Assumed knowledge
There is no prerequisite knowledge for this subject, however, competence in high school mathematics and an ability to draw and interpret graphs is an advantage. 

Other Programs
Transition:  If you’ve selected Transition program, you will undertake the Microeconomics component of the Economics subject.

Standard Plus:  If you have selected the Standard Plus program, you will also complete the Business Studies subject which covers the planning of a small business and the management of operations, marketing, finance and human resource in large businesses. This will help prepare you for other Commerce subjects with an introduction to concepts in Accounting, Economics, Business Law and Management.

Providing important skills for your future career and study journey, the Management subject describes the connection of success on an individual, team and organisational level, while providing a basic understanding of the language of organisations and management. You will study management theory and decision-making frameworks, while developing skills in decision making, effective teamwork, time management, conflict resolution, coping with change and developing clear written and oral communication practices.

Assumed knowledge
There is no assumed knowledge for this subject. You will need to be able to read and collate information from a range of different sources. You will need to actively engage in classes, discussion and teamwork during this subject.

Other Programs
Standard Plus:  If you have selected the Standard Plus program, you will also study the Critical Skills and Collaboration subject. Here you will learn key skills to help you work effectively in teams and collaborate in critical thinking scenarios.

Commerce Stream only

This subject will prepare you for further study in Commerce, Business, Economics and Social Sciences. You will be introduced to mathematical techniques with an emphasis on applications to areas of commerce and finance. Topics include Algebra and Polynomials, Functions and Graphs, Differential Calculus, Logarithmic and Exponential Functions, Sequences and Series, Mathematics of Finance, Further Curve Sketching, Integral Calculus, Probability, Data Description and Probability Distributions, Further Calculus and Applications. This is a compulsory subject for the Commerce stream.

Assumed knowledge
This subject assumes a level of knowledge equivalent to Stage 5.2/5.3 of the NSW Mathematics Years 7–10 Mathematics Syllabus. See the NSW Board of Studies website for details of the syllabus content.  

Other Programs
Transition:  If you have selected the Transition program, during this subject you will develop skills to construct mathematical arguments in both concrete and abstract settings from a wide range of contexts including differential and integral calculus, counting techniques, financial mathematics, probability and statistics.

Standard Plus: If you have selected the Standard Plus program, during this subject you will be required to solve a variety of practical mathematical problems using different learned strategies, methods and techniques. By the time you finish, you should be able to select and use appropriate mathematical language and notation to explain and verify mathematical arguments and concepts.

Actuarial Stream only

In this compulsory subject for the Foundation Studies program (Commerce Actuarial Studies stream), you will develop skills to construct mathematical arguments in both concrete and abstract settings. Some of the topics covered include Algebra, Functions and Graphs, Quadratic Theory, Differential Calculus, Calculus of Trigonometric Functions, Calculus of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions, Applications of Calculus to the Physical World, The Binomial Theorem and First-Order Separable Differential Equations.

Assumed knowledge
This subject assumes a level of knowledge equivalent to Stage 5.2/5.3 of the NSW Mathematics Years 7–10 Mathematics Syllabus. See the NSW Board of Studies website for details of the syllabus content.  

Other Programs
Transition: In this fast-paced program, you will develop skills to construct mathematical arguments in both concrete and abstract settings from a wide range of contexts including differential and integral calculus, probability and statistics, mathematical induction and elementary differential equations.  

Standard Plus: In the Standard Plus program, you will be required to solve a variety of practical mathematical problems using a range of strategies, methods and techniques, and should be able to select and use appropriate mathematical language and notation to explain and verify mathematical arguments and concepts.

Foundation Academic English will strengthen your abilities in reading, listening, writing and speaking, setting you up for university study. This subject also covers academic skills including presentation and discussion, research and reporting, groupwork, annotated bibliography, and self-reflection. Working with others, you’ll improve your teamwork, decision making, cognitive flexibility and cross-cultural understanding. 

Assumed knowledge
IELTS skills level (or equivalent) required for entry into the Foundation program you are enrolled in. You also must have the ability and willingness to work both collaboratively and independently.

Delivered in practical, hands-on tutorials, this subject is made up of two components, Digital Imaging (using Adobe Photoshop) and Publication (using Adobe InDesign). You will learn about design processes and workflows, and other skills to prepare you for your future studies in Design.

Assumed knowledge
There is no prerequisite knowledge for this subject, however, competence in high school mathematics and an ability to draw and interpret graphs is an advantage.

Other programs
Standard Plus: If you’ve selected Standard Plus, you will also learn about Digital Storytelling using Adobe Premiere Pro.

This subject will encourage you to adopt diverse perspectives to analyse, interpret and discuss cultural phenomena and associated media representations. By exploring different notions of culture, you will understand how its representation contributes to and influences communication. You will learn a range of theoretical culture analysis tools then examine how and why media influences audiences and culture.

Assumed knowledge 
A willingness to actively engage in discussion and explore cultures from a variety of perspectives will assist student performance in this subject.

This subject helps you develop an understanding of visual language common to all art and design disciplines, through exploring historical and theoretical issues in a design context. The Design Studies component is theory-based and gives an overview of iconic designers, design movements and designed objects essential for progressing to an Australian university. The practical Design Studio component you will develop technical and critical skills, and work towards managing an effective working process.

Other Programs
Standard Plus:  If you’ve selected the Standard Plus program, you will also learn the fundamentals of creative practice around short filmmaking which will be supported by technical knowledge from the Computing for Design subject. You will be tasked to create a one-minute film based on a stimulus image which you will choose from a curated gallery.

In this subject, you should develop knowledge and skills encompassing mathematical facts, procedures and concepts necessary for understanding the various maths skills required for further study in Arts, Design & Architecture at university. Topics include basic skills, geometry and similarity, business applications of arithmetic, measurement and statistics.

Assumed knowledge
There is no assumed knowledge for this subject. You will need to be able to read and collate information from a range of different sources. You will need to actively engage in classes, discussion and teamwork during this subject.

Other Programs
Standard Plus:  If you have selected the Standard Plus program, you will also study the Critical Skills and Collaboration subject. Here you will learn key skills to help you work effectively in teams and collaborate in critical thinking scenarios. 

Foundation Academic English will strengthen your abilities in reading, listening, writing and speaking, setting you up for university study. This subject also covers academic skills including presentation and discussion, research and reporting, groupwork, annotated bibliography, and self-reflection. Working with others, you’ll improve your teamwork, decision making, cognitive flexibility and cross-cultural understanding. 

Assumed knowledge
IELTS skills level (or equivalent) required for entry into the Foundation Program you are enrolled in. You also must have the ability and willingness to work both collaboratively and independently.

Computing for Science incorporates both a practical and theoretical component that prepares you for success at university. In Term 1, you will develop practical skills including recognising and discussing technological trends, impacts and issues; PowerPoint presentations; word processing and referencing. In Term 2, you will focus on developing programming skills using Python. You will apply problem-solving methods to develop solutions to real-world problems, using established programming conventions and good programming practices.

Life Science Stream only

This subject will give you a range of knowledge and skills required for further study in Life Science. You will develop a knowledge of the language and basic ideas of biology; learn and apply established scientific laws, theories and concepts; and be able to use the scientific method to solve problems. Some topics covered including biogeochemical cycles, ecological change, organ systems in animals, meiosis, Mendel’s laws of genetics and biotechnology. 

Assumed knowledge
Prerequisite knowledge for the subject includes cell structure and function; mitosis; chemical components of cells; classification hierarchy, classification of plants and animals. Those who have studied Biology previously will have an advantage.

This subject aims to provide a range of knowledge and skills required for further study in Science and Engineering. From basic principles, this subject develops a deeper knowledge of modern chemistry ideas and applications. Topics include names of common elements, symbols, formulas and equations; atomic structure and chemical bonding; states of matter – properties and structure; chemical equilibria (Ka and Ksp); organic compounds and an introduction to instrumental methods and structure analysis for organic compounds.

Assumed knowledge
While there is no subject-specific prerequisite knowledge, success in Chemistry requires an ability to think abstractly and the confidence to apply past learning in new applications. Prior achievement of basic mathematical skills, especially in algebra, is recommended.

In this compulsory subject for the Foundation Studies program (Physical Science or Life Science streams), you will develop skills to construct mathematical arguments in both concrete and abstract settings. Some of the topics covered include Algebra, Functions and Graphs, Quadratic Theory, Differential Calculus, Calculus of Trigonometric Functions, Calculus of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions, Applications of Calculus to the Physical World, The Binomial Theorem and First-Order Separable Differential Equations.

Assumed knowledge
This subject assumes a level of knowledge equivalent to Stage 5.2/5.3 of the NSW Mathematics Years 7–10 Mathematics Syllabus. See the NSW Board of Studies website for details of the syllabus content. 

Other Programs
Transition:  If you’ve selected our Transition program, in this subject you will develop skills to construct mathematical arguments in both concrete and abstract settings from a wide range of contexts including differential and integral calculus, probability and statistics, mathematical induction and elementary differential equations.

Standard Plus:  If you’ve selected the Standard Plus program, in this subject you will be required to solve a variety of practical mathematical problems using a range of strategies, methods and techniques, and should be able to select and use appropriate mathematical language and notation to explain and verify mathematical arguments and concepts.

Physical Science Stream only

This is a predominantly non-calculus-based subject, providing a range of knowledge and skills required for further study in Science and Engineering. You will learn to collect and identify meaningful patterns within data collected from scientific experiments, apply the appropriate laws of physics to a range of scenarios and use objective reasoning and critical thinking skills to solve scientific problems. Topics covered include classical mechanics, wave motion and optics, and electricity and magnetism.

Assumed knowledge
Students should have achieved good results in intermediate to advanced high school mathematics before commencing Foundation Physics. Prior knowledge of trigonometry is essential.