Major, minor and specialisation modules are focused groups of units which form the basis of the majority of courses at VU.

  • A Major is 96 credit points
  • There are two types of Minors both worth 48 credit points:
    • Discipline Minors - provide students with an introduction to a field of study. These can be shared by multiple majors or courses and generally form the first four units of a major.
    • Breadth Minors – provide an option for students who wish to broaden their body of knowledge across a range of discipline areas or to undertake interdisciplinary studies. These can be shared across disciplines and colleges.
  • A Specialisation is 48 credit points

Developing majors & minors & specialisations

When developing majors, minors and specialisation modules:

  • they are created by the discipline 'owners'
  • the major (e.g. Sport Science) must have the same credibility as the Award/Discipline (e.g. Bachelor of Sport Science) to carry the title
  • the major should include a balance of first, second and third year units (eight key units) of major study from within the Award to allow students to specialise in the discipline
  • the minor will generally be comprised of the first four units of the major (e.g. Sport Science)
  • the specialisation must be designed around a coherent conceptual framework.

Mandatory statements & completion rules

Check the mandatory statements for the completion rules of your course.

  • Major, minor and specialisation options or choices must be included in the course structure.
    • Don’t use blanket statements i.e. 'A minor from across the university.'
  • Before making a major, minor or specialisation available:
    • negotiate with the 'owners' of the major or minor
    • check that it is appropriate for inclusion in your course e.g. (appropriate balance of course learning outcomes and enhancement of the student experience.

The creation of new major, minor or specialisation modules needs to be managed in conjunction with any changes to course(s) to which the modules are related.

Major, minor and specialisation modules are also called ‘unit sets’ in CAMS. A unit set is another name for a group of units that have been organised into a major or minor module.