Degree Transfer Extended Information Technology is designed for international students who need additional academic and English preparation before entering the standard Degree Transfer Information Technology pathway.

The programme adds an extra bridging semester before the 12-month Degree Transfer component. After successfully completing the pathway, students can progress to Year 2 of an eligible University of Newcastle bachelor's degree. The pathway is particularly useful for students who do not quite meet the normal academic or English requirements for direct entry to Degree Transfer.

Key benefits include:

• An additional semester of preparation before university-level IT study.
• Academic English development.
• Preparation in core mathematics, programming, computing and statistics.
• A pathway to seven different bachelor's degrees.
• Opportunity to enter Year 2 of the selected University of Newcastle degree after successful completion.
• Study in a specialist university environment at Newcastle Callaghan Campus.
• Exposure to areas including programming, databases, cybersecurity, web technologies, data structures and data visualisation.
• The pathway can be suitable for students whose academic results or English proficiency are below the standard Degree Transfer threshold but who still want to progress toward an IT or computing degree.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics

The Extended pathway has two stages.

Stage 1: Extended bridging semester

The five core bridging courses for the Information Technology and Computer Science stream are:

1. Academic English
2. Core Mathematics
3. Programming
4. Computing
5. Statistics

These five bridging courses are non-credit bearing.

Stage 2: Degree Transfer Information Technology

The ten-course Degree Transfer component consists of four core courses plus six directed courses.

Core courses:

1. COMP1140 Database and Information Management
2. SENG1110 Object Oriented Programming
3. Academic English A
4. Academic English B.

Students then select six directed courses from the following areas, subject to their chosen progression degree:

• COMP1010 Computing Fundamentals
• ELEC1710 Digital & Computer Electronics 1
• ENGG1500 Introduction to Professional Engineering
• INFT1004 Introduction to Programming
• INFT1060 Cybersecurity Fundamentals
• MATH1110 Maths for Engineering, Science and Tech 1
• MATH1120 Mathematics for Engineering, Science & Technology 2
• MATH1510 Discrete Mathematics
• SENG1050 Web Technologies
• SENG1120 Data Structures
• STAT1060 Business Decision Making
• STAT1100 Data Wrangling & Visualisation
• STAT1300 Fundamentals of Statistics.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The Extended Information Technology pathway itself does not have named specialisations at the CIE stage.

However, successful students can progress to seven bachelor's degrees:

1. Bachelor of Information Technology
2. Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Technology)
3. Bachelor of Information Technology (Systems Development)
4. Bachelor of Information Technology / Bachelor of Business
5. Bachelor of Computer Science
6. Bachelor of Data Science
7. Bachelor of Data Science / Bachelor of Computer Science.

The pathway therefore provides exposure to several IT and computing disciplines, including:

• Information technology
• Business technology
• Systems development
• Computer science
• Data science
• Programming
• Cybersecurity
• Database management
• Web technologies
• Data structures
• Statistics
• Data visualisation
• Digital and computer electronics.

Programme Highlights

• Programme: Degree Transfer Extended Information Technology
• Level: Undergraduate pathway
• Duration: 3 semesters / approximately 16 months
• CRICOS code: 104611H
• Initial bridging courses: 5
• Total CIE pathway courses: 15
• Bridging courses: non-credit bearing
• Subsequent Degree Transfer component: 10 courses
• Progression destinations: 7 bachelor's degrees
• Delivery: Newcastle Callaghan Campus
• Main study areas: IT, computer science, programming, databases, cybersecurity, mathematics, statistics and data science. 

Career Outcomes

The CIE Extended programme is a pathway rather than a final professional qualification, so students generally need to complete the subsequent University of Newcastle bachelor's degree before entering graduate-level IT or computing careers.

Depending on the chosen bachelor's degree, potential career areas include:

• Software development
• Systems analysis
• IT consulting
• Database administration
• Cybersecurity
• Web development
• Business technology
• Data analysis
• Data science
• Computer science
• Systems development
• IT project and technology management
• Information systems
• Digital technology.

Latest Updates / Special Requirements

The programme currently carries CRICOS code 104611H.

Important considerations:

• The Extended pathway is intended for students who need additional preparation before Degree Transfer.
• The first five bridging courses are non-credit bearing.
• Students then complete the relevant ten-course Degree Transfer curriculum.
• Successful completion is required before progression to Year 2.
• Directed subjects should be selected according to the intended bachelor's degree.
• The exact progression requirements should be checked in the student's CIE offer and University of Newcastle progression information.
• Some destination degrees may have specific academic prerequisites.
• Historical CIE prospectuses contain different intake dates and fees, so students should not rely on older brochures for current application planning.

International Student Visa Requirements

International students normally require an Australian Student visa, subclass 500, for this full-time study pathway, subject to their individual circumstances.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs states that Student visa holders can:

• Study an eligible course in Australia.
• Travel in and out of Australia.
• Work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session.

Key requirements include:

• Enrolment in an eligible Australian course.
• A valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), unless an exemption applies.
• Meeting the Genuine Student requirement.
• Meeting health requirements.
• Meeting character requirements.
• Meeting applicable financial-capacity requirements.
• Appropriate welfare arrangements if under 18.