Class timetables are released as early as possible to let you plan your studies and the year ahead.

Check the Academic Calendar to see when class timetables will be available for next semester. 

Whether you're planning your timetable for the semester, or for the entire academic year, some important things to consider are:

1. Semester, trimester or teaching period?

When you click on each course in your course list, you can see whether it’s offered in a semester, trimester or teaching period (TP).

Semesters

An academic year at UQ has three semesters: Semester 1, Semester 2, and Summer Semester (optional for most programs).

Semester 1 and Semester 2 are usually 13 weeks long and Summer Semester is usually eight weeks.

Pay careful attention to your course list – some courses aren't offered every semester or every year.

When you view a course profile, go to ‘Learning Activities’. This will show you the exact dates when a course is taught.

See an example from the catalogue


Trimesters

If you're studying the Associate Degree in Business at UQ College, your academic year is split into three trimesters. Each trimester usually runs for 14 weeks, with a break in between.

Pay careful attention to your course list – some courses aren’t offered every trimester. 

When you view a course profile, go to ‘Learning Activities’. This will show you the exact dates when a course is taught.

See an example from the catalogue


Teaching period

Most courses are taught during semesters, but a small number are taught in non-standard teaching periods (TP).

An academic year has eight teaching periods, running from the beginning of January (TP1) to the end of December (TP8).

Teaching periods run on different schedules to semesters. While semesters are usually 13 weeks long, teaching periods are between four and eight weeks long.

Pay careful attention to your course list – a course may be offered in a teaching period or in a standard semester.

When you view a course profile, go to ‘Learning Activities’. This will show you the exact dates when a course is taught.

See an example from the catalogue


2. Does this course have unique dates?

Some course dates diverge from semester schedules.

We recommend checking the course date variation tables to see whether your course has unique dates.

See course date variations

3. What day, what time and where?

Use the My Timetable planner to see class options for courses you're enrolled in. You can access My Timetable through your my.UQ dashboard (student login required)

It's important to remember that the planner is just a tool for planning class schedules. You aren't guaranteed a spot in any class until you  complete class preferencing and allocation (if you need to).

To start planning your timetable:

  1. Select 'Planner' from the My Timetable menu.
  2. Click 'Generate' to create an initial timetable.
  3. Select classes on the grid to swap for preferred days/times, as necessary.
  4. Click on the 'Save' icon to name and save your plan. You can create and edit multiple plans.

Reference your preferred plan when entering your class preferences.

You can also use the public timetable to see class timetables for any course (not only those that you're enrolled in).

To view the class options for any course:

  1. Select the semester from 'Teaching Period' menu.
  2. Enter the course code into the search field and click 'Search'. 
  3. In the side menu, select the checkbox for the course.
  4. Click 'Show Timetable'.
  5. Click the 'Show as list' icon .

See an example

4. Class allocation

When a course has lots of options for class times, you'll need to register your preferred times through 
My Timetable – our class allocation system. 

You can access My Timetable through your my.UQ Dashboard (student login required).

Class preferencing usually begins about 4 weeks before the semester begins– check the Academic Calendar for the exact dates.

If you have used the My Timetable planner and saved a preferred plan, enter those class preferences into My Timetable when class preferencing opens. 

See Enrolment and class allocation for more information.

5. Timetables can change

Timetables are subject to change, especially during the first 2 weeks of semester.

Enrolment numbers may affect which rooms a course is taught in (and room availability may affect what time a course can be offered).

Check My Timetable regularly for changes to course times and room allocations, particularly during the first 2 weeks of semester.

To save space, course information is often presented used abbreviations, codes or unique terminology. Here's what they mean:

A

Academic career

This refers to the academic level of a course (e.g. undergraduate, postgraduate coursework etc.)

B

Building name

The building where the class is held. To find your way around campus, download the UQ Maps app or use the UQ maps database.

Building number

The building number where the class is held. All campus buildings are numbered.

C

Campus/location

The primary location where a course is taught. Not all classes are taught from this location (e.g. practicals, clinical-based learning, industry placements etc.)

Class

Each course offers a number of classes (e.g. lectures, tutorials etc.). Classes are usually abbreviated with a combination of 3 letters and a number (e.g. LEC1 is lecture 1).

Class status

Courses marked "Active" are available for enrolment.

Course code

Each course taught at the University is allocated an eight-character code.

  • The four letters describe the course discipline (e.g. ANCH for ancient history, MICR for microbiology, PHTY for physiotherapy etc.)
  • The four numbers uniquely identify the course. The first number identifies the level of the course (e.g. first year, second year etc.) and the remaining numbers are used for administrative purposes.

Please pay close attention to the first number in a course code:

  • 1 ... first-level undergraduate
  • 2 ... second-level undergraduate
  • 3 ... third-level undergraduate
  • 4 ... fourth-level undergraduate
  • 5 ... fifth-level undergraduate 
  • 6 ... honours, graduate certificate or graduate diploma
  • 7 ... master's by coursework
  • 8 ... professional doctorate
  • 9 ... MPhil, PhD or higher doctorate.

Make sure you choose courses that are at an appropriate level – especially if you are selecting elective courses from a different discipline, or if you are in your first year.

Contact hours

Class contact hours are abbreviated with a combination of letters and numbers:

  • Numbers represent the amount of time, and
  • Letters represent the type of class.

For example: '2L2P' means two hours (2) of lectures (L) and two hours (2) of practical work (P) each week.

Other letters you might encounter include:

CodeDescriptionDefinition
PASPeer Assisted Study SessionPASS sessions are voluntary, small group-sessions designed to complement lectures, tutorials and other course materials. The sessions are run by PASS Leaders, who are high-achieving students who have recently completed the course.
CBLCase-based learningActive learning sessions where students are presented with a case or dilemma situated in an authentic context, which they are required to solve. Students are provided with background, situation and supporting data; they can work individually or as a group. The course coordinator takes on a facilitator’s role to guide learning rather than to dictate answers.
CONContactGeneral contact hours
EXCExcursionExcursions are trips away from the University campus conducted for a group of students for purposes related to achieving the learning outcomes of the course or program. 
FLDFieldworkFieldwork classes require students to engage in work activities related to the course at a predetermined location away from the university campus. 
TBLTeam Based LearningTeam-based learning (TBL) is an active learning and small group instructional strategy that provides students with opportunities to apply conceptual knowledge through a sequence of activities that includes individual work, teamwork and immediate feedback.
ICTIT ComputingIT Sessions are based in a room with either a university computer on each desk or have seating space available for students to use their own personal devices. 
LECLectureLectures are typically instructor-led classes with structured content carried out in a large group. Lectures involve student-educator interaction and may also include student-student interaction. 
PLAPlacementPlacement classes typically require students to participate in work-related experiences, usually in a location external to UQ.
CCOClinical coachingClinical coaching is teaching and learning which takes place in a clinical context in small groups. It usually involves patients and, as such, clinical coaching enables development of professionalism as well as clinical skills and necessitates sensitivity, confidentiality, and discretion. Clinical coaching may involve presentation of a case, assessment, and discussion of the case with or without a clinician present.
PRAPracticalPracticals are 'hands-on' classes which allow students to apply the theories learned in a course in practical situations. For example, in a science course, practicals may include conducting experiments in a laboratory.
PBLProblem-based learningPBL supports learning through an enquiry-guided method for students to solve a real-life problem. Students use ‘triggers’ derived from the problem to define their own learning outcome/objectives. There is a specific, guided methodology for implementing PBL.

 

Coordinating unit

The University department responsible for administering the course.

The coordinating unit will usually be a school and the school's name is often abbreviated.

Pay close attention to school names. The school that administers a course will be different to the faculty that administers your program. During the semester you may need to contact your school.

Coordinator

This is the person who is primarily responsible for designing, planning and teaching a course.

Please note that course coordinators are responsible for teaching – they aren't responsible for administrative areas such as timetabling, or dropping a course, or academic progression.

Talk to administrative staff in your school office or faculty office about these areas.

D

Day

The day of the week when the class is held.

E

Enrolled

The number of students enrolled in a course. Courses with large enrolment numbers will have a greater number of classes timetabled in order to accommodate all students.

I

Instruction mode

The words "in person" and "external" refer to types of attendance at the University.

  • An in-person course may incorporate some aspects of online delivery (e.g. online lectures, options for online tutorials, digital assessment) but requires students to engage in in-person learning or assessment at a UQ campus or other location at some point.
  • External courses are delivered entirely online, and students must participate online for all learning and assessment.

L

Location

The campus or other site where a class is held.

P

Prerequisites, companions and incompatibles

You can’t enrol in a course if you haven’t passed its prerequisites, or if you've studied an incompatible course:

  • Prerequisites are the assumed knowledge requirements for a course. They have to be completed before you enrol.
  • Two or more courses are incompatible if their content is very similar, or if it substantially overlaps.
  • Companions are a pair of courses (or a group of courses) that should be studied together. Companion courses can either be studied all together in the same semester, or in separate semesters (i.e. one companion can be studied before another).
  • See an example from the catalogue

R

Restrictions

This means a course is restricted to students who are enrolled in one of the listed programs.

Room

The room number where the class is held. The first digit typically refers to the floor number (e.g. room number 715 is on floor seven).

S

Semester offered

Some courses aren't offered each semester or each year. Check mySI-net or the program and course catalogue to confirm a course's availability for enrolment.

Sem 1A course undertaken completely in Semester 1
Sem 2A course undertaken completely in Semester 2
Sem 1 or 2A course that may be undertaken in either semester
IntInternal
ExtExternal
NOT 2021The course will not be offered in the specified year
YearA course undertaken over two semesters
SumA course taught in Summer Semester

Session

The specific dates a course is taught. Courses may be offered during a standard Semester or a teaching period.

Session information also includes the census date for a course.

Start/End

A class's start time and finish time. Classes usually finish 10 minutes early, so you can get to your next class on time.

U

Units

Each course is rated in terms of units, which reflect the amount of effort required to complete it, including both class contact and private study.

A hashtag (#) is sometimes used to represent the word "unit". Most courses are 2 units (#2) each.

W

Weeks taught

The specific week numbers when a course is taught. Semester 1 and Semester 2 are usually 13 weeks long.

Consult the Academic Calendar to work out what week it is. Week 1 begins with the first day of classes (i.e. Orientation Week is not counted as Week 1).

Please note some courses are taught in non-standard teaching periods or in intensive mode – go to 'Session' for the exact dates a course is taught.