Talented Students Program

If you have a strong interest in scientific investigation and have distinguished yourself in your studies in science at school, you may be eligible for entry to the Faculty of Science Talented Student Program. The TSP is tailored to meet your individual needs and is restricted to the very top students.

What is the TSP?

The TSP allows the Faculty to design a program around the needs of talented students. Some students are able to enrol in subjects or in combinations of subjects not normally available within the degree.

The Talented Student Program is a special program of study intended for students of exceptional merit who are enrolled in degrees administered by the Faculty of Science including:

Bachelor of Science (Advanced and specialist streams)
Bachelor of Medical Science
Bachelor of Information Technology
Bachelor of Computer Science & Technology (and Advanced)
Bachelor of Psychology
Bachelor of Liberal Studies (science component)
Combined degrees (science component)

If other Faculties grant permission, the TSP is available for science components that are part of other degrees.

Aims of the Program

The aim of the program is to offer students of exceptional merit additional challenging material to enable them to maximise their intellectual growth and potential.

A major benefit of participation in the Talented Student Program is that students receive special individual supervision by academic staff and often engage in studies with small numbers of fellow students, all of whom have a shared interest in the subject.

In general, the TSP caters for students whose talent is broad-based across science. There are two main aspects of a students involvement in the TSP. Students can have greater flexibility in their choice of study (beyond that normally allowed by degree rules), and they have a mentor (a member of the academic staff) who assists them in choosing from the great range of academic and research options.

Recognition

Projects undertaken in the Talented Student Program are included separately on the students university academic transcript so that all potential employers are aware that the student has completed challenging courses of study.

Selection

Entry to the Talented Student Program is by invitation from the Dean. Invitations to participate in the TSP are made each year for that year. The following guidelines apply generally, although Departments may have additional (and more stringent) requirements for entry to the activities they offer in the program:

To be considered for the program in their first year, students should normally have a UAI (or equivalent) of 99.00 or higher and a result in band 6 in at least one HSC science subject area and/or a mark of 95 or better in HSC Mathematics Extension 2. The Dean may consider slight variations to these requirements where a student has demonstrated exceptional performance in scientific study (e.g. at the level of participation in an International Olympiad).

To be considered for the program in their second and third years, students should have a weighted average mark in the previous year (Yearly Average Mark - YAM) of at least 85 and a high distinction grade in an appropriate Science subject area. Intermediate level entry to TSP is available only to students who have been enrolled full-time in units of study totalling at least 48 credit points in the previous year.

A student who feels that they satisfy these criteria, but who has not received an invitation to participate in the TSP that year, should contact the Dean.

The TSP Process

At the start of each year, the Dean chooses students to be invited to participate in the TSP. A welcome is held in Orientation week, and at that time, each student who is new to the TSP will meet with the Faculty's TSP coordinator, who assigns a mentor for the student.

The mentor is usually a departmental TSP coordinator, from a department closest to the students interest(s). The mentor and the student then plan special activities for the year, covering all fields (this may involve discussions with coordinators from other departments). A proposal is put to the Dean, who can approve enrolment in special TSP units of study. During the year the student will meet several times with the mentor to make sure that everything is going well.

All TSP activities will involve the opportunity to engage with fellow students and on occasions academic staff. Assessment is developed by the mentor and the staff involved in the activities. At the end of the year the mentor will report results and the Dean will also arrange for special notes to be placed on the students transcript, recording the TSP activity.

TSP Options

The TSP is a customised program, and may therefore be different for each student. For some students, the TSP activities will be in a single discipline, for others there will be separate TSP activities in several disciplines. Still others will choose interdisciplinary activities that relate several fields to one another. Some students choose TSP activities that are not counted towards the formal requirements for the degree; for others, the TSP activities replace prescribed work. For example, many disciplines have an organised activity for a whole group of TSP students studying that field, such as a weekly seminar or group project.

Research Groups

In some disciplines, the TSP activity involves participation by each TSP student in a research group of staff and postgraduates. Every student is treated individually; however, there are some common patterns. For TSP students who are interested in several fields, (especially if they arent really sure about their eventual direction), a suitable arrangement might be for them to join in separate TSP activities of each discipline. Students might elect to study a broader range of fields than usual, by studying more than the normal load of 24 credit points per semester.

Acceleration

Another pattern is to accelerate a student who (say through Olympiad participation) has already learnt most of the topics in the usual first-year units in a discipline. Such a student can go directly to second year study in that field and in related fields, when they begin their degree. By studying more than the usual workload each semester, they may be able to complete their Honours degree in less than 4 years full-time. Some students have particular interests that can best be served by specially planned activities combining different disciplines.

How much TSP?

The Dean is authorised to give approval for students of exceptional merit to enrol in units of study or in combinations of units of study not normally available within the degree. Students will arrange a suitable pattern of study for the year, in consultation with their mentor (who will also consider the entire degree program). Please note there is a limit of 48 credit points of TSP study within the Bachelor of Science.

For more information contact the Faculty of Science on (02) 9351 3135 or email TSP Coordinator, Associate Professor Tony Masters