Link a lifeline for science

MoU sees Avondale offer units in a Newcastle degree

Studying a bachelor’s degree in science at Avondale is still possible after the signing of a memorandum of understanding with The University of Newcastle.

Under the MoU, students enrol in the Bachelor of Science at Newcastle but can complete at Avondale select units in four of the degree’s 22 majors (biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics) and live, when the residence halls re-open, on the university college’s Lake Macquarie campus.

Details of units approved by Newcastle and offered by Avondale are available on the Bachelor of Science page of the Avondale website. The units will be delivered primarily by lecturers in the School of Science and Mathematics. Smaller class sizes mean “students have close access to quality lecturers and mentors who get to know them quickly, provide the help they need immediately, and seek to challenge and extend them in every way,” says head of school Dr Lynden Rogers. And, he adds, Avondale’s science classes “are much more interactive than in larger learning contexts.”

A course adviser at Newcastle will consult with students to determine course credits. Students can apply for cross-credit units at Avondale without paying the Cross Institutional Application Fee. Their Commonwealth supported place will also carry over.

A scholarship is available to help cover the cost of travel to and from Newcastle. Biologist Dr Terry Annable established the fund from which the scholarships come. The generosity of donors, many of who are Avondale science alumni, is growing the size of the fund. “Science is never cheap but science is always essential,” says Annable, a former senior lecturer in the school. “It makes an impact on every aspect of our lives.”

A decades-long decline in enrolment and the subsequent impact on staffing meant Avondale, “despite the acknowledged quality of our product,” stopped accepting enrolments into its Bachelor of Science at the end of first semester in 2019. “Rather than simply discontinue the Bachelor of Science or allow our high standard to slip, we sought another alternative; a link with The University of Newcastle,” says Rogers. “We enjoy the respect of Newcastle, largely because of the academic success of a considerable number of Avondale science graduates who have completed higher degrees by research at Newcastle.”

Rogers’ father-in-law, Dr Laurie Draper, graduated almost 70 years ago as one of the first three Bachelor of Science students at Avondale. So, “while it is sad to lose our own Bachelor of Science,” he says, “the MoU with The University of Newcastle represents a strong option for students wanting to commence a quality Bachelor of Science but also wishing to enjoy the ‘Avondale experience’ which has meant so much to so many over the years.”

While the last Avondale Bachelor of Science student will graduate at the end of next year, the Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Teaching continues and is not affected by this change.