At university it can be easy to get advice but finding the right person to give the advice you need isn’t always so simple. You need to be sure that the person you ask can give you reliable and informed advice.

For information and advice on administrative processes please see:

• a EFS Peer Adviser in ERIC (E4B 106) or
  
  
• the Student Enquiry Service (C8A L1) or
  
  
• a Departmental Administrator;
• • Contacts for Undergraduate Courses
  • Contacts for Postgraduate Courses

For academic advice relating to your studies ALWAYS consult a member of academic staff and, where possible, ask the expert:

• Academic Advisers and Exemptions Officers
  
  
• Lecturer-in-Charge or
  
  
• Undergraduate Program Director in the relevant Department 
  
  
• in Accounting & Finance, the General Accounting and Finance Advisers

So, how can you tell whether you need academic or administrative advice?

You need academic advice if you have a query relating to the academic content of your course, e.g.:

• discipline boundaries and relationships
• degree structures, progression rules and completion requirements
• your performance and assessment requirements
• credit from Macquarie units because of previous tertiary studies
• career pathways and professional accreditation
• study abroad, cross institutional study, concurrent study etc

You need administrative advice if you have a query relating to a procedural matter, e.g. ‘how do I go about…?’.

Academic staff are experts in their discipline whose time is divided between teaching and research. Before approaching an academic staff member with a routine query please consider whether the information you are seeking is readily available elsewhere, e.g. in the unit outline, from an administrative staff member, on the web or in the Handbook. If not, don’t be shy to approach them – they are a valuable source of expertise that is available to you.

All academic staff teaching units in the current semester have consultation hours  when you are able to see them. If you are unable to attend during these hours please make an appointment (Peer Advisers can help put you in touch). And please don’t wait until the week before your exam!