Prerequisites are subjects which must be passed at year 12 level for a student to be accepted into a particular course. Some courses have no prerequisites, while others have very specific prerequisite subjects and minimum grades in those subjects for students to be accepted.
Students need to choose subjects in years 11 and 12 which will allow them to qualify for entry into any course that they may want to apply for. Prerequisites for each course are clearly stated in the VTAC Guide (or equivalent) and in university undergraduate course guides and handbooks (usually available online).
Students should keep their options open by not dropping subjects that may be required as prerequisites later. It is a good idea for students to choose subjects they enjoy and are good at, but this should be balanced with knowledge about course requirements and associated prerequisites.
“I enjoyed graphics and design, maths and science at school and I wanted to study a degree which combined these three disciplines. I had several ideas in mind during year 11, including medicine, science, engineering and architecture.” Engineering/commerce graduate