Choosing an elective is one of the few genuinely free choices in a structured degree — and that makes it surprisingly hard. This guide walks through how electives work at ANU, the questions worth asking yourself, and how to tell which kind of elective suits what you’re after.
How electives work at ANU
An elective is a course you choose, rather than one your program requires. A few evergreen things to keep in mind:
- Electives still count for credit. A for-credit elective contributes units toward your degree just like a compulsory course — it just isn’t pre-selected for you.
- You need room for it. Your program has a set number of elective units. If those are already full, a for-credit elective won’t fit (there are non-credit options for that — more below).
- Some electives are open to any degree; some aren’t. Many courses are open only to students in a particular program or who’ve met discipline prerequisites. Others are deliberately open to students from across the University.
- Always check the official rules. Your program’s requirements on ANU Programs & Courses are the source of truth for what counts and what you’re eligible for.
Five questions to ask before you pick
- Does it fit my program? Will it count toward my degree, and am I eligible to enrol?
- Depth or breadth? Do I want to go deeper in my own discipline, or wider — something different from my main field?
- What do I want to walk away with? Knowledge in a topic, a practical skill set, or a tangible piece of work (a project, portfolio, or outcome)?
- How do I learn best? Lectures and exams, or hands-on and applied?
- When can I fit it? During a normal semester, or as a more intensive block?
There’s no universally “right” answer — the point is to choose deliberately rather than by timetable accident.
Two broad kinds of elective
Most electives fall into one of two camps, and knowing which you want narrows the field fast:
- Discipline-deepening electives take you further into a specific field. Choose these when you want depth, specialisation, or prerequisites for later study.
- Breadth / interdisciplinary electives take you across fields and are usually open to students from any degree. Choose these when you want a different perspective, transferable skills, or to apply your learning to real problems.
Both are valid. They’re just answers to different goals.
Where the SoCIETIE Initiative fits
The SoCIETIE Initiative is the McCusker Institute’s set of for-credit, interdisciplinary electives open to students from any degree (the AATD subject area). It’s a strong fit if your answers above lean toward:
- breadth over depth-in-one-discipline,
- applied and project-based over lecture-and-exam,
- walking away with a real outcome — a community project that creates social impact — and transferable skills built through interactive KNoT workshops.
It’s honestly not the right pick for everyone: if you want to specialise deeply in a single discipline, a discipline elective will serve you better. But if you want something different, applied, and open regardless of your home degree, it’s worth a look. See the full list of SoCIETIE courses and who each is for.
Practical next steps
- Check your program’s elective rules on ANU Programs & Courses so you know how much room you have.
- Shortlist a couple of courses against the five questions above.
- If an interdisciplinary, for-credit, social-impact elective fits, find your SoCIETIE course and express your interest — it’s a non-competitive process.
- Not sure, or no room in your degree for a for-credit course? The Skills for Social Change Certificate is a non-credit alternative open to everyone.