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Arts - 3403
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Program Description
Program Objectives
Program Structure
Academic Rules
Fees
Important Information
Sample Programs
Glossary of Terms
Area(s) of Specialisation

Program Summary

 
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
 
 
Contact: arts@unsw.edu.au
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Typical Duration: 3 Years
 
 
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC Per Semester: 6
 
 
Max UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC For Award: 144
 
 
Award(s):
 
 
Bachelor of Arts
 
 

Program Description

The Bachelor of Arts (UNSW BA) is designed to provide you with all the benefits of an education in the Humanities, Social Sciences and the Creative and Performing Arts. The program provides you with not only the breadth (free electives and General Education) to explore a wide range of diverse interests but also the depth (Major and Minor streams) to focus in detail on two specialisations. The UNSW BA can be completed full-time in Single mode (normally 3 years), in Dual Mode (the equivalent of two years full-time) or part-time. The basic requirements of the program are simple. The BA has a depth component and a breadth component. Students enrolled in Single mode do both the depth and breadth component while students enrolled in Dual Mode only complete the depth component.

The Depth component (Blue Zone) is:

  1. The completion of a major stream (54 UOC - 9 courses) selected from the list of the UNSW BA approved home major streams
  2. The completion of at least a minor stream (36 UOC - 6 courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved home and external major streams or dedicated minor streams. Note: Students may use their Green Zone free elective space to extend study in this area to a full major stream ("Double Major").
  3. The completion of a Prescribed Faculty Elective (6 UOC - 1 course)
The Breadth component (for students completing the program in Single mode) (Green Zone) is:
  1. Free Electives (36 UOC - 6 courses) which can be taken either within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
  2. General Education (12 UOC - 2 courses) which must be taken outside of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes

The Program Objectives of the UNSW BA are:

  • To develop informed understanding of human experience, human culture and human society
  • To teach the tools and methods of understanding associated with Humanities and Social Science disciplines, and to encourage students to perceive the relationships between these disciplines
  • To encourage the breadth of vision and critical thinking associated with interdisciplinary scholarship and research
  • To enable students to place contemporary Australian society and culture in an historical and comparative context
  • To engage critically with fundamental questions about value in both ethical and aesthetic contexts
  • To develop the skills of critical, creative and imaginative thinking about society, culture and the arts
  • To promote the techniques and value of reasoned and openminded discussion and debate
  • To foster understanding of the experiences and world-views of other times, other places, and other cultures.

The Graduate Attributes for this Program are as follows:

  1. The skills involved in scholarly enquiry
  2. The ability to engage in independent and reflective learning
  3. Information Literacy - the skills to locate, evaluate and use relevant information
  4. The capacity for enterprise, initiative and creativity
  5. A capacity to contribute to, and work within, the international community
  6. The skills required for collaborative and multidisciplinary work
  7. A respect for ethical practice and social responsibility
  8. The skills of effective communication
  9. An in-depth engagement with the relevant disciplinary knowledge in its interdisciplinary context.

Program Structure

The basic requirements for the degree are:

Single Mode (144 UOC) made up of:

  1. A home major stream (54 UOC)
  2. At least a minor stream (36 UOC)
  3. A Prescribed Faculty Elective (6 UOC)
  4. Free Electives (36 UOC )
  5. General Education (12 UOC )
Dual Mode (96 UOC) made up of:
  1. A home major stream (54 UOC)
  2. At least a minor stream (36 UOC)
  3. A Prescribed Faculty Elective (6 UOC)

Home Major Streams

The following home major streams are available in the Bachelor of Arts.
 

External Stream Requirement
A number of external streams are offered in the BA from Faculties other than the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts must complete at least one home major stream within the streams offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Science.

Minor Streams

All majors are available to be completed in minor stream ("Non-designated Minor"). There are, however, some areas of study that are only available as Minors. These are known as "Designated Minors". The Designated Minors for the Bachelor of Arts are:
(College Of Fine Arts) 
(Faculty of Science)
(Faculty of Science)
 
 

 External minor streams are designated with grey boxes
 
*Legal Studies
This minor is only available to students completing the Bachelor of Arts in Dual mode with the Bachelor of Education and who are wishing to pursue a teaching method in this area.

** Mathematics
This minor is only available to students completing the dual degree program 3704 Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Arts. Twenty four UOC of courses completed in this minor stream are shared with the Engineering program.


*** Medicine Students and the Arts and Social Sciences Minor
Students completing study in this program in Dual form with the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery will be required to design their Independent Learning Project (ILP) as a joint project with the Bachelor of Arts. Twenty four UOC of the 28 UOC that makes up the ILP will be double counted towards the Arts and Social Sciences Minor in the Bachelor of Arts. The remaining 12 UOC will be made up of two courses in FASS that relate to the ILP project, approved by the Convenor of the Bachelor of Arts. This 12 UOC may be course shared from the major stream in the BA the student is already completing. If such is the case the student will make up their depth requirement for the BA with Prescribed Faculty Electives. Students who do not wish to pursue this option but complete another FASS minor stream will be able to do so. This will result in an extra semester of study to meet the requirements of the program.

External minor streams and Faculty Prescribed Elective Requirement
Economics, Human Resource Management and International Business: students completing these minor streams (30 UOC) are required to complete a second 6 UOC Faculty Prescribed Elective.

Double Major Stream and External Major Streams

As noted above students can complete a "Double Major" in the BA if they use space from their free elective Green Zone to upgrade their required Minor Stream to a Major Stream. This second Major Stream can be taken from within the Faculty or from the small list of approved "External Majors". External Majors are Streams of study offered by other Faculties.
Australian School of Business
 International Business (48 UOC)
Australian School of Business
Economics (60 UOC)
Australian School of Business
 Geography (60 UOC)
Faculty of Science

Psychology Major: Only available to students who commenced before 2012. Please refer to the 2011 Handbook for the Plan Structure.

Sample Programs

Sample programs for students commencing in Semester 1, see Sample Programs" below.
Sample programs for students commencing in Semester 2, click here.

Prescribed Faculty Elective

A Prescribed Faculty Elective is any course chosen by the student from the offerings of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Free Electives

A Free Elective is any course offered either within or outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in which the student is able to enrol.

General Education

General Education is the completion of two courses (12 UOC) offered outside the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if an external major or minor (for example, Economics) is completed.

Award with Distinction

High achieving students who secure a WAM of 75 across their program and who have completed at at least 48uoc of their program at UNSW are eligible for the award of their Pass Degree "with Distinction".

Honours

High achieving BA students (in Single or Dual Mode) may apply for entry to Honours. Honours is an additional year of study (two years part-time) which allows a student to further explore their depth studies. It involves seminars and the completion or a research project or thesis. Those students who are considering Honours should submit an expression of interest at the beginning of Level 3 and complete a formal application at the end of Level 3. Both should be submitted to the Stream Convenor or the Designated School or Stream Honours Convenor. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the stream(s) seeking to be further studied and is subject to resources and the approval of the Head of School in which the stream(s) is/are based. Honours is awarded in three classes (Class 1, Class 2 in two Divisions, and Class 3). If requirements for these classes are not met the Pass degree will be awarded if the student is not already a Graduate of the program.

Minor Streams and Honours

Students can complete a research project or thesis that draws on their studies in a minor stream. This can only be done, however, when in combination with their major stream.

Academic Rules

Single Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Arts and complete 144 units of credit;
  2. complete the requirements for one home major stream
  3. complete the requirements for one minor stream
  4. complete a 6 UOC Faculty Prescribed Elective
  5. complete 36 UOC of Free Electives
  6. complete 12 UOC of General Education
  7. complete at least 30 UOC of Level I courses before enrolling in Level II courses
  8. specify their major(s)/minor at the time of enrolment into Level II
  9. complete at least 24 UOC in their major/minor streams before enrolling in Level III courses
  10. complete 120 UOC overall before enrolling in their Major stream(s) Capstone course

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Arts and complete 96 units of credit;
  2. complete the requirements for one home major stream
  3. complete the requirements for one minor stream
  4. complete a 6 UOC Faculty Prescribed Elective
  5. complete at least 30 UOC of Level I courses before enrolling in Level II courses
  6. specify their major(s)/minor at the time of enrolment into Level II
  7. complete at least 24 UOC in their major/minor before enrolling in Level III courses
  8. complete 72 UOC overall before enrolling in their Major stream(s) Capstone course

Honours

To qualify for the award of the degree with Honours, a Single or Dual award student must:
  1. be a Graduand or Graduate of the Bachelor of Arts
  2. hold a WAM of 70 or higher in those streams they are seeking to further study
  3. complete the List A and List B seminar coursework requirement for their area of study (18 UOC)
  4. complete a research project or thesis (30 UOC)

Fees

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

Important Information

The Academic Rules for the UNSW BA and the online enrolment facility provide students with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that students meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. Students are responsible for ensuring they are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. Students should not assume that because they have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to their degree program.

Sample Programs

The following sample programs are only examples of potential plan structures.

Students commencing in Semester 1:

Students commencing in Semester 2:

Glossary of Terms

FASS Programs Glossary of Terms - Click here

Area(s) of Specialisation

URL for this page:

© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.