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Program

Arts - 3409

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: arts@unsw.edu.au

Campus: Sydney

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

UAC Code: 422000

Domestic Entry Requirements: See Domestic Entry Requirements

International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements

Award(s):

Bachelor of Arts (Major)

View program information for previous years

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 degree is flexible so that you can structure it around your skills, interests and career aspirations. The program has both breadth, allowing you to try out and explore different areas of interest, and depth, allowing you to focus in detail on two areas of specialisation. 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. Dual Mode can only be taken in conjunction with enrolment in another degree.

If you study in either the single or dual mode, you will complete:
  1. a home major of 60 UOC (ten courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved home major streams;
  2. a minor stream of 24 UOC (four courses) selected from the list of UNSW BA approved home and external major streams or dedicated minor streams;
  3. 12 UOC Prescribed Electives (two courses) of any other courses offered from within UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.

If you study in single mode, you will also complete:
  1. an additional 12 UOC (two courses) of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives;
  2. 24 UOC of Free Electives (four courses) which can be taken within or outside of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences;
  3. 12 UOC of General Education (two courses) which must be taken outside of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.
You can use your elective and General Education courses to upgrade your minor to another full major stream in the single degree and graduate with a double major.

Program Learning Outcomes
You should achieve the following learning outcomes upon the successful completion of the UNSW Bachelor of Arts:
  • Articulate disciplinary theories and practices, and integrate them with cross-disciplinary concerns and connections;
  • Articulate a broad and coherent body of knowledge about foundational aspects of society, culture and/or the arts from local, national and international perspectives;
  • Undertake rigorous and engaged scholarly enquiry and analysis;
  • Collaborate effectively with others;
  • Communicate and debate complex ideas in a range of different contexts using a variety of suitable media;
  • Exhibit initiative and self-direction;
  • Critically and creatively employ disciplinary bodies of knowledge and appraise disciplinary perspectives in professional practice and/or scholarship;
  • Justify a position in relation to foundational aspects of society, culture and/or the arts;
  • Engage proactively with complex problems in professional practice and/or scholarship;
  • Continuously acquire knowledge and skills and reflect on existing knowledge and skills for personal and career fulfilment;
  • Act ethically, respectfully and responsibly.

Program Structure
The basic requirements for the degree are:

Single Mode (144 UOC) made up of:
  1. A home major stream (60 UOC)
  2. At least a minor stream (24 UOC)
  3. Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives (24 UOC)
  4. Free Electives (24 UOC)
  5. General Education (12 UOC)
Dual Mode (96 UOC) made up of:
  1. A home major stream (60 UOC)
  2. A minor stream (24 UOC)
  3. Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives (12 UOC)

Home Major Streams

The following home major streams are available in the Bachelor of Arts.
International Relations (pre-2018 students only)
Politics (pre-2018 students only)

Psychological Science students completing a BA complementary major in Criminology, Linguistics or Philosophy

If you are completing a complementary BA major you will be able to double count a 6 UOC Psychology course towards the BA major. Please refer to the streams in the Handbook for details.

Minor Streams

All home-based and "external" majors (see below) are available to be completed as a 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:
 
Art History and Theory
(UNSW Art & Design)		 Arts and Social Sciences Australian Studies Indonesian Studies Italian Studies
(UNSW Science)
 Modern Greek Studies
(UNSW Science)
 Women's and Gender Studies
 
 External minor streams are designated with grey boxes

External Minor Stream and Dual Award Programs

If you are enrolled in a dual award program, you cannot complete a minor stream in the same Faculty as your second program of study. For example if you are enrolled in the BA/BCom, you cannot complete an external minor in Economics.

You will not be able to take external minors that are any greater than 24 UOC unless you take extra UOC over 96 UOC to meet the external stream requirements. This affects the external minors in Human Resource Management (30 UOC), International Business (30 UOC), Economics (30 UOC), Geography (36 UOC), and Psychology (36 UOC).

Mathematics for Engineers

This minor is only available if you are completing the Bachelor of Arts in dual mode with designated programs offered by the Faculty of Engineering. Of the courses completed in this minor stream, 24 UOC are shared with the relevant Engineering program.

Medicine Students and the Arts and Social Sciences Minor

If you complete study in this program in dual mode with the Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, you will be required to design your Independent Learning Project (ILP) as a joint project with the Bachelor of Arts. For you, 12 UOC of the 30 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 offered within Arts and Social Sciences that relate to the ILP project; this must be approved by the Convenor of the Bachelor of Arts. This 12 UOC may include courses shared from the major stream in the BA you are already completing. If you wish to do this, you will need to make up your requirements for the BA with Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

If you do not want to pursue this option but want to complete another Bachelor of Arts minor stream you can do so. This will mean that you will need to do additional units of credit to meet the requirements of the program.

Language Studies for Commencing Mid-Year Students

If your language skills are assessed as Level A in Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced or Professional you cannot commence study until Semester 1.

Double Major Stream and External Major Streams

If you are enrolled in the single degree, you can use your free electives and general education to upgrade your required minor stream to a major stream and graduate with a double major.

This second major stream can be taken from within Arts and Social Sciences or from a list of approved "External Majors" offered in the BA from outside of Arts and Social Sciences.

The General Education requirement is met if you complete an external major or minor (for example, Economics).
 
Human Resource Management
(48 UOC) UNSW Business School		 International Business
(48 UOC) UNSW Business School		 Economics
(60 UOC) UNSW Business School		 Geographical Studies
(60 UOC) UNSW Science		 Studies in Psychology
(60 UOC) UNSW Science

Geography exemption in BA/BEd (Secondary)

If you complete the dual award program BA/BEd (Secondary) you can get an exemption from the Home-based major rule if you wish to complete Geography as your first teaching method. If you seek this exemption you must complete a minor from within Arts and Social Sciences.

NOTE: For details of individual major and minor streams please consult the relevant stream entries in the Handbook.

Extended Minor Streams

The extended minor streams are only available to BA/BEd and BSci (Intl) students.
Chinese Studies English* French Studies German Studies
History* Indigenous Studies* Indonesian Studies Japanese Studies
Korean Studies Legal Studies* Linguistics* Politics*
Sociology & Anthropology* Spanish & Latin American Studies Theatre & Performance Studies*

*Extended Minors only available to BA/BEd students

These extended minors are only available if you are completing the Bachelor of Arts in dual mode with the Bachelor of Education.

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives

UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives are any courses chosen from the offerings of UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. You can use these courses to add depth to your major or minor stream (above the minimum requirements) or undertake other courses from other areas of study within UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) cannot be studied as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives.

Free Electives

A Free Elective is any course offered either within or outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences into which you can enrol.

ARTS2050 Academic Writing for the Humanities (6 UOC)
HUMS1005 Personalised English Language Enhancement (6 UOC)

These courses, ARTS2050 and HUMS1005, can be counted as UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives or Free Electives.

General Education

General Education requires you to complete 12 UOC (two courses) offered outside UNSW Arts and Social Sciences. This requirement is met if you complete an external major or minor (for example, Economics). Indigenous Studies courses (ATSIxxxx) can be studied as General Education only if you are not following a major or minor in Indigenous Studies within the BA program.

Award with Distinction

You are eligible for the award of your Pass Degree "with Distinction" if you achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 75 in all courses and complete at least 50% of the requirements of your award at UNSW.

Honours

Once you have completed your Bachelor of Arts (in either Single or Dual mode) you can apply for admission to do an Honours year in the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504. Entry to Honours requires a WAM of 70 or higher in the major stream(s) in which you want to study at Honours level.

Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours) program 4504

Academic Rules

Single Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. enrol in the Bachelor of Arts and complete 144 UOC;
  2. complete the requirements for one 60 UOC home major stream;
  3. complete the requirements for one 24 UOC minor stream;
  4. complete 24 UOC of Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives;
  5. complete 24 UOC of Free Electives;
  6. complete 12 UOC of General Education;
  7. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses;
  8. specify your major(s)/minor at the time of enrolment into Level 2;
  9. complete at least 48 UOC, including 6 UOC at Level 1 and 6 UOC at Level 2 in your major/minor, before enrolling in Level 3 courses.

Dual Mode

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, you must:
  1. complete 96 UOC in the BA;
  2. complete the requirements for one 60 UOC home major stream;
  3. complete the requirements for one 24 UOC minor stream;
  4. complete 12 UOC Arts and Social Sciences Prescribed Electives;
  5. complete at least 30 UOC of Level 1 courses before enrolling in Level 2 courses;
  6. specify your major and minor at the time of enrolment into Level 2;
  7. complete at least 48 UOC, including 6 UOC at Level 1 and 6 UOC at Level 2 in your major/minor, before enrolling in Level 3 courses.

Sample Program

 The following sample programs give you some examples of how you might like to structure your degree:

Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

Important Information
The Academic Rules for the UNSW BA and the online enrolment facility provide you with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that you have met the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. You are responsible for ensuring you are enrolling in courses that meet the Academic Rules outlined above. You should take care not to assume that because you have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to your degree program. If you need more help or want to check that your enrolment meets the program rules, get in touch with the Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre.

Glossary of Terms

Further Information
Contact the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Student Centre for advice
Tel: + 61 2 9385 2289
Email: arts@unsw.edu.au
Location: Room G1 Ground Floor, Morven Brown building (C20)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Frequently asked questions

Area(s) of Specialisation
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