Majors

What is a "Major"?

To earn a major in a subject area (from Part A from the Table of Units of Study) in the Faculty of Arts, students will normally complete 36 senior credit points in THAT subject area. Of course, you would need to have the appropriate junior (1XXX) prerequisites in place before you can do the senior units of study that comprise your major.

What is 'Part A' in the Arts Table of Units of Study?

The 'Part A' bit refers to the units of study that are listed in the Faculty of Arts Handbook, Table of Units of Study: Part A. All Part A units come from subject areas taught within the Faculty of Arts. You MUST have at least one Arts Part A major to complete your Arts degree.

How do I complete a major?
The requirements for an Arts Table A major are 36 senior credit points in a single subject area. That means that you will need to complete six 2000 and/or 3000 level units of study in the subject area you want to major in to satisfy the requirements for that major. 2000 level and 3000 level units in the Faculty of Arts are all considered senior units.

What is cross-listing?
Where the Faculty considers that the content covered in one unit of study is also related to another subject area, that unit of study can cross-listed. This means it can be counted towards the requirements for a major in the other subject area. As cross-listing relates to majors, it is only senior units of study that are cross-listed. For example, the Archaeology unit called ARCL2601 'The World of Classical Athens' is cross-listed to Ancient History. If you are completing a major in Ancient History, you may count the credit points gained for completing 'The World of Classical Athens' towards the 36 senior credit points required for your Ancient History major. BUT if you are completing two majors in your degree, Archaeology AND Ancient History, you can only count 'The World of Classical Athens' towards one major or the other, not both.

It is also important to note that, in most cases, you are only allowed to complete a maximum of 18 credit points (that’s half your major) from cross-listed units of study. So for an Ancient History major, at least three of your senior units for the major must be from Ancient History with the code ANHS.

The cross-listing list is available to view here:cross-listed units
This is a historical list, so it contains all units ever cross-listed to a major, not just the units that are offered this year. This is helpful, as it will tell you whether units you have done previously are able to be cross-listed.

Can I do more than one major?

In some degrees you are required to do two majors, so yes: in that case you can and must do more than one major! In other degrees, such as the Bachelor of Arts, you are only required to do one major, but you may complete up to two if you like. If you choose to do just one major, then you'll have room for more variety in your degree, if that's what you'd like. If you do two majors, you'll have a degree with more specialisation.

In the Bachelor of Arts, your compulsory major must be from the Table A subject areas for the Bachelor of Arts, while your second (optional) major may come from either Table A or B for the Bachelor of Arts. (Table B units come from subject areas taught in the Faculties of Science, Economics and Business, and Education and Social Work.)

In addition to the units of study that make up your major(s) you may also have some core units that are required for your degree. For example, if you are enrolled in the Bachelor of International and Global Studies, you need to do some core INGS unis that are specifically for your degree as well as your core International and Global Studies Major/s.
In most degrees you will have some room, aside from core units and compulsory majors, to do some units of study that don't contribute to any major or requirement. This is how you get variety in your degree.

Do I need a major to do Honours?

The entry requirements for Honours are available in the Arts Handbook Table of Units of Study, under the relevant subject area. If you are thinking about doing Honours it is a really good idea to look into the requirements as early as possible in your degree. This is because, in order to put a good foundation for your Honours year in place, you usually have to do extra credit points in that subject area, in addition to what you need for a major. Most Arts Table A subject areas will require you to complete a minimum of 48 senior credit points in the discipline (remembering that the requirements for a major are 36 senior credit points) to be considered for entry into Honours. You can only start your Honours year after you complete all the requirements for your degree, including any specific Honours entry requirements.

More information on Honours can be found here: Honours information