Bachelor of Arts

There's a great amount of freedom of choice in what to study in a Bachelor of Arts degree, but there are a few requirements that you will have to follow. These requirements are listed here and explained in detail below.

Let's go through what each of these requirements means in turn.

Requirement 1
Requirement 2
Requirement 3
Requirement 4
Requirement 5
Requirement 6
Requirement 7

What are credit points?

• Students doing an Arts degree are able to choose to study in a wide range of subject areas - for example, History, English, Japanese etc.
  A semester-length component in a particular subject area is called a 'unit of study'.
• Each unit of study is worth a certain number of 'credit points', depending on the level at which it is taught and the amount of work required. From 2006, all Faculty of Arts units of study are worth 6 credit points each.

How do I get 144 credit points?

• Most people studying full-time take three years to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree.
• Full-time students usually earn their 144 credit points by taking units of study worth a total of 48 credit points per year (usually 24 credit points per semester) over the three years of their degree, that is:

48 credit points x 3 years = 144 credit points!

What are 'junior' credit points?

• You start your degree by taking 'junior' units of study. They form a foundation for more advanced 'senior' units of study. Junior units of study in the Faculty of Arts are worth 6 junior credit points each. They are sometimes called 1000 level units because their unit of study codes all have the form 1XXX, eg. CHNS1101, LNGS1005 etc

How would I get 48 junior credit points?

• Most full-time students take units of study worth 48 junior credit points in their first year (generally 24 credit points in each semester). It is important to remember that 48 credit points is also the maximum number allowed in the first year.
• To make up your 48 credit points in your first year, most students take four 6 credit point junior units in each semester, for example:

• The pattern of units you choose may differ from that given in the example above. If you wish to, you may take up to 12 junior credit points from some other faculties as part of your Bachelor of Arts degree. If you're aiming to complete your degree over three years, just remember to make sure that you earn 48 credit points in your first year.

Why can I do no more than 48 junior credit points?

• While junior units give you an excellent introduction to the subject, and function as a foundation for further study, they aren't, in themselves, sufficient to provide you with substantial expertise in a subject area. Junior units of study are necessary, but not sufficient, for a Bachelor's degree!

Could I do less than 48 junior credit points?

• Yes, but....for two reasons, it's not a good idea to skimp on them!
  Firstly, remember that junior units form a foundation for further study. In some cases, this is a necessary foundation for more advanced study in a particular subject area. In all cases, junior units provide an opportunity to work at developing the skills and ways of thinking that you will need for more advanced learning.
• Secondly, junior units of study offer you the chance to sample a range of subject areas and gain a variety of learning experiences, even in subjects that you may not go on to specialise in.

If you are studying part-time, it is usually recommended that you do a minimum of 18 junior credit points in your first year.

What are 'senior' credit points

• 'Senior' units of study build on the foundation of learning established by junior units. Senior units of study in the Faculty of Arts are all worth 6 credit points each. Senior units in Arts are sometimes called 2000 or 3000 level units because their study codes all have the form 2XXX or 3XXX, e.g. SPAN2601, JCTC2606.

How would I get 96 senior credit points?

• You can't start taking senior units of study until you have the appropriate foundation of junior units in place. In many (but not all) cases this means that you have to take 12 junior credit points (that is, 2 junior units of study) in the same subject area, as prerequisites for your senior units in that subjects area. You'll need to check the Faculty of Arts Handbook in print or online for specific information on pre-requisites.
• Most full-time students in the BA program will start to take senior units of study in their second year. At this stage many students narrow down the range of subject areas in which they are studying, perhaps taking units of study from just two or three subject areas, rather than three or four as in the first year.
• If you wish to, you may take up to 48 senior credit points from some other faculties, as part of the Bachelor of Arts degree. The units you have to choose from in other Faculties are listed in Table B of the Faculty of Arts Handbook each year.
• Here is an example of how you might put together 96 senior credit points over your second and third years:

• 48 senior credit points in Year 2 and a further 48 senior credit points in Year 3 add up to 96 senior credit points.
• When you add the credit points earned in Years 1, 2, and 3 together, you can see they total 144 credit points......i.e. your Bachelor of Arts degree!!

Could I do more than 24 credit points per semester?

• You might want to take more than 24 credit points in one semester - perhaps to make up for a unit of study that you have failed or to try to get through your degree more quickly.
• You will be permitted to do up to 30 credit points per semester in your second and third years. However, be aware that 30 credit points in a single semester is a very heavy load. It's unlikely that you'll be able to do your best in each unit you take (and very unlikely that you'll have a life while you do it!!)

What is a 'major' in the Faculty of Arts?

• 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 Bachelor of Arts degree.

Can I do more than one major?

• You can do one or two majors in your Bachelor of Arts degree. 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.
• If you choose to do two majors, they might both come from Part A. But perhaps you have a strong interest in a subject area taught in another Faculty too. In that case, you can choose a major from Part B...as long as you don't forget your Arts major as well.
• Part B units come from subject areas taught in the Faculties of Science, Economics & Business, and Education & Social Work.
• To meet the requirements for a Part B major, you must follow the regulations set by the relevant faculty. For example, to do a Psychology major, you must follow the guidelines set by the Faculty of Science.

In addition to the units of study that make up your major(s) you may also do some units of study that don't contribute to any major. This is how you get some variety in your degree.

The Faculty asks you to follow some further regulations to make sure this happens:

• You can't do more than 18 junior credit points in any one subject area. This means that you can't overdo the introductory units in one specific subject.

• In your senior years, you can't do more than 60 senior credit points from any subject area. This means that you can't do two majors in any one subject.

• You may complete up to 60 credit points (12 junior and 48 senior) from units of study from Part B of the Arts Table of Units of Study. This allows you to do one major from a subject area taught in another Faculty. Of course, this is totally optional.
• If you do wish to major in a subject area from Part B, think carefully before choosing your junior units - make sure you have any necessary Part B junior prerequisite units.

Bachelor of Arts - Overview