Bachelor of Arts (Languages)

The Bachelor of Arts (Languages) was introduced in 2000 as a 4-year full-time degree.

This degree appeals to talented school leavers who wish to link humanities and social sciences studies with core study in a foreign language. Some students will be keen to deepen and broaden language studies begun in secondary school or elsewhere. Others will have a desire to take up studies in a new language subject area, starting at the Beginners' level.

The Bachelor of Arts (Languages) is distinctive, because as a four-year degree it combines the study of languages with other studies in the humanities and social sciences; it allows for a deeper specialisation in the chosen language major as well as in other language and 'non-language' subject areas.

The degree has a subsidised in-country study component, enabling students to spend one or two semesters overseas studying at a designated university in the country of their language major. Approved studies successfully completed overseas will be credited to the student’s University of Sydney degree. In-country study enables students to enhance their linguistic fluency and cultural knowledge and prepare, if they wish, for future studies overseas.

To qualify for the four-year pass degree, you must complete 192 credit points, including:

• a minimum of 120 senior credit points;
• two majors from Part A of the Table of Units of Study, at least one of which must be in a language from the following subject areas: Arabic Language & Literature, Chinese Studies, French Studies, Germanic Studies, Hebrew (Modern), Hindi-Urdu (exchange not available in 2008), Indonesian & Malay Studies, Italian Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, Modern Greek Studies, Spanish and Latin American Studies, and Thai (major may not be available). A Faculty of Arts major consists of 36 senior credit points in a single subject area, or from pre-approved cross-listing between subject areas;
• a minimum of 24 senior credit points (including 12 in the language major) for a semester abroad, or 48 senior credit points (including 24 in the language major) for two semesters abroad;
• a maximum of 72 junior credit points;
• a maximum of 60 senior credit points from any single subject in the Table of Units of Study;
• a maximum of 60 credit points (comprising 12 junior and 48 senior) from units of study in Part B of the Table of Units of Study, except that the balance between junior and senior may be varied where required by the pre or corequisites in the Table of Units of Study for a particular Part B subject in which the candidate intends to major;
• a minimum credit average (65%) across all units of study attempted in each calendar year in the first three years of enrolment, or until the required study abroad is completed as well as in the senior units of study in the language major attempted in each of the years in question. Candidates who fail to maintain a credit average will be transferred to candidature for the Bachelor of Arts degree in their next year of enrolment, with full credit from their Bachelor of Arts (Languages).

For confirmation and full details of the units of study available, staff lists and degree rules, consult the Faculty of Arts Handbook.

Please note that these resolutions are for students who begin this degree in 2008. For students previously enrolled please consult the Faculty of Arts Handbook for the relevant year.