Within the New Generation Bachelor of Arts, students choose one or two Arts disciplines to be the main focus of their studies during the degree.
Students can complete one major, one major and one minor, or two majors.
The careers listed should be used only as a guide due to the fact Arts graduates work in a vast number of different areas. You can see where our graduates are now here.
| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Ancient World Studies embraces the broad study of Classical Greece and Rome, as well as Egypt and the Near East from 3000 BCE to the 4th century CE. Students can choose a variety of subject streams, which combine the study of ancient languages and/or texts in translation such as myth, literature, history, and philosophy with the study of archaeology, art, and architectural monuments. Students can focus on a particular time period, geographic region, technical specialisation such as myth or ceramics, or thematic area of study. Students gain insight into and understanding of contemporary society by exploring how ancient cultures have contributed to the development of our modern world, with regard to gender and ethnic identity, warfare, colonialism and imperialism, the propagandistic power of literary and visual imagery, and technology and economy. They will develop skills in research, writing, analysis, and communication that promote career flexibility. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Anthropology is the study of the many societies and cultures of the world and their complex interaction. While Social Theory draws on observations from Anthropology and other social sciences, and analyses the ways societies and cultures are organised and sometimes transformed, Anthropology’s global comparative scope is complemented by a local focus, and its unique perspective is made possible by intensive participation in the daily life and language of the communities studied. Contemporary social Anthropology asks broad and detailed questions about what it means to be human in a globalising world, as well as providing a critical vantage point from which to reflect on ourselves and others. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| The Arabic Program offers an integrated way of studying Arabic language and aspects of Arab and Islamic culture. Beyond studying the language itself, students also have the opportunity to acquire a significant amount of knowledge about the nature of living, seeing, acting and interacting in the 'Arab way'. With the development of students' language proficiency, there will be a growing emphasis on reflection on, as well as critical awareness and discussion of issues related to Arabic literature and the realms of history, sociology and religion in the Arab World. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| The Art History program is the premier provider of art historical scholarship in Australia. Thematic and interdisciplinary subjects deal with the theories of art history, art and the market, prints, and other issues. Areas of specialisation include late antiquity, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, 18th and 19th century European art, modernism and postmodernism, contemporary art, Indigenous Australian art, and international art. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Knowledge about Asia is a crucial national asset at a time of rapid globalisation and social change. The Asian Studies program at the University of Melbourne is one of the largest in Australia and comprises a comprehensive range of subjects in the intellectual, cultural, political and religious traditions of Asia, with a focus on China, Indonesia, Japan and South-east Asia. Asian Studies subjects are taught in English and do not require language prerequisites. Study abroad programs are available and Asialink offers a stimulating program of events and activities with an Asian focus. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Australian Indigenous Studies is a value-driven program guided by the principles of interdisciplinary knowledge, intellectual exchange, and social relevance. Australian Indigenous Studies offers students perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture. Subjects offered reflect the rich diversity of the field. Themes include Indigenous cultural production, key thinkers and concepts, Settler and Indigenous environmental ethics, Aboriginal women and coloniality, Indigenous health, and issues relating to land, law and philosophy. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
The Australian Centre coordinates the University of Melbourne’s vibrant interdisciplinary program in Australian Studies and provides an examination of contemporary Australian culture, society and institutions in their global context. Some subjects incorporate field trips and encourage students to explore Australian life through interactive learning and an exchange of ideas. Principal areas of focus include: memory, life narrative and belonging; migration, ethnicity and marginality; national identity, community and place; histories of poverty and welfare; Arts and creative production; and Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
Chinese language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence (of units) from Chinese 1 through to Chinese 10. Entry and exit points are determined by the student’s background in the language, placement testing, prerequisites, or at the discretion of the Chinese program. Students normally progress through the subjects in consecutive order. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers, subject to appropriate prior experience and approval from the head of the Chinese program. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Classics is the study of the languages Ancient Greek and Latin. Students explore ancient culture through the literature of ancient Greece and Rome in the original languages. Students who major in Classics progress through one or both of these languages from beginners through intermediate to advanced levels. Students who have done VCE Latin or VCE Ancient Greek can begin their course at intermediate level. Up to three subjects in the major can be drawn from non-language subjects in Ancient World Studies. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| This major offers students the opportunity to explore their creative potential and to extend their work to avant-garde, cross-genre and experimental forms of writing. Students are encouraged to critically test the creative potential and the influence of contemporary theoretical and philosophical schools of thought in all forms of writing. Areas of specialisation include fiction, poetry, poetics, non-fiction, performance and writing for theatre and autobiography. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Criminology draws knowledge and perspectives from a range of disciplines such as law, sociology, psychology, psychiatry and history. Initially, criminology had a strong practical focus: its role was to advise governments on issues such as policing, the management of prisons, sentencing and offender treatment. Concern with policy and practice remains, but criminologists now work in a much wider range of fields including crime prevention, corporate and white-collar crime, business regulation, drug policy and consumer and environmental protection. Criminology doesn’t take crime and criminal law for granted. As an academic discipline it continually questions why different societies define and respond to crime in different ways, and why approaches to punishment and other forms of social control have varied so much from era to era. Increasingly criminologists also study the ways cultures depict crime: whether in newspapers, television and other mass media or in films, novels and art. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Faculty of Business and Economics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
The Department of Economics in the Faculty of Business and Economics offer a 112.5-point major and 75-point minor in the BA. Students intending to major in Economics should note that Mathematical Methods is a prerequisite for this program. Introductory Microeconomics must be completed before entering Introductory Macroeconomics, Level Two Intermediate Macroeconomics and Intermediate Microeconomics. . Students intending to complete a major in Economics should refer to the sample course plans on the Bachelor of Arts web pages.Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
English and Theatre Studies is a combined program students can specialise in either areas. The program offers studies in imaginative writing and dramatic performance. It focuses on their forms and traditions, and on the myriad ways they engage with the everyday world. The program offers subjects in a wide range of fields, from the Medieval to Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism, and beyond. This includes British, Australian, American and postcolonial writing and theatre; and literary, cultural and performance theory. English and Theatre at Melbourne University is recognised nationally and internationally for its innovative teaching, scholarship and research. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
French is one of the world's major international languages: it is spoken by over 200 million people in 43 countries, on five continents. A knowledge of French may increase access to careers in international relations, development studies, business, science and the arts. The overall objective of the French Studies program is to teach students to process information from a wide variety of materials in French, both written and spoken, and to produce accounts and discussions of that information in a variety of forms. In subjects at all levels, you will be guided towards undertaking independent research projects into areas including language, literature, politics, cinema, theatre, travel writing, food and wine, immigration and identity. |
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| Offered by the Melbourne School of Land and Environment | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
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Geography is the study of landscape, people, space, place and environment. It recognises the differences in societies and environments across the world, and also the links between them. Geography integrates both physical science and social science knowledge to provide the skills and conceptual frameworks needed to understand the processes and power relations that shape the world around us. Geography is a field-based discipline, and the major enables students to gain practical and relevant research experience.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
German has more than 100 million native speakers and is the third most popular foreign language world-wide. A knowledge of German opens up the rich culture of German-speaking Europe as well as its history, philosophy, literature, music and scientific traditions. The German Studies Program has a proud history of more than half a century at the University of Melbourne and provides students with the opportunity to complete part of their studies overseas through scholarships and exchange programs. German language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence of units from German 1 through to German 10 (German 1-5 available from 2012, German 6-8 from 2013 and German 9-10 from 2014). Students may enter at any point, subject to placement testing and/or prerequisites, and normally progress through the sequence in consecutive order. Accelerated progression is possible with the permission of the course convenor. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
The Hebrew and Jewish Studies program offers an unparalleled opportunity to study the development of Jewish civilisation, Israeli history and culture, and the study of the Hebrew language. Hebrew and Jewish Studies investigate the history, literature, archaeology, philosophy, ethnography and social theory of Jewish society and culture. Students are encouraged to engage in contemporary debates about ethnicity and identity, assimilation, exile and Diaspora cultures. Students benefit from the interdisciplinary breadth and the opportunity to combine this with options in Hebrew language study which is taught from beginners to advanced level. Students explore topics that draw on extensive archival resources available in Australia and internationally. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| The History curriculum offers students the opportunity to understand the worlds of the past, to reflect on the making of the present, and to develop the capacities to locate information, analyse evidence, think critically, and communicate effectively. The discipline offers both great range and detailed attention to particular places, times, and themes. Courses extend from the medieval world to the great empires to our most immediate past; all offerings reflect the latest developments in historical research and vocational practice. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| The aim of History and Philosophy of Science is to understand science: how is works, its historical development and its function in modern society. History and Philosophy of Science thus integrates philosophical, historical and sociological approaches to the study of science. It thus provides students with an insight into scientific methods and objectives without actually having to do science. Students will gain analytical skills in evaluating scientific (and non-scientific) knowledge as well as a broad understanding of the historical development of science in its interactions with philosophy, religion and society. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Indonesian language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence (of units) from Indonesian 1 through to Indonesian 6, with 4 additional advanced units. Entry points are determined by the student’s background in the language, placement testing, prerequisites, or at the discretion of the Indonesian program. Students normally progress through the subjects in consecutive order. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers, subject to appropriate prior experience and approval from the convenor of the Indonesian program. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
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Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. It is embraced by approximately one-fifth of the world's population. The Islamic Studies program provides students with the opportunity to study the development of Islamic thought and Muslim societies from a broad multidisciplinary perspective. Islamic Studies addresses the issues relevant to the development of Islam as a religion and civilisation from its origins to the present.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Italian language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence (of units) from Italian 1 through to Italian 6 and beyond. Entry and exit points are determined by the student’s background in the language, placement testing if required, prerequisites, or at the discretion of the Italian Program. Students normally progress through the subjects in consecutive order. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers, subject to appropriate prior experience and approval from the head of the Italian program. Accelerated progression is possible on advice from the Italian Program. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| The Japanese program at the Asia Institute is one of the largest Japanese programs in Australia. The language subjects, taught at a range of levels, from beginner to advanced, are designed to maximise acquisition of the language and to develop their communication skills in various types of texts, interactional contexts and strategic aspects of meaning making. The curriculum also allows students to develop a broad understanding of cultural, social and historical aspects of Japan. Japanese Studies subjects such as Social Problems in Japan help students understand the complexity and diversity of the society, and challenge stereotypes. Teaching staff create a meeting place where students from a variety of cultural backgrounds can explore intercultural language activities to promote intercultural as well as communicative competence. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
Linguistics is the study of language in all its aspects including its structure, its diversity, how it changes and evolves, how people learn and make use of it to communicate, and how it is implicated in relations of power. It provides students with an insight into the most fundamental of all human faculties, develops strong analytical skills and a foundation for work in many diverse areas. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Media and Communications offers students foundational knowledge for the 21st century. It equips students with a critical understanding of the constantly changing global media environments and technologies, and provides core research and professional skills valued across a range of media sectors. The wide array of subjects that comprise the Media and Communications major cover key developments in media industries, new communication technologies, and their impact on politics, society and culture. While the main focus is on Australia and the Asia-Pacific, the course has a global orientation, reflecting today’s increasingly interconnected media systems, markets, and production ecologies of contemporary digital networks. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Philosophy is the study of the most fundamental aspects of reality and value. Every area of inquiry and endeavour—from art and history through politics and economics to biology and mathematics—generates philosophical issues about our world and our place in it. Philosophers debate the meaning of life and the meaning of adverbs, the analysis of Divine foreknowledge and the analysis of colour, the nature of mathematics and the nature of terrorism. Work in philosophy involves the creative, critical task of constructing, clarifying and comparing ideas. We dig into the fundamental assumptions beneath our everyday views, to see how they hang together, how they can be improved, or how we might have reason to prefer one over another. We learn to take conflicting views seriously, to clarify imprecise concepts, and to synthesize new positions. You learn both traditional and contemporary approaches to individual topics in Philosophy. In tutorials and written work you practice the important skill of advancing cogent and informed arguments of your own. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Political and Social Sciences | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
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Politics and International Studies enables students to gain an understanding of the major political issues, institutions, ideas and actors that dominate the local, national and international agenda. |
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| Offered by the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
Psychology is intellectually fascinating and has direct applications to everyday life. As a discipline, it embraces a wide range of perspectives and approaches that contribute to the scientific study and understanding of behaviour, especially human behaviour. Taught at the University since the late 1800s, Psychology at Melbourne offers a diversity and quality of undergraduate subjects. The majority of undergraduate students studying psychology will complete an APAC (Australian Psychology Accreditation Council) major sequence. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| Russian language subjects are organised in a progressive sequence (of units), from Russian 1 through to Russian 6. While students taking the major will normally enter at Russian 1, entry and exit points are determined by the student’s background in the language, placement testing, prerequisites, or at the discretion of the Russian program. Students normally progress through the subjects in consecutive order. Mid-year entry is also possible into subjects with even numbers, subject to appropriate prior experience and approval from the head of the Russian program. Accelerated progression is possible on advice from the Russian Program. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
| This major embraces material in the field of film and popular media; screen histories; Australian, Hollywood and Art House cinemas; everyday life; television and entertainment; ethnographic and documentary cinema; computer games; the Internet and the representation of global cultures. The major offers subjects about the nature and history of film and cultural studies. These include film and screen aesthetics; identity and gender; sexuality and spectatorship; the nature of narrative structures and class ideologies. Students encounter a variety of screen media, net-based cultures and popular cultures in order to consider their histories, their significance, and theories that help make sense of how they relate to power, commerce and lived culture today. Through innovative teaching, students in Screen and Cultural Studies encounter new ways of interpreting and analysing contemporary media and culture. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
Sociology engages with central dimensions of life in contemporary societies, from transformations in the life course, contemporary families, gender relations, ethnic, racial and sexual identity, and the body, through to media, new technologies, and globalisation. It engages with emerging patterns of social inequality and new forms of social problems, and the ways in which people and societies confront these new challenges. Sociology also explores emerging questions of action and identity – from new social movements to subcultures to forms of action evident in contemporary social transformations. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include | Graduate pathways |
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Spanish students learn to speak the language of more than 25 countries and 350 million people. Students learn about the culture and histories of the largest Spanish speaking nations and how the language has influenced cultures around the world. By learning such a popular and influential language, students create a wide range of new career opportunities internationally. Exchange opportunities in Spanish speaking countries are available.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include |
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Anthropology is the study of the many societies and cultures of the world and their complex interaction. Anthropology's global comparative scope is complemented by a local focus, its unique perspective is made possible by intensive participation in the daily life and language of the communities studied. Contemporary social anthropology asks questions about what it means to be human in a globalising world, as well as providing a critical vantage point from which to reflect on ourselves and others.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the Asia Institute | Careers include |
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Subjects in the Chinese Studies minor are taught at the Asia Institute and schools in the Faculty of Arts. The subjects focus on the cultural, political and religious traditions of China.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Politcal Sciences | Careers include |
| Development Studies is a dynamic field concerned with processes of social, economic, political and cultural change in the global South. This minor provides students the opportunity to critically examine processes of managed change in the developing world, as well as a skills set to intervene in such processes. Through this programme, students will better understand the nature of policies and relationships at local, national and international levels that have shaped poverty, inequality and insecurity in the contemporary world. We examine themes such as debt and global poverty, environmental sustainability, the relationship between citizens and the state, culture and human rights, globalisation, national sovereignty, gender inequity, social exclusion, health, and migration. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Culture and Communication | Careers include |
English Language Studies enhances the effective use of the most widely spoken language in the world. Students develop an understanding of its history, its subtle and intricate grammar, and the status of its many social and geographical varieties. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Land and Environment | Careers include |
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This versatile program enables students to gain practical and relevant experience in Environmental Studies through laboratory work, group projects and field trips, including opportunities for fieldwork research in China. Environmental Studies combines knowledge of natural environments with an understanding of how human societies work. It analyses environmental management, biogeography and sustainability.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Languages and Linguistics | Careers include |
European Studies is a cross-disciplinary program that focuses on European culture, society and languages. Students complete core European Studies subjects and can also choose to take subjects from areas such as history, literary studies, languages, philosophy, politics and art history. Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include |
Gender Studies considers the impact of gender and sexuality on a range of discourses embedded within cultures, identities and global histories. Subjects consider ideas about sexual difference, sexual politics and sexuality through close engagement with a broad variety of theorists, case studies and media. Gender Studies, which is currently taught as a minor within the BA, is transdisciplinary and draws on the diverse interests of specialists located throughout the Faculty. This enables its students to develop an impressive range of research skills from the Arts and Social Sciences. The first year subject Introducing Gender: Sex, Sport & Film will be offered for the first time in 2012 and will be compulsory for those intending to complete a minor in Gender Studies. Core subjects taught at second and third year are Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality; Sex Gender and Power, Genders, Bodies, Borders and The Future of Sex and Gender. The number of core subjects will be increased and diversified in 2013. These are taken together with a choice from a list of electives drawn from subjects located throughout the schools of the Faculty of Arts. |
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| Offered by the School of Social and Political Sciences | Careers include |
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Social Theory analyses the ways society and culture are organised and sometimes transformed. It questions the everyday assumptions that shape our lives and considers such issues as the division of power and the nature of identity.
Learn more in the University of Melbourne Handbook. |
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