About the BA

Choose from 30+ areas of study including languages, history, psychology and sociology. Your major sits at the heart of your degree.

Complement your major with a second area of focus — perfect for double majors, electives, or building a unique combination.

Use these credits to study almost anything across the university, from business and design to science and IT.

Customise your own professional journey according to your career interest across four areas, and build the skills and abilities employers value and seek.

Compares different ways of life across cultures and societies, past and present. It involves gaining an insider perspective on human behaviour through observation, immersion, and discussion with different groups about their experiences and views on life. Study topics include magic and witchcraft in the contemporary world, dispute resolution, social policy, indigenous issues, violence, gender and sexuality.

Explores the ancient Mediterranean world and Indigenous Australian studies. It involves examining historical texts, literature, ancient sites, monuments and art, to understand past communities' lives and beliefs. Study topics include archaeological methods, ancient countries and languages, landscape studies, cultural heritage protection, ancient literature and mythology.

Exploring human behaviour from social, cultural, and psychological perspectives, looking at why people act the way they do and how this connects to real-world social issues.

Exploring big ethical questions facing society, such as human cloning, genetic testing, and medical research, by drawing on ideas from philosophy, science, and law.

Exploring how communication shapes relationships and society, including how media like TV, film, music, and digital platforms influence people, and how media, culture, and power are connected.

Exploring crime and justice as a way to understand society’s values and challenges, including why crime happens, how it is controlled, and how laws and policies aim to create safer communities.

Economics looks at how people and societies make choices about using resources like money, time, and goods. It helps you understand how the world works and teaches you skills you can use in business, government, and everyday decision-making.

Exploring how screen media shapes what we think and believe, by influencing opinions through the stories, images, and messages we see every day, and how technology and society affect what appears on our screens.

An interdisciplinary field of inquiry that’s informed by the belief that all social processes and institutions are ‘gendered’. Exploring how identity, bodies, and sexuality are shaped, and how these connect to real-world issues.

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, examine a range of issues relating to the history, politics, society, economy and culture of Asian countries, with a particular focus on China, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and South Asia. It involves learning a relevant language (either Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese or Korean), together with a broad overview of major developments in Asia across the past 500 years.

An exploration of health and wellbeing beyond biology, looking at how culture, society, and ethics shape experiences of healthcare and illness, and how humanities and social sciences work with medicine to better understand patient experiences and healthcare systems.

Exploring the stories, ideas, and events that have shaped our world, while discovering how past decisions influence the present and future. Along the way, building skills in research, writing, and developing clear, well-structured arguments.

The 20th century has been called ‘the century of genocide’, but genocidal violence continues into the new millennium. This area of study asks you to reflect on why genocides happen and how people come to participate in mass violence.

The study of how people interact with and shape the world around them – from cities and communities to migration and globalisation.

An exploration of human rights and social justice in action, focusing on how people and communities work to address challenges affecting lives around the world. This includes issues like global poverty, unequal access to healthcare, refugees, discrimination, inequality, and the experiences of marginalised communities.

An exploration of Australia’s 600 Indigenous groups and their histories spanning over 50,000 years, while examining how Indigenous identity connects to real-world issues such as cultural recognition, land rights, and community wellbeing.

Exploring global politics and the big challenges shaping our world, such as conflict, security, and development, while asking key questions like who holds power and how it influences both cooperation and conflict between countries.

Exploring journalism skills like clear writing, asking questions, and finding reliable information to uncover important stories. Journalism plays a vital role in society by uncovering the truth, sharing important issues and achievements, and connecting communities with the world.

An exploration of the many aspects of Jewish civilisation, including language, literature, history, philosophy, religion, law, politics, and society.

Exploration of a language such as Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, or European languages, while building understanding of culture, history, and communication skills for a global world – whether starting as a beginner or building on study from VCE or overseas.

Exploring how language shapes communication, identity, and culture, while building skills to connect across different people and contexts. By understanding how language reflects identity, you can adapt how you communicate, build stronger connections, and solve communication challenges in a diverse, global world.

An exploration of literature and creative writing across different cultures and time periods, with opportunities to study a range of texts and choose electives in either literary studies or creative writing.

Exploring music across styles like classical, jazz and popular, while building analytical and creative skills such as songwriting and improvisation. No prior experience is needed, with opportunities to join music ensembles.

Philosophy explores the deepest questions about the nature of existence, knowledge, and morality. Almost everyone has encountered a philosophical dilemma at some point: Is morality universal or subjective? What defines personal identity? What is consciousness? Is belief in God rational?

Politics is the study of power relations in society. It helps you understand essential issues about how societies are organised and their key international institutions, including government, parliament, local councils and political parties.

Exploring how the mind and behaviour work across everyday experiences like thinking, learning, emotions, and social interactions. It focuses on understanding biological, social and environmental influences on people and societies.

Exploring the key social and global issues shaping our world, including how communities and cultures change, while looking at concepts like class, gender, and power to understand how societies work and how social challenges can be addressed.

Exploring performance and storytelling through creative projects, while building skills in collaboration, improvisation, empathy, and problem-solving that are valuable in many careers.