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Bachelor of Arts

This course has been discontinued - the information is provided for continuing students.

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Overview

ATAR
65.00
2011 Round 1 Clearly-In ATAR (CSP)
The Bachelor of Arts is designed to foster your individual development and allow you to develop research and analytical skills that can be applied to a range of situations. As an arts student, you will learn how to gather, synthesise and assess information, how to conceptualise issues and how to express yourself effectively, both orally and in writing.
Duration3 years full-time or equivalent part-time. An optional and additional year of Industry Based Learning (IBL) may also be available.
Campus and intakes  Calendar
Hawthorn -Semester 1, Semester 2
Study modeFull-time
Part-time (day)
Course codeN0515
Fees
For information about Swinburne's fees visit: www.swinburne.edu.au/fees

Career opportunities

Swinburne arts graduates are well equipped to find work in areas where employers put a high premium on well-developed conceptual understanding and other critical and creative reasoning skills needed to come to terms with and respond effectively to the complex and changing demands of the contemporary workplace. These areas include: policy analysis and development, research, community development, administration, public relations, publishing, media and professional psychology.
Depending on their area of specialisation, arts graduates may find employment as journalists, psychologists, librarians, teachers, interpreters, sociologists, publishers, internet providers, marketers, writers and in the games industry, particularly in areas focusing on interactive content creation, game design, interface design and rapid prototyping.
Graduates may also be equipped to pursue a career in the broader media, multimedia and communications sectors.
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Course in detail

On this page: course description, course structure and major specialisations.

Course description

This course structure is for students commencing in 2010.
Students who commenced prior to 2010, please refer to the previous Bachelor of Arts course structure.
The Bachelor of Arts program offers many possible study combinations, and aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to function as a professional in their chosen discipline area. Drawing on the expertise of leading teachers and researchers, the Bachelor of Arts allows students to develop a unique range of interdisciplinary skills through the practical application of theoretical knowledge, and through the development of lifelong learning skills with a global and multi-disciplinary awareness.
Offering a flexible range of professional majors, co-majors and minors, the program allows students to undertake a professionally focused program of study. This Bachelor of Arts provides a broad introduction to the study of human culture in a diverse range of discipline areas: specifically digital media, journalism, games and interactivity, media and communications, politics and public policy, psychology, sociology and sustainability management. It develops skills of investigation, analysis, critical thinking and effective communication, and prepares students for a wide range of professional employment and further study options.
As part of the Swinburne Professional Learning Model the program provides a supportive real-world learning environment. Learning opportunities are included through industry, community and research-based projects, practical case studies and scenarios, and problem-based learning. Each program emphasises problem-solving skills, to ensure that graduates have the ability to analyse problems, identify possible solutions and make well-informed decisions.
Complementing a cross-discipline combination of unit offerings, students can structure their course to graduate with a tagged or untagged degree. By selecting specific combinations of majors and co-majors, students can graduate with one of the following:

Course structure

For the Bachelor of Arts program students must complete:
  • 300 credit points, normally 24 units of 12.5 credit points each;
  • 300 credit points is normally comprised of one Professional Major selected from the Arts majors, normally 16 units (200 credit points), and one co-major, normally eight units (100 credit points) or two minors, normally four units (50 credit points)
Additionally the following rules apply.
  • At enrolment students will be provided with recommended combinations of faculty majors, co-majors or minors. Any other combinations a student proposes will be subject to approval by the faculty.
  • The non-credit unit HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum is compulsory.
  • Two (2) Major Project units must be completed as part of the major studies sequence.
  • The same unit cannot be counted more than once. Where there are overlaps in modules, the 300 credit points of study must be made up in the first instance by a minor where 50 credit points is required, otherwise by free electives or Options Plus units.
  • Students will normally not be permitted to successfully complete more than 26 units (325cps).
  • Students may only enrol in two majors where both majors have sufficient unit overlap to enable both to be completed within a total 325 credit-points of study.
  • Professional Major coordinators may approve alternative units if required for students to complete their studies in a timely fashion.
Careers in the Curriculum (CIC)
In addition to the above, students must complete a compulsory unit of study HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum to be awarded the degree. Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is an innovative unit designed to assist Swinburne students to enhance their employability and career prospects. It is usually undertaken in the second year of their course and is compulsory for all undergraduate students. Students studying CIC will not incur a HECS or fee debt as the cost will be met by the university as part of an initiative to enhance students' career skills.
Final Year Experience - Major Projects
As part of the Swinburne Model for Professional Learning, all incoming undergraduates will undertake 25 credit points of professionally focused final year major projects within their programs of study. Entry with advanced standing may require alternate study sequences to be undertaken.
Winter and Summer Term
This program also provides opportunities to undertake study in an optional six-week Winter and/or Summer term allowing you to complete extra study between the standard semesters. These terms are not mandatory. However, if you wish to vary your study load you may want to consider this option.
Elective Plus Minors
Electives Plus combinations provide Swinburne degree students with options to broaden their career skills and strengthen their employability by undertaking specially selected groups of units from outside their degree discipline.
For further information visit the Elective Plus website. Electives Plus minors are available in all Swinburne degree programs subject to timetabling constraints, with the exception of double degree programs, specialist double major degrees, and where entry has been approved with advanced standing.
Options Plus
Students will have access to a small set of approved individual Options Plus units of study which provide either a distinctive learning experience or targeted study support. This could include optional study tours, an Intercultural Communications unit, and an ‘introduction to undergraduate research’ unit. In some cases, students may be advised or directed to take specially targeted Options Plus units, for example the Analysing and Writing English unit to be offered for credit in Winter Term for NESB students.
Students undertaking a full 300 cp program are allowed to substitute at least one Options Plus unit for one existing unit within their Co-Major– but not in their Professional Major. They will be advised by their faculty on which unit(s) of the Co-Major.
In the case of students who enter with significant levels of advanced standing and whose program is therefore composed only of a Professional Major, the faculty may approve a substitution, or else require the students to undertake the Options Plus unit in addition to their major studies.
(International students are required to study full-time.)

Major specialisations

Professional Majors Where a student has completed the requirements of a Professional Major they are eligible to apply to graduate with the appropriate tagged degree outcome.
A Professional Major comprises 200 credit points of studies (16 units of study) relevant to the particular discipline or field of study. A major will normally include the requisite foundation units, have a clearly identifiable professional outcome and satisfy any relevant external professional-body accreditation requirements.
A Professional Major in Arts is designed to provide students with appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge in a particular field of study and provide suitable preparation for professional graduate employment. It may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character.
 
The following Professional Majors are offered in the Bachelor of Arts:
Digital Media Major - 2010
Games and Interactivity Major - 2010
Journalism Major - 2010
Media Major - 2010
Politics and Public Policy Major - 2010
Psychology (Arts and Social Science) Major - 2010
Psychology (Arts - Psychophysiology) Major - 2010
Psychology and Forensic Science Major - pre-Sem 2 2012
Psychology and Sport Science (pre-Sem 2 2012)
Sociology Major - 2010
Sustainability Management Major - 2010
Co-majors
A co-major (100 credit points or 8 units of study) is a sequence of study focused on a specific discipline and is normally self-contained, in that it includes any requisite foundation studies. Where a student has studied a co-major they are not normally eligible to apply to graduate with the associated tagged degree outcome.
Co-majors can be taken from any discipline across the university, timetabling permitting. Co-majors in the Bachelor of Arts program are:
Cultural Studies Co-Major - 2010
Digital Media Co-Major - 2010
Communications Co-Major - 2010
Games and Interactivity Co-Major - 2010
Journalism Co-Major - 2010
Media Co-Major - 2010
Philosophy and Cultural Inquiry Co-Major - 2010
Politics and Public Policy Co-Major - 2010
Psychology Co-Major - 2010
Sociology Co-Major - 2010
Sustainability Management Co-Major - 2010
and languages
Italian Language Co-Major - 2010
Japanese Language Co-Major - 2010

Minors A minor (50 credit points or 4 units of study) is a prescribed set of units that may broaden a student’s learning. A minor is typically derived as a subset of a major or co-major, and it may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character. Minors usually contain no elective choice.
Minors can be taken from any discipline across the university, including Electives Plus minors, timetabling permitting. Credit cannot be given for any minor which contains more than two units of study in common with any other minor, co-major or major that student is undertaking. Minors available in the Bachelor of Arts program include:
Arts Minor - 2010
Communications Minor - 2010
Cultural Studies Minor - 2010
Digital Media Minors - 2010
Games and Interactivity Minor - 2010
Journalism Minor - 2010
Media Minor - 2010
Philosophy and Cultural Inquiry Minors - 2010
Politics and Public Policy Minor - 2010
Psychology (Arts and Social Science) Minor - 2010
Sociology Minor - 2010
Statistics - 2011 
Sustainability Management Minor - 2010
Students also have the option to select their co-major or minors from another faculty, timetable permitting.
Undertaking certain co-majors or minors may impact on your anticipated course completion.
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Graduate outcomes

On this page: aims and objectives, career opportunities, professional recognition and graduate attributes.

Aims and objectives

The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed to produce graduates who are able to contribute effectively and professionally to a dynamic global economy because they possess:
  • knowledge, conceptual understanding and expertise in specific areas of study in the humanities and social sciences;
  • an understanding of the relationship between theory, research and practice;
  • a capacity for critical analysis, creativity and problem solving;
  • professional skills, including the ability to use modern technology;
  • independent and lifelong learning skills;
  • comprehensive written and oral communication skills;
  • a strong sense of personal integrity and an appreciation of the role of ethics in private and public life;
  • excellent problem-solving, teamwork and decision-making skills.
The combined focus on generic skills and sound academic and professional knowledge within the Bachelor of Arts degree equips students well for a lifelong process of personal development. Students with these attributes are highly sought after by employers who increasingly seek people with well-developed generic skills, in addition to professional competencies.

Career opportunities

Swinburne arts graduates are well equipped to find work in areas where employers put a high premium on well-developed conceptual understanding and other critical and creative reasoning skills needed to come to terms with and respond effectively to the complex and changing demands of the contemporary workplace. These areas include: policy analysis and development, research, community development, administration, public relations, publishing, media and professional psychology.
Depending on their area of specialisation, arts graduates may find employment as journalists, psychologists, librarians, teachers, interpreters, sociologists, publishers, internet providers, marketers, writers and in the games industry, particularly in areas focusing on interactive content creation, game design, interface design and rapid prototyping.
Graduates may also be equipped to pursue a career in the broader media, multimedia and communications sectors.

Professional recognition

  • The Psychology Professional Major and the Psychology and Forensic Science Professional major and the Psychology and Sport Science Professional major at Swinburne incorporate the Psychology sequence accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).
  • Students enrolled in the Games and Interactivity Professional Major will be eligible for student membership of the Australian Games Developers Association of Australia (GDAA).
  • Graduates who have completed the Games and Interactivity Professional Major and are working in the games industry will be eligible for membership of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), as well as the Australian Game Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA).
  • Students and graduates of the Digital Media Professional Major will be eligible for membership of the Australasian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA).
  • Students enrolled in the Journalism Professional Major may be eligible for student membership of the Melbourne Press Club. Graduates who complete the Journalism Professional Major will be eligible to apply for membership of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).
  • Swinburne’s Philosophy program is recognised by the Australasian Association of Philosophy.

Graduate attributes

Swinburne intends that its teaching programs assist all its graduates to be:
  • capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas;
  • entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace or community;
  • effective and ethical in work and community situations;
  • adaptable and manage change;
  • aware of local and international environments in which they will be contributing (such as sociocultural, economic, natural).
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Course experience

On this page: IBL (industry based learning), honours and Swinburne Abroad.

Industry learning

Industry-Based Learning (IBL) is an optional program in which students are placed in paid, supervised employment relevant to their studies as part of their degree. IBL gives you practical experience to add to your academic studies and is aimed at increasing a your employability upon graduation. All IBL placements are subject to availability of places. It is not available to international students holding a student visa. For further information visit: www.swinburne.edu.au/lss/ibl

Honours

Outstanding Bachelor of Arts students have the option of undertaking a specialised additional year of study, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree.

Honours provides students with an opportunity to enhance their research ability and permits further studies and specialisation in their major discipline. It also leads to a wide range of job opportunities and gives students a market edge.
 
The honours year is offered in the areas of Industry and Community Studies; Psychology; Social Science; Culture, Nature and Civilisation; Languages; Media and Multimedia. Please see the entry for the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) for details.

Swinburne Abroad

Swinburne offers International Exchange Programs as well as other Education Abroad Programs to help internationalise your degree. International Exchange is an academic program allowing you to study at a Swinburne Partner Institution for one or two semesters during your degree. Swinburne's Partner Institutions offer many relevant subjects as well as a secure base to explore a different culture. Your studies whilst on exchange can be credited towards your Swinburne degree, provided they are relevant and approved by Swinburne. For further information visit the Swinburne Abroad website.
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On this page: entry requirements, credit transfer and recognition of prior learning

Entry requirements

ATAR
65.00
2011 Round 1 Clearly-In ATAR (CSP)

Entry requirements

Successful completion of an appropriate Victorian Year 12 or its equivalent, such as an interstate or international Year 12 qualification.

2012 VCE prerequisites: Units 3 and 4 – a study score of at least 20 in English (any).

Extra requirements: Some applicants must sit the STAT Multiple Choice test if they are one of the applicants outlined under STAT at www.swinburne.edu.au/vtac or on the Swinburne information pages in the VTAC guide.

All non year 12 students (NONY12) should refer to the VTAC website for further infomation.

Credit transfer

Applicants with prior tertiary studies that satisfy part of the academic requirements of this course may be granted ‘credit’ and/or entry into the course with ‘advanced standing’. University policies apply and applicants are assessed on a case-by-case basis. For further information refer to ‘Swinburne Pathways: Credit Transfer Guide’ at: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/corporate/marketing/pathways//

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process where a student may be granted credit or partial credit towards a qualification in recognition of skills and knowledge gained through work experience, life experience and/or formal training. Further details for students considering Higher Education courses: http://www.swin.edu.au/corporate/registrar/ppd/files/stuinf.htm
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Apply

On this page: how to apply, course fees, scholarships and find out more.

How to apply

Applications must be made through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC).

VTAC code: 34321(CSP), 34323 (Int. Fee)

For further information, visit the VTAC website.
 
Part-time study is also available to Australian citizens and holders of Australian residency.
 
Applicants who have not already applied through VTAC can apply direct to the university by following the step-by-step process on our How to Apply page.

This course is available for mid-year intake. Applications are made directly to Swinburne and will be taken on a case-by-case basis.

Course fees

For information about Swinburne's fees visit: www.swinburne.edu.au/fees

Scholarships

For information about scholarships at Swinburne visit: www.swin.edu.au/scholarships

Find out more

Submit an Online Enquiry
Tel: 1300 ASK SWIN (1300 275 794)
Email: study@swinburne.edu.au
 
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