1999 Arts Handbook - Bachelor of Arts degree

Bachelor of Arts degree

General information
Objectives
Entry requirements
Course structure
Major and minor sequences
Course requirements
- Duration

Objectives

On completion of their course, students are expected to have developed:

habits of critical thinking and the ability to express themselves orally and in writing with precision and clarity;
a broad understanding of the main bodies of knowledge and intellectual traditions of the disciplines in the humanities and social sciences;
a high order of self-motivated intellectual curiosity and the desire for continued learning;
soundly based knowledge and skills that will permit them to seek a range of employment opportunities.

Applicants should have completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (or equivalent) including the satisfactory completion of work requirements in units 3 and 4 of English. Comparable qualifications at secondary or tertiary level obtained in Victoria, interstate or overseas and TAFE qualifications may be deemed to be equivalent to the VCE. Applicants may also satisfy minimum entrance requirements by sitting a STAT test or completing two non-award subjects or two open learning (OLA) subjects. .All applicants should be willing to undertake a normal work load of forty-eight points a year full-time or twenty-four to thirty-two points a year part-time or by distance education. Part-time and distance education students should note that this may have implications regarding eligibility for Austudy or similar schemes.

Course structure

The various components leading to the awarding of the degree are defined in terms of disciplines, interdisciplinary programs, subjects and sequences. A discipline is a distinct area of study offered by a department or centre or section. An interdisciplinary program is a distinct area of study comprising subjects from more than one discipline. A subject is a basic unit of study which has a prescribed amount of work, usually undertaken over a semester, at a certain-year level within a discipline or interdisciplinary program. A sequence is a pair of subjects usually taken in semesters one and two of the same year.
The disciplines from which students may select subjects for inclusion in an arts degree are not confined to those taught by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students who are interested in taking subjects from outside the school should discuss this option with the administrative officers at the outset of their studies. In most disciplines there is more than one subject at a given level. A student must spread first-year work over at least four disciplines, three of which must be offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The value of a subject is expressed in points and a normal year's work for a full-time student is forty-eight points.

Major and minor sequences

Major, minor and first-year sequences may be completed within the following disciplines:
(a) Disciplinary and interdisciplinary majors - gender studies, history-politics, Indonesian, Koorie studies, mass communications, sociology, writing;
(b) Disciplinary and interdisciplinary minors - Australian studies, community studies, journalism and all of the above majors.
Students should be aware that they may include subjects from other disciplines for credit towards the Bachelor of Arts. Currently these subjects include GSC1611 (Understanding university learning), GSC1601 (Basic statistics and computing for social sciences), GSC1602 (Introduction to methods of social research), GSC1301 (Social welfare issues), GSC1306 (Introduction to understanding human behaviour), GSC1307 (Human behaviour across the lifespan).

First-year sequence

A first-year sequence is a pair of first-level subjects which form the first part of a major or minor sequence.

Minor sequence

A minor sequence requires the completion of twenty-eight points of study and will normally comprise first-level sequence subjects followed by two second-level subjects, or two second-level subjects followed by two third-level subjects.

Major sequence

A major sequence requires the completion of a minimum of fifty-two points. Normally a major will include a first-level sequence (twelve points) and at least two subjects at second-level (sixteen points) and three subjects at third-level (twenty-four points).

Prerequisites

All upper-level subjects have prerequisites. Where course regulations have changed since the student's initial enrolment, the student may have the choice between the original and the current requirements for completion of the course.

Course requirements

A candidate for the degree must fulfil the following requirements to receive the award of Bachelor of Arts:
(a) complete a total of at least 144 points but not more than 162 points;
(b) complete subjects equivalent to at least ninety-two points within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences;
(c) complete a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten first-level subjects;
(d) complete at least three first-level sequences from disciplines offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences;
(e) complete at least one major sequence (fifty-two points) and one minor sequence (twenty-eight points) from disciplines offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences;
(f) undertake additional subjects to complete the 144 points needed for the degree. Candidates may complete a second major or a second minor sequence from disciplines offered by the school or from other departments or schools.

Duration

The course of study is normally a minimum of three years full-time or five years part-time or by distance education, and normally cannot extend beyond eight years.