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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Study arts and social sciences

Arts degrees for undergraduates and postgraduates Learn more

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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Leading teaching and research in 21st century humanities and social sciences

Driven by academic rigour, intellectual curiosity and social inclusion, we're committed to solving pressing global challenges.

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Study arts and social sciences

Arts degrees for undergraduates and postgraduates

Whether you’re fresh from high school, wanting to change career or upskill, or looking to delve into research, our reputation for world-class teaching and research makes us a leader for study in the arts and social sciences.

What jobs can you get with an Arts degree?

Employees who bring creativity to the workplace, who think strategically in their roles, problem-solve effectively on the fly, and communicate with diverse groups of people, are no longer nice-to-haves: they're essential. And they're in-demand.

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Our research

From archaeological digs to artificial intelligence and legal ethics to language learning, we bring our love of knowledge and culture of excellence to the world's greatest challenges.

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Schools

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is home to some of the world’s most outstanding scholars.

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Industry and community

Connect with us to meet our bright students, experience our lively events and hear from some of the best thinkers in Australia.

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Our people

We are committed to delivering an exceptional curriculum and supporting both our staff and students to maximise their professional and academic potential.

Our research

Applying our expertise to answer the big questions

COVID-19 updates

Supporting our community

Facts & figures

#23 in the world for Arts and Humanities (2021 QS World University Rankings)
#30 in the world for Social Sciences (2021 QS World University Rankings)
#2 globally, in Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2020
Est. 1852 Over 165 years of teaching and research excellence
6 schools Economics; Education and Social Work; Languages and Cultures; Literature, Art and Media; Philosophical and Historical Inquiry; Social and Political Sciences

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Latest news

photo of Dr Patrick Faulkner with shells

Sydney archaeologist helps reveal oldest human burial in Africa

Dating to 78,000 years ago, the bones of a child were found by a team of archaeologists in Panga ya Saidi, a cave site on the Kenyan coast. It is considered the oldest human burial in Africa.

Stained glass windows in the Quadrangle

Celebrating student success in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2021 Awards Ceremony to recognise 136 students for their outstanding performance in the academic years of 2019 and 2020.

Emeritus Professor Frank Stilwell

Meet the 2021 Frank Stilwell Political Economy Award winners

PhD students Ram Niwas Arya from India and Javier Recabarren from Chile are the 2021 recipients of the Frank Stilwell Award in Political Economy, which rewards outstanding research in the field and provides financial support to bright minds who need it.

A gamer

How the gaming industry justifies in-game gambling

Despite soaring revenues, companies are increasingly embedding gambling devices in games. A new study examines why this is the new norm.

Professor Chris Dickman from the Desert Ecology Research Group placing a captured small mammal in a bag during research into how native wildlife persists with feral cats and red foxes and copes with wildfire and the wildly fluctuating climate of central Australia.

Sydney continues to excel in global impact rankings

University continues to excel in 2021 Times Higher Education Impact rankings which measure an institution's research, outreach and stewardship against UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Quantum ethics project awarded DFAT grant

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has awarded the Centre for International Security Studies (CISS) $800,000 over two years to develop accords for the ethical use of quantum technologies.

First Pasifika Professor in an Australian university

Born and raised in Sydney to an iTaukei (Indigenous) Fijian father, and Anglo-Saxon mother, Professor Ravulo hopes to inspire people from culturally diverse backgrounds including Pasifika people to pursue higher education studies.

photo of Dorothy Hoddinott in graduation gown looking at someone speaking

Dorothy Hoddinott awarded honorary doctorate

The University of Sydney has awarded an honorary doctorate to Dorothy Hoddinott AO in recognition of her outstanding contributions to public education, social justice and human rights.

Becoming Valerie Khoo: So you want to be a…?

Alumna Valerie Khoo, CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre, shares how she continues to follow her curiosity and why her economics degree is invaluable in her creative career.

Women's march in Sydney, 2019

Will women forsake the Liberal party at the next election?

Last election, the Liberal party attracted the lowest number of votes from women since 1987. This trend could continue, however, as Dr Sarah Cameron explains, voting behaviour is often impacted by the salient issues of the day.

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