University Handbooks

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Bachelor of Arts

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Overview

Course title Bachelor of Arts
Faculty Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Study level Undergraduate coursework
Credit points 144
CRICOS code 000705M

The Bachelor of Arts is one of the most flexible and widely recognised degrees offered by the University of Sydney. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences offers the three-year (full-time) Bachelor of Arts. The Bachelor of Arts may also be combined with bachelor’s degrees in commerce, economics, engineering, law, science, and social work.

Students complete:

  • a core unit of study in their first semester which lays the foundations for the study of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences;
  • a major in the humanities or social sciences;
  • a second major, program, or minor from a broad range of subject areas, including those outside the humanities and social sciences;
  • Open Learning Environment units; and
  • elective units, as needed to achieve the credit-point total required for their degree.

Degree structure and requirements

For detailed information on degree rules and requirements, please refer to the course resolutions.

Subject areas

Subject areas available in this course are listed under Subject areas (Table A) and Subject areas (Table S).

For guidance on degree planning, please refer to the course planning page which includes sample degree plans.

1. Bachelor of Arts

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Arts, students must complete 144 credit points, comprising:

  • 6 credit points of degree core units
  • a major (48 credit points) or program* selected from the Table A Subject Areas
  • a minor (36 credit points) or second major (48 credit points) selected from the Table A Subject Areas or Table S
  • for students not enrolled in the Dalyell stream: 6 credit points of Open Learning Environment units selected from Table O; or 
  • for students enrolled in the Dalyell stream: a minimum of 12 credit points selected from Table D; and
  • where appropriate, elective units from the Table A Subject Areas, Table S, Table O or Table D (for students enrolled in the Dalyell stream).

Table D - Dalyell stream

The Dalyell stream is a targeted stream for high achievers. Students who participate in the Dalyell stream are known as ‘Dalyell Scholars’ and have access to curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Dalyell Scholars must take 12 credit points of Dalyell stream units. Dalyell stream units emphasise the development of vision, depth of understanding, adaptability, breadth of perspective, societal contribution and a high level of capability in operating across disciplinary and cultural boundaries. Dalyell Scholars may take Dalyell stream units offered by any faculty.

Additionally, with the permission of the Dalyell Program Director, students have access to enrichment and accelerated units of study that can be completed as electives.

Majors, minors, and programs

A major consists of 48 credit points of structured study in a single subject area. A minor consists of 36 credit points of structured study in a single subject area. The program in Psychology consists of 60 credit points. It is not possible to complete a major and a minor in the same subject area.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts must select at least one major from the Table A Subject Areas offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts must also complete a minor, major, or program from the Table A Subject Areas or Table S (shared pool).

Honours

Honours is an additional year of full-time undergraduate study following completion of the Bachelor of Arts, available via the appended Bachelor of Arts (Honours). It provides high-achieving students an opportunity to develop research skills in the subject area of their major by undertaking advanced-level coursework and conducting a supervised but independent research project. The honours year adds greater depth to the Bachelor of Arts and is a pathway to higher degree by research (e.g., PhD) studies.

Further information, including admission requirements and units of study, is available on the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and subject area (Table A and Table S) pages.

Table A - Arts and Social Sciences 

The available majors and minors in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are listed in the subject area pages.

Note: Students cannot complete a major and a minor in the same subject area.

Table O - Open Learning Environment (OLE)

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts are required to complete 6 credit points in units of study from the Open Learning Environment (OLE) unless they are enrolled in the Dalyell stream.

Details of available OLE units can be found in Table O in the Interdisciplinary Studies Handbook.

Table S - Interdisciplinary Studies (Shared pool)

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts can complete a second major or minor in a wide range of subject areas through the shared pool of majors and minors.

The available subject areas for majors and minors and their requirements can be found in the Interdisciplinary Studies Handbook.

The following areas offer majors and minors in this shared pool:

  • Architecture and Interaction Design;
  • Arts and Social Sciences;
  • Business and Commerce;
  • Education and Social Work;
  • Engineering and Computer Science;
  • Health, Medicine and Dentistry;
  • Music; and
  • Science, Agriculture, Environment and Veterinary Science.

Electives

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts can complete elective units of study from the subject areas listed in Table A (Arts and Social Sciences) and Table S (shared pool).