Take the first step towards an Arts degree with the Bachelor of Arts/Diploma of Liberal Arts. Your training will qualify you for a much wider range of careers than most other degrees.

You will have the flexibility to choose from a broad range of specialisations (formerly known as majors) and tailor the program to match your specific interests.

You can undertake a semester overseas at one of our many international partner institutes and you will participate in a major project with industry or community organisations in your third year.

Choose from

• Advanced English for Speakers of Other Languages (AESOL)
• Asian Studies
• Communication Studies
• Gender Studies
• History
• Literary Studies
• Media Studies
• Performance Studies
• Political Science
• Professional Writing
• Psychology
• Social Research Methods
• Sociology
• Visual Arts
• Vietnamese

Further information on Liberal Arts

• Location:
  Footscray Park
• Faculty:
  Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development
• School:
  School of Communication and the Arts
• Study mode:
  Full Time and Part Time
• Delivery mode:
  On campus
• Course code:
  ABXL
• Duration:
  4 years
• This information is for Australian residents.
  Click here for the international version of this course

How to apply

• consultant
• writer
• curator
• advertising
• government
• travel and tourism
• publishing and research
• recreation and leisure administration

Learn more about your career options on the Australian government's Career Information and Resources website.

The course aims to provide students with:

• a grounding in one or more academic disciplines, which in addition to their interdisciplinary training, provides a basis for further studies towards professional qualifications in such fields as teaching, librarianship, community or social work, or further academic studies towards a higher degree;
• a critical understanding of the concept of culture and the insights it provides into the similarities and differences amongst human beings, their behaviour and communication with each other, and the meanings they attach to their collective lives;
• knowledge and understanding of Australian society and culture, both historical and contemporary;
• an appreciation of the structure of Australian society, the differences among the various groups of which it is constituted, and the issues of equity which it presents;
• experience with first-hand research, a familiarity with research resources and methods, and a range of adaptable analytic and research skills, particularly as can be applied to issues of culture and communication in Australia.

Students may exit the course with 21793VIC Certificate IV in Liberal Arts after successfully completing one year.
Students may exit the course with 21794VIC Diploma of Liberal Arts after successfully completing two years.

The specialisation units selected in year two of the course (diploma year) must be Psychology if students select Psychology as one of their specialisations.

• Apply Essential Further Study Skills

  Unit code

  VBQU226

• Research Fields of Study and Enquiry

  Unit code

  VBQU227

• Critique Approaches to Citizenship and the Public Sphere

  Unit code

  VBQU228

• Analyse the Human Transformations of Nature

  Unit code

  VBQU230

• Research Approaches to Economy and Society

  Unit code

  VBQU231

• Analyse a Range of Texts

  Unit code

  VBQU232

• Analyse Tradition and Modernity

  Unit code

  VBQU233

• Undertake Academic Research

  Unit code

  VBQU234

• Analyse Sociological Understandings of Human Relationships

  Unit code

  VBQU235

• Analyse Literary Texts and Genres

  Unit code

  VBQU238

• Analyse Urban Form of Culture

  Unit code

  VBQU236

• Analyse Theories of Self

  Unit code

  VBQU237

• Knowing and Knowledge A

  Unit code

  ACX1001

  Credits

  12

• Foundations of Psychological Research

  Unit code

  APP1016

  Credits

  12

• Knowing and Knowledge B

  Unit code

  ACX1002

  Credits

  12

• Professional and Career Development

  Unit code

  ACX3003

  Credits

  12

• Graduating Project 1

  Unit code

  ACX3005

  Credits

  12

• Graduating Project 2

  Unit code

  ACX3006

  Credits

  12

• Graduating Project 2

  Unit code

  ACX3006

  Credits

  12

Students must satisfy the following requirements:

• Successful completion of the Diploma of Liberal Arts (including 4 higher education units);
• Sixteen higher education units completed in years 3 and 4 of the course;
• A minimum of 25% of assessment in Learning in the Workplace and Community (LiWC).

Students are also encouraged to undertake a semester overseas taking advantage of the University’s Study Abroad program. In this program students undertake an approved study plan, which still enables them to satisfy the requirements of the degree. Units from other courses inside and outside the Faculty can also be chosen with permission from the Coordinator. Students may also undertake units at other Universities with the permission of the Coordinator. Students may also undertake ACX3002 Special Project in a specialisation of their choice, with the approval of the specialisation Coordinator. Students should undertake ACX3002 only once in their degree.

• Year 12:

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

  Selection mode: CY12: ENTER and two-stage process with a middle-band of approximately 20%. NONY12: Academic record form, interview. See Extra Requirements for specifics.

  Middle-band: Completing any of design and technology, English language, information technology (any), literature, media, or visual communication and design = an aggregate two points higher per study, to a maximum 10 points.

  Extra Requirements: NONY12: Interview (some applicants only): Details will be provided by telephone or mail to the applicants required to attend.