The Bachelor of Arts at Monash University is
a three year course when studied full time, and a six year course when studied part time. Like most degrees, each year comprises of two semesters. For straight Arts, it is conventional to study four units per semester; however, one can also ‘overload’ (five units) or ‘underload’ (three units). Both of these options are still considered a full time load.
One of the great things about the Bachelor of Arts is its flexibility. In fact, it can be teamed up as part of a
double degree in a number of ways, with a number of other degrees. This adds more time to your studies, but is also a super opportunity to study with more than one faculty. In the spoiler below are the double degrees available, listed
here.
Spoiler
- Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business (Accounting);
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance);
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Business (Marketing);
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Economics;
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Music;
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Social Work;
- Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Visual Arts;
- Bachelor of Arts Scholars Program/Bachelor of Commerce Scholars Program;
- Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Education (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Environmental Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts;
- Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts; and
- Bachelor of Social Work (with Honours)/Bachelor of Arts.
So four units per semester, two semesters per year, and three years. That equals 24 Arts units for a straight Bachelor of Arts. Now, this may change should you wish to complete a double degree. But don’t worry; there are fantastic
course maps available, produced by the Faculty of Arts. These can help you to plan your degree; personally, I have used them extensively, because it can otherwise become a little messy and confusing.
For straight Arts, there are further requirements. Important to note, here, is that each unit is the equivalent of six credit points. I have no idea why, so don’t ask me; in my mind, six is a completely arbitrary and unnecessary number. But it’s important to remember, because the further requirements use this silly terminology. For example (from the Bachelor of Arts course map):
- Students must not complete more than 60 credit points at first-year level (10 units);
- Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit points at third-year level (usually 6 units);
- Students must complete a total of 144 credit points (usually 24 units); and
- Students must complete all requirements within 8 years.
To use my degree as an example, then, this is how it might pan out:
Year 1, Semester 1: ATS1314, ATS1325, ATS1371, PSY1011
Year 1, Semester 2: ATS1315, ATS1326, ATS1339, PSY1022
Year 2, Semester 1: ATS1371, ATS2637, ATS2667, ATS2676
Year 2, Semester 2: ATS3639, ATS3679, ATS3681, ATS3872
Year 3, Semester 1: ATS2640, ATS2683, ATS3627, ATS3673
Year 3, Semester 2: AMU1311, AMU2450, AMU2906, AMU3630
These codes may seem confusing. For now, just focus on the first number of each. This denotes the year level of the unit. For example, ATS
1314 is a first year unit, ATS
2637 is a second year unit, and ATS
3639 is a third year unit. You can see, then, that I have completed a total of ten first year units (60 credit points), seven second year units (42 credit points), and seven third year units (42 credit points).
Usually, a Bachelor of Arts comes with a
major and a
minor. Basically, these terms just refer to areas of study that you undertake more heavily. A major is comprised of eight units of the same area of study, whilst a minor is comprised of four. You should be able to see these in the columns of the course maps provided earlier. I actually took the option of studying two majors (a ‘double major’), which just means that I used some of my electives (units not relevant to either your major nor minor) to change my minor into a second major. Something called an
‘extended major’ is also available, but I don’t know much about this. Don’t worry if you’re confused – you don’t really need to know this for now.