Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts at the University of Tasmania is a three-year degree built around choice. You pick a major from the humanities, social sciences or creative arts, add a minor or a second major, and fill the rest with electives from across the university. That structure is deliberate. It lets you combine, say, History with Journalism, or Sociology with Politics and International Relations, and come out with a degree that matches the work you actually want to do.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are measured in units of study and credit points. At UTas you study full-time across semesters, typically four units per semester, and you need to complete 24 units (or the equivalent credit points) to graduate. Each unit usually carries 12.5 credit points, so a standard year is 100 credit points. You will normally declare your major by the end of first year, once you have tried a few subjects and worked out what holds your attention. Some majors have introductory units you must pass before you can take the later ones, so it pays to check the handbook early.

Majors cover areas such as English, History, Philosophy, Sociology, Politics and International Relations, Ancient Civilisations, Geography and Environmental Studies, Journalism, Media and Communication, and Asian Studies. Many students take a language alongside their major. If you do well, an additional honours year is available — that is a fourth year of research training where you write a thesis, and it is the usual pathway into a master's or a PhD.

Placement and practical work

Work-integrated learning varies by major. Journalism and Media students complete industry placements in newsrooms, community radio and communications teams. Students in other majors can take an internship unit, and there are community-engaged units where you work with a local organisation on a project. UTas is spread across Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, and the university's links to Tasmania's cultural institutions, parliament, museums, environmental agencies and community sector give you real places to do that work. Confirm the placement requirements for your chosen major on the official course page, because they are not the same across the degree.

Skills and who it suits

You will spend three years writing, arguing, reading closely and researching. The skills that stick are the ones employers keep asking for: clear writing, the ability to weigh evidence, and the confidence to present an idea and defend it. The degree suits people who are curious rather than narrowly focused, who like the idea of trying subjects before committing, and who want a qualification that opens several doors instead of one. It also suits students who want to study somewhere smaller, with easier access to teaching staff, than a large mainland campus.

If you are an international student, you will need to meet the university's English requirement. IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, but teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work ask for 7.0–7.5. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so you need to satisfy both. While you study, your visa allows 48 hours of work per fortnight. After you graduate, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets you stay and work in Australia, provided you meet its requirements. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 001694A — check the official page for current fees, intake dates and major availability.

• Policy officer or analyst in state and federal government departments
• Journalist, editor or content producer in newspapers, radio, online media and publishing
• Communications and public relations officer in the public sector, NGOs and private firms
• Museum, gallery or library officer in Tasmania's cultural institutions
• Community development and social policy worker in the not-for-profit sector
• Research assistant in universities, think tanks and environmental organisations
• Teacher, after completing a postgraduate teaching qualification
• Human resources, marketing and administration roles that value writing and analysis
• Further study: honours year, then a master's or PhD in the humanities or social sciences

Graduates work across Australia, with many staying in Tasmania in the public service, tourism, media and the community sector.