Australian
National
University
Profile updated 21 May 2008
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
1
Support for this project has been provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council
Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and
Workplace Relations.
The views expressed in this project do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian
Learning and Teaching Council.
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Table of Contents
INSTRUCTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 4
Project Definitions ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of profile .......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Award programs described in this profile ...................................................................................................................... 4
Supporting Information .................................................................................................................................................. 4
BACHELOR OF ARTS ................................................................................................................... 5
Program Details............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Duration ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Current Program structure (2008) ............................................................................................................................... 5
Entry score 2001 – 2008 ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Articulation into Bachelor of Arts Program .................................................................................................................. 6
Host Faculty ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Campus ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Modes of Delivery ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
Coordination/Management ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Work Integrated Learning within the Bachelor of Arts ................................................................................................... 6
Industry ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Graduate Attributes Shaping the Bachelor of Arts ........................................................................................................ 6
Fields of Study available to the Bachelor of Arts ........................................................................................................... 7
Student Numbers enrolled in Bachelor of Arts .............................................................................................................. 8
Review........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Contextual Comment..................................................................................................................................................... 8
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CONTRAST WITH OTHER ARTS PROGRAMS................................. 9
Advanced Studies and Honours .................................................................................................................................... 9
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) .............................................................................................................................. 9
Honours .................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Programs combined with Arts ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Bachelor of Arts Compared to Other Arts Related Programs ...................................................................................... 11
List of Tables
Table 1: Trends in entry scores across years (2001 – 2008) and across campuses offering
Bachelor of Arts ................................................................................................................. 6
Table 2: Fields of Study offered as possible sequences of study by campus, level and
number offered as at 2008 ................................................................................................ 7
Table 3: Student numbers of total enrolment by EFTSL, numbers, and completions 2001 –
2006 ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Table 4: Numbers of Students Enrolled in Advanced Programs 2001 – 2006 .......................10
Table 5: Student numbers in combined or double degrees 2001 – 2006................................10
Table 6: Bachelor of Arts against related programs’ enrolment numbers as reported to
DEST 2001 – 2006 ............................................................................................................11
Table 7: Discontinued or renamed programs ............................................................................11
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Instructions
Project Definitions
For the purposes of this study, an Arts program is taken from the DEST “Society and Culture”
Coding that includes 0901 Political Science and Policy Studies; 0903 Studies in Human Society;
elements within 0911 Justice and Law Enforcement; 0913 Librarianship, Information
Management and Curatorial Studies; 0915 Language and Literature 0917 Philosophy and
Religious Studies; 0919 Economics and Econometrics and 0999 Other Society and Culture. It
also includes the Creative Arts 1007 code: Communication and Media Studies. It excludes
therefore programs like Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations), Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor
of Arts (Psychology).
Arts programs described in this report are programs that are humanities or social sciences
focused; not accredited or dependent on a professional body for benchmarking; allow some level
of flexibility in terms of choice for students; and are single degree undergraduate programs.
Purpose of profile
This profile focuses on the award Bachelor of Arts. It is designed to provide a baseline of what
Bachelor of Arts award programs look like across the Australian Higher Education Sector in 2008
and to enable benchmarking.
Award programs described in this profile
The first part of this profile describes the details of the award Bachelor of Arts as offered in 2008.
This description is for the Bachelor of Arts award only. It does not include tagged or named
programs such as Bachelor of Arts (International Studies), double degrees or honours. The
second part of the profile describes the Bachelor of Arts award in contrast to other Arts awards
offered by this institution fitting the definition used above. These award programs may not be
offered by the same host Faculty as that which offers the Bachelor of Arts award.
Supporting Information
Visit the DASSH website (http://www.dassh.edu.au ) for the glossary of the terms used in this
document and for aggregated datasets of the following:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
List of Bachelor of Arts degrees and related degrees by institution
Graduate attributes
Work Integrated Learning
Student Exchange programs
Disciplines taught as part of the degree
Bachelor of Arts Student demographics 2001 - 2006
Graduate destinations 2001 - 2006
Graduate satisfaction with course 2001 - 2006
AUQA reports pertaining to Bachelor of Arts degrees
Projects dealing with Bachelor of Arts issues
Core courses within programs
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Bachelor of Arts
Program Details
Duration
3 years full time.
Current Program structure (2008)
A Bachelor of Arts program must include units with a value totalling no fewer than 144 credit
points and normally not more than 150 credit points and must also include:

no more than 48 credit points from level 1 units;

no fewer than 96 credit points from later year units offered level 2 and 3;

no fewer than 96 credit points offered by the Faculty of Arts

the completion of at least two majors, consisting of either:

o
two Arts majors - the two Arts majors cannot have the same name; or
o
one Arts major and one major from another Faculty (except the Law Faculty).
The out-of-Faculty major must be identified as a major by the other Faculty and
completed according to their rules.
An Arts major consists of a minimum of 42 credit points generally comprising:
o
a maximum of 12 credit points from units offered at level 1(generally 2 units); and
o
a minimum of 30 credit points from later year units offered at level 2 and 3
(generally 5 units).
A typical study plan for each level is as below:



Level 1 (48 units)
o
A maximum of 12 credit points from each of the two majors in level 1 units (24
credit points in total)
o
A maximum of 24 credit points of any level 1 Arts units
Level 2 (48 units)
o
A minimum of 18 credit points from each of the two majors in later year units (36
credit points in total)
o
A minimum of 12 credit points from any higher level Arts units (level 1 units not
allowed)
Level 3 (48 units)
o
A minimum of 12 credit points from each of the two majors in later year units (24
credit points in total)
o
A minimum of 24 credit points from any higher level Arts units (level 1 units not
allowed)
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Entry score 2001 – 2008
Table 1: Trends in entry scores across years (2001 – 2008) and across campuses offering
Bachelor of Arts
Type
UAI / ENTER / TER
2001
73
2002
70
2003
76
2004
80
2005
85
2006
83
2007
75
2008
75
Articulation into Bachelor of Arts Program
There are no formal articulation arrangements. Credit transfer/status is considered on an
individual case-by-case basis.
Host Faculty
Faculty of Arts
Campus
Main
Modes of Delivery
On campus only
Coordination/Management
The Coordination role is not filled by one person. There are three full time Coursework Officers, a
Deputy Manager and a Manager in the College Student Office as well as the Dean of the College.
Each major also has a convener who overseas the specific academic requirements of the major.
Each discipline offering an Honours year also has a convenor. The management and
coordination of the degree is through the cooperation of these offices.
Work Integrated Learning within the Bachelor of Arts
Industry
The Australian National Internship Program is administered within the College of Arts & Social
Sciences, but is available to students from all degrees across the University. The program places
students with government departments, working with parliamentarians and working with NGOs.
Program credit is given for internships. There are also Faculty based internships, for example in
Art History, Development Studies, Film Studies and Drama. Placements all reflect the field of
study being studied. There is a shell unit which allows Arts students to do internships on an ad
hoc basis but still receive credit for it.
Graduate Attributes Shaping the Bachelor of Arts
Aims of a Bachelor of Arts education




To be essentially transformative in nature, asking students to question or explore
fundamental values as much as to acquire skills and knowledge;
To seek to provide students with multiple perspectives on the world, as they see it,
through a range of disciplinary lenses;
To require students to think globally and historically rather than in the here-and-now;
To develop students’ ability to think critically and creatively, and express their ideas
through writing and in other media.
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Fields of Study available to the Bachelor of Arts
Fields of study are defined in this profile as a subject or discipline area; a branch of knowledge
or learning. Majors have been collated to match to a field of study to provide a sense of a subject
area in which a major is offered. These fields of studies have been renamed to allow for a global
sector-wide overview.
Table 2: Fields of Study offered as possible sequences of study by campus, level and number
offered as at 2008
Campus offered Level offered
Field of Study
# offered
Canberra
Major
American Studies
1
Ancient Greek
1
Anthropology
3
Arabic
1
Archaeology
1
Art History
2
Art Theory
1
Australian Studies
1
Classical Studies
1
Development Studies
1
Drama
1
English
1
Environmental Studies
1
European Studies
1
Film Studies
1
French
1
Gender Studies
1
Geography
1
German
1
Health, Medicine & the Body
1
History
1
Human Ecology
1
Human Sciences
1
Indigenous Studies
1
International Communications
1
International Relations
1
Italian
1
Latin
1
Linguistics
2
Musicology
1
Persian
1
Philosophy
Policy Studies
1
Political Science
1
Population Studies
1
Religious Studies
1
Social Research Methods
1
Sociology
1
Spanish
1
Turkish
1
Total number of sequences of study offered
44
Source: Web site and publicity materials accessed June 2007 and updated February 2008
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Student Numbers enrolled in Bachelor of Arts
Table 3: Student numbers of total enrolment by EFTSL, numbers, and completions 2001 – 2006
2001
2002
2003
2004
Total Student Numbers
1021
1041
949
937
Total EFTSL
660.82
692.89
655.03
640.48
Total Program Completions
206
170
149
187
Source: DEST data set, developed October 2007 and updated February 2008
2005
882
630.19
216
2006
801
556.00
195
Review
The Bachelor of Arts was reviewed in early 2007. The review was transformative in that it
established a framework of systematic review of the majors and units in the Bachelor of Arts. The
review looked at how to increase flexibility in the program and how to ensure quality in education.
From time to time fields of study and the faculty are also reviewed.
Contextual Comment
The majors listed above are only those that are offered in the Bachelor of Arts and named
Bachelor of Art’s within the College of Arts and Social Sciences, however there is also a series of
degrees and majors offered by the College of Asia and the Pacific that might normally be offered
within the Bachelor of Arts program at other universities. Majors offered within the College of
Asia and the Pacific include: Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Japanese Linguistics,
Korean, Sanskrit, Thai, Urdu/Persian, Vietnamese, Asian History, Asian Religions, Asian
Literature, Asian Politics & International Relations, Contemporary Asian Societies and Security
Studies, Statistics and details of these offerings are not included in this profile.
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Bachelor of Arts in contrast with
other Arts Programs
Advanced Studies and Honours
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
The PhB program is an elite program and is structured so that students are treated as honours
students (ie Researchers in training) from the start
The Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) is a research-focused program at ANU. It is an integrated
program leading to an Honours award. It is designed for intellectually ambitious students who
aspire to study at the highest level. Every student receives intensive individual attention from an
academic advisor.
The PhB is flexible in its structure with the program determined each year in collaboration with the
academic advisor and the Assistant Dean (Honours & PhB). One quarter of the student’s studies
in the first three levels consists of individually tailored advanced studies units specifically
designed to provide them with a strong base in research. In the fourth year the student
undertakes an Honours year centred around one Arts field of study. It is possible to accelerate
the program and complete it in three years by taking extra units at Level 1 and by undertaking
Advanced Studies or internship units in breaks.
(Source: http://studyat.anu.edu.au/programs/4140HBPHIL;overview.html)
Program structure

The program normally requires completion of at least 192 credit points approved by the
Faculty of Arts on the recommendation of the PhB Convenor with which the candidate’s
academic advisor is associated, including:
o
No more than 48 credit points from units from units offered at level 1
o
A minimum of 96 credit points from units from units offered at level 2 and 3
o
A minimum of 96 credit points from units from units offered by the Faculty of Arts;
o
Completion of a minimum of 60 credit points in an Arts field of study, with the
approval of the Assistant Dean (Honours & PhB) to meet eligibility requirements
for entry to Honours;
o
Completion of a major from a second field of study, either within the Arts Faculty
OR a major from another Faculty;
o
Completion of a minimum of 36 credit points of Advanced Studies units
ARTS1101, ARTS1102, ARTS2101, ARTS2102, ARTS3101, ARTS3102; and
o
An Honours year to the value of 48 credit points in a field of study within the
Faculty of Arts and completed at first class honours level.
Specific Requirements/ Limitations
To qualify for this program, a student needs to complete all of the program requirements, at High
Distinction level, and complete the Honours year with first class honours. After completion of the
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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equivalent of each 48 units for the program, the Faculty will determine whether the student’s level
of performance is sufficient to remain in the program. It is possible to transfer to another
undergraduate program of the Faculty and receive credit for work successfully completed in the
PhB.
A strict quota applies to enrolments in this program.
Honours
The Honours program is an advanced level of study designed to allow students to specialise their
knowledge in one of three options:
(1) Single honours – study in one area of specialisation
(2) Combined honours – study in two areas of specialisation; or
(3) Double honours – two single honours programs
Students accepted into an Honours program undertake Level 4 coursework and a research
thesis.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for admission to Honours, the Faculty of Arts requires students fulfil the
following minimum criteria:
(a) Completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts pass program; and
(b) Completion of 10 units (at least 60 credit points) with the appropriate level of grades and
prerequisite units (if applicable) that has been prescribed by the specific Honours program for
single Honours (ie a major (7 units) + 3 further later year courses).
(c) Completion of 8 unit (at least 48 credit points) with the appropriate level of grades and
prerequisite units (if applicable) that has been prescribed by two Honours programs for combined
Honours i.e. 16 units (96 credit points).
Table 4: Numbers of Students Enrolled in Advanced Programs 2001 – 2006
2001
2002
2003
2004
Program
22
89
94
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (European Studies)
1
1
(Honours)
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (Australian Studies)
1
(Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (Development
3
1
Studies) (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (International
1
4
4
Relations) (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (Policy Studies)
1
2
(Honours)
Source: DEST data set, developed October 2007 and updated February 2008
2005
100
2006
103
17
27
1
1
5
8
Programs combined with Arts
The following table lists students enrolled in a compound degree program. This may include dual,
combined and double degrees as reported to DEST by institutions. They have been listed in order
of popularity.
Table 5: Student numbers in combined or double degrees 2001 – 2006
Program Combination
Arts / Asian Studies
Arts / Commerce
2001
157
100
2002
192
192
2003
113
125
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
2004
195
133
2005
177
153
2006
179
152
10
Arts / Economics
75
94
Arts / Forestry
4
Arts / Info Technology
16
Arts / Laws
566
637
611
Arts / Music
Arts / Psychology
79
137
166
Arts / Science
299
276
257
Arts / Science (Forestry)
8
Arts / Science (Psychology)
137
Arts / Visual Arts
23
28
36
Arts/Social Work*
Asian Studies / Arts
4
78
Engineering / Arts
4
8
12
Source: DEST data set, developed October 2007 and updated February 2008
82
79
67
12
652
2
133
248
6
52
39
14
689
4
96
223
9
66
46
11
647
6
59
182
7
86
39
13
15
17
* The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Social Work is a dual degree offered in conjunction with the
Australian Catholic University – Bachelor of Arts (ANU) and Bachelor of Social Work (ACU)
Bachelor of Arts Compared to Other Arts Related
Programs
This table compares the award Bachelor of Arts to other programs that fit the description of Arts
(see page 1)
Table 6: Bachelor of Arts against related programs’ enrolment numbers as reported to DEST
2001 – 2006
Degree program
Bachelor of Arts
Other Arts programs
Bachelor of Arts (Art History &
Curatorship)
Bachelor of Arts (Development Studies)
Bachelor of Arts (European Studies)
Bachelor of Arts (International Relations)
Bachelor of Arts (Policy Studies)
Bachelor of Asian Studies
Bachelor of Arts (Mew Media Arts)
Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist)
Total
2001
1021
2002
1041
2003
949
2004
937
2005
882
2006
801
44
67
53
46
39
28
29
14
19
108
27
12
78
13
95
22
13
144
11
130
24
10
202
10
127
68
1303
58
1391
54
1376
55
1411
19
6
235
9
123
8
48
1369
16
7
248
8
122
10
27
1267
Table 7: Discontinued or renamed programs
2001 2002 2003
Arts Programs renamed or discontinued
Bachelor of Arts (Australian Studies)
4
3
Source: DEST data set, developed October 2007 and updated February 2008
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
2004
2005
2006
11