Course description
Fees and charges
Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL)
EFTSL is the standard annual full time load. Eight credit points is the standard full time load for one year of study.
Commonwealth supported place (CSP)
A Commonwealth supported place is one for which the university receives some government funding. As such, students enrolled in these places are required to contribute only part of the cost of their course. To be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place you must be an Australian citizen, or a New Zealand citizen or holder of a permanent visa who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your unit/s of study. All Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and holders of a permanent visa will receive a Student Learning Entitlement (SLE). The SLE entitles a student to the equivalent of 7 years of full time study in a Commonwealth supported place.
* The "indicative annual course fee" cited has been provided as a guide only. It has been calculated on the basis of a typical enrolment of a student undertaking the course in 2009, and reflects the cost involved in undertaking a full-time quota of units within the specified discipline.
The actual fees charged by Deakin University will depend upon the discipline from which each individual unit is chosen, and may vary from the indicative course fee cited, particularly if units are chosen from a number of disciplines.
Please note that the fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and service.
Deakin assumes no responsibility for persons relying on "indicative course fees" to calculate the total future cost of their course.
Career opportunities
As a Bachelor of Arts graduate you will be well placed to enter a variety of employment fields after developing in your studies, a combination of a broad range of specialised and general skills, often demanded by today's employers. Some of these fields include media and communication, photography, politics and policy studies, history, languages and visual arts. The broad range of major sequence options ensures that graduates have the opportunity to gain qualifications in a number of areas.
You may choose to undertake an Honours degree or postgraduate study on completion of your Arts degree. These studies normally provide professional qualifications directed to a particular career.
Course rules
To qualify for the Bachelor of Arts a student must complete 24 credit points of study including:
* an approved Arts major sequence of at least 8 credit points from the campus at which you are enrolled
* no more than 8 credit points taken outside the course-grouped units for the BA (in effect this means that up to 8 credit points may be taken outside the recognised Faculty of Arts and Education major sequences)
* no more than 10 credit points at level 1
* at least 14 credit points at level 2 or above
* 4 credit points at level 3; and
* the successful completion of at least one wholly online unit
Major sequences
All students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts course are required to complete at least one Arts major sequence offered at the campus at which they are enrolled.
The campus or mode where the major sequence is offered is indicated in parenthesis as follows:
B = Melbourne campus at Burwood
G = Geelong campus at Waurn Ponds
W = Warrnambool campus
X = Off campus
Animation (B)
Anthropology (G, X)
Arabic (B)
Australian Studies (B, G, W, X)
Chinese (B)
Criminology (G, X)
Dance (B)
Drama (B)
Film and Video (B)*
Film Studies (B)
Gender Studies (B, G#, X)*
History (B, G, X)
Indonesian (B, G, X)
International Development Studies (X)*
International Relations (B, G, X)
Italian (B)
Journalism (G, W, X)
Language and Culture Studies (B, G**, X**)
Literary Studies (B, G, W, X)
Mathematics (B, G, X)
Media and Communication (B, G, W, X)
Middle East Studies (B)
Philosophy (B, G, X)
Photography (B)
Politics and Policy Studies (B, G, W, X)
Psychology (B, G, W, X)
Public Relations (G, W#, X)
Social and Political Thought (B, G, X)
Sociology (B, G, W, X)
Visual Arts (B)
Webmedia (W)
* Available to continuing students only
** A full major in Arabic or Chinese is not available at nominated campus
# Full major is not available at nominated campus
Structuring the course
In general, students who do not enter with advanced standing are advised to complete a variety of level 1 units and proceed to level 2 units after developing a range of study and research skills.
In some cases, where students have obtained above-average results in their level 1 units and are keen to pursue a particular major sequence, it may be possible to enrol in the next level of a particular major sequence prior to completion of 8 credit points at level 1.
Transition to University study
The faculty offers two units ASC160 Introduction to University Study and ALW117 Writing for Professional Practice which are specifically designed to ease the transition into university study. New students are encouraged to enrol in one or both of these units in their first year.
Wholly online units
To ensure that all Deakin students have the skills to meet the demands of the modern workforce, undergraduate students are required to complete at least one unit of their study wholly online.
The wholly online units offered by the Faculty of Arts and Education in 2009 are:
Trimester 1 or trimester 2
ACN108 History of Interactive Entertainment
Trimester 1
AIH265/AIH365 Great Debates: Unfinished Business of the Past
AIR236/AIR336 Global Capitalism and its Discontent *
AIX391 Work Transition in the 21st Century
ALL379 Representing Australia
ALR383 Government Relations and Issues Management
Trimester 2
AIP238/AIP338 The Politics of Fear
ALC314 Advertising: Designing Desires
ALC320 Approaches to Media: Audiences and Effects
ASC320 Sex, Crime and Justice in An Electronic Age
* AIR236/336 is also offered in trimester 3 (2008/09)
Prerequisites
Because a number of disciplinary studies are cumulative in knowledge, technical competencies and/or study and research skills there are prerequisites which direct students to take some units before others. Students must seek advice from a course adviser before enrolling in units for which they do not have prerequisite or recommended units.
Multi-level offerings
A number of units within the course are offered at more than one level, with appropriate adjustments to assessment requirements. Students who pass a unit at a particular level cannot enrol in the same unit at another level. For example, ASS205/ASS305 Anthropology of Poverty and Development is offered at levels 2 and 3. If students pass this unit at level 2 they cannot enrol in it again at level 3.
Assessment
Assessment within the award of Bachelor of Contemporary Arts varies from written assignments and/or examination to practical and technical exercises and performance. In some units assessment may also include class participation, online exercises, workshop exercises and tests.
Cross-institutional arrangements
Continuing Deakin students may apply to study units offered by another Australian tertiary institution and have them credited to their Deakin University degree. Further information is available from Arts and Education Student Support and Enrolment Enquiries.
Admission requirements - general
Deakin University offers admission to undergraduate courses through a number of Admission categories.
In all categories of admission, selection is based primarily on academic merit as indicated by an applicant's previous academic record.
For more information on the Deakin Admissions Policy visit The Guide.
Admission requirements - specific
Applicants should have successfully completed VCE, or equivalent, including a study score of at least 30 in Units 3 and 4 English (ESL) or 25 in Units 3 and 4 of any other English.
Those aged 21 or over on 1 January and who do not hold VCE or equivalent should apply under Alternative Admission. This category is open to those who do not satisfy normal entrance requirements, but can demonstrate relevant work or life experience.
Advanced standing - general
The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to the Advanced Standing System which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree.
