Bachelor of Arts

Art and Design includes units that focus on art and design for publication, graphic design, digital art and photography. (Lismore)

Communication and Cultural Studies offers the study of culture, communication and society through textural analysis, cultural theory, media analysis and understanding how meaning is made through power, identity and place. It empowers diversity, social inclusion and ethical and innovative scholarship. (Lismore, Gold Coast, Distance education)

Contemporary Music students learn about contemporary music theory and styles, music technology and the internet, songwriting, sound theory and recording technique, and global perspectives in music. (Lismore)

Governance and Society draws on politics and sociology to consider contemporary issues in society and provide insights into events that influence the world in which we live by using a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. (Lismore, Distance education)

History focuses on the knowledge and critical skills that can be applied to the study of the past in all its dimensions, including important professional skills such as communication, analysis, critical thinking, and interpretation. Students have the opportunity to undertake independent research projects relevant to their own interests. (Lismore, Distance education)

Media Studies has a strong emphasis on digital media production and analysis for screen, print and online environments, equipping students with a range of practical skills appropriate to an increasingly technological world. (Lismore, Distance education)

Psychology includes studies in fundamental areas including biological bases of behaviour, perception, learning, memory and cognition, and lifespan developmental psychology.  Students use their psychological knowledge to generate solutions to real world problems. (Distance education)

Writing students acquire skills in editing and publishing and in writing genres including novels, short stories, writing for performance, feature and investigative journalism and essay writing. (Lismore, Distance education)

Additional majors — may also be selected from a wide range offered across the University including education, law and justice, organisational management, sustainability, Indigenous studies and more. See University-wide majors.

Streams — (made up of a minimum of four units), may also be selected including community engaged learning and languages (currently Mandarin). 

Course Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a course. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.

The assessment methods used in this course vary from unit to unit and connect with the types of learning outcomes for each unit and the course as a whole. Assessment tasks may include essays, reports, presentations, role plays, group work, reflective logbooks, creative production and experiential learning on campus or in the community. 

On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.

Our distance education study option is highly interactive and strives to promote collaboration and a sense of community. Students may receive a combination of podcast or video-linked lectures, electronic study materials, workshops, online discussion forums and virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.

Classes provide opportunities for engaging students in learning and discussion and the course includes a number of field trips and on-campus events which are open to students studying either on-campus or by distance education.

Graduates are equipped with transferable skills that are relevant and valuable to many careers. They may find employment, for example, in communication industries, community relations, journalism, cultural policy, management and administration, education, publishing, public service, multimedia design, creative and cultural industries, politics, social justice and human rights.

Professional placement provides students with the opportunity to gain experience in the workplace and to establish contacts. In the Bachelor of Arts, students can undertake learning opportunities in the community through a number of units as well as through assessment opportunities. A particular stream in community engaged learning enables students to work with a community partner on a project of mutual benefit. Students in the writing major may seek placement in the writing, publishing and media industries, while students undertaking history may seek placement in heritage and historical museums or associations. Students in the communication and cultural studies major may seek professional placement with a community organisation working in an area of their interest. The unit Community History Project enables students to do a collaborative project with community partners. Other opportunities for community-engaged learning exist within the degree depending on units chosen.