The Bachelor of Arts is the most diverse, most flexible, and most popular degree at The Australian National University. Each of its more than forty majors, in fields throughout the arts, humanities and social sciences, is taught by truly outstanding scholars to ensure that each student receives the very best education, is engaged with cutting-edge research, and learns to think like a researcher. These majors can be coupled with more than seventy minors and specialisations to broaden or deepen your study. Regardless of your choices, your Arts degree will provide you with core skills in critical analysis and in written and oral communication, while developing your adaptability and ability to help shape change and prepare you for a multifaceted career or further study.

The Bachelor of Arts can be combined with all other ANU undergraduate degrees except the PhB as a Flexible Double Degree.

Can you see yourself jet-setting the globe with a career in trade, foreign affairs, journalism, international business or research? You have found the right degree.

ANU is a leader in the field of International Relations.

Our program will introduce you to International Relations, initially via the broad historical and intellectual framework which has framed the modern world of states since the 17th century. It will then concentrate on the 20th century, the age of World Wars and the Cold War, before addressing contemporary issues, the age of global political economy, global culture and communication, global environmental concerns and post-Cold war political conflict, including the 'War on Terror'.

With our flexible program you can extend your chosen language subject into a major, and have the opportunity to go on exchange or an international/national internship.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts may find work in publishing, policy, education, international development, politics, media, information technology, communications, journalism, aid, advertising, art conservation, government and many other fields.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Arts may find work in publishing, policy, education, international development, politics, media, information technology, communications, journalism, aid, advertising, art conservation, government and many other fields.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Arts, graduates will be able to:

1. critically apply theoretical frameworks and research techniques to understanding national and international issues and problems;
2. identify, including through interrogation of databases, relevant sources of information from across a variety of media (print and digital, written and audio-visual) and judge the importance and reliability of those sources;
3. evaluate ideas and develop creative solutions to problems, including through independent pursuit of knowledge and making connections between different disciplinary approaches and methods;
4. communicate and debate both orally and in writing, and work with others, using a variety of media; and
5. understand the ethical implications of ideas, communications, and actions.

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of International Relations, graduates will be able to:

1. Identify the principal theoretical approaches to the study of international relations, and the relationships between them;
2. Have a thorough understanding of the historical development of the global system;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the principal actors in contemporary global politics and the challenges they face;
4. Understand the principal factors that determine the foreign policies of major powers and of Australia;
5. Reflect critically on the knowledge and skills developed in their study of International Relations.

Admission Requirements

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR
• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or international equivalent; OR
• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution or international equivalent; OR
• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Click HERE for further information about domestic admission.

More information about ATAR requirements for individual programs can be found HERE.

The table below is a guide to the entry level required for domestic applicants. Exact entry level will be set at time of offer.

Domestic applicant entry requirements

Queensland Band equivalents are a guide only - selection is made on a UAI equivalent that is not available to students.

International applicant entry requirements

International applicants may view further information on admissions requirements at Entry Requirements for International Undergraduate Applicants

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs as required.

Adjustment Factors

The National Access Scheme 2014

ANU offers bonus points for nationally strategic senior secondary subjects, and in recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. 

Bonus points are applied to all applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedule, and no more than 10 points (maximum 5 academic points and maximum 5 equity points) will be awarded.

Bonus points do not apply to programs with an ATAR cutoff of 98 or higher.

Bonus Points are only awarded to domestic applicants applying for admission through UAC who have not previously attempted tertiary study.

How to apply

Academic Bonus Points: senior secondary students do not need to apply for ANU academic bonus points. They are automatically added in accordance with the schedule.

Educational Access Scheme: senior secondary students do not need to apply if their school is part of the Priority School Funding Program or Country Areas Program. All other applicants should refer to http://www.uac.edu.au/eas/  for more information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must consist of:

48 units from the completion of one Arts major

Ancient Greek Major

Ancient History Major

Anthropology Major

Arabic Major

Archaeology Major

Art History Major

Art Theory Major

Asian Studies Major

Australian Indigenous Studies Major

Biological Anthropology Major

Chinese Language Major

Contemporary Europe Major

Criminology Major

Digital Humanities Major

Development Studies Major

Economic Studies Major

English Major

Environmental Studies Major

European History Major

French Language and Culture Major

Gender, Sexuality and Culture Major

Geography Major

German Language and Culture Major

Hindi Language Major

History Major

Human Evolutionary Biology Major

Human Rights Major

Indonesian Language Major

International Communication Major

International Relations Major

Italian Language and Culture Major

Japanese Language Major

Korean Language Major

Latin Major

Latin American Studies Major

Linguistics Major

Mathematics Major

Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Major

Music Major

Pacific Studies Major

Persian Major

Philosophy Major

Political Science Major

Psychology Major

Sanskrit Language Major

Sociology Major

Spanish Major

Thai Language Major

Urdu Language Major

Vietnamese Language Major

Either:

24 units from the completion of one Arts minor or specialisation:

Advanced Ancient Greek Minor

Advanced Arabic Minor

Advanced French Studies Minor

Advanced German Studies Minor

Advanced Hispanic Culture Minor

Advanced Hispanic Linguistics Minor

Advanced Hispanic Studies Specialisation

Advanced Italian Studies Minor

Advanced Latin Minor

Advanced Persian Minor

Advanced Spanish Studies Minor

Advanced Studies Minor

American Studies Minor

Ancient Greek Minor

Ancient History Minor

Anthropology Minor

ANU Leadership and Research Minor

Applied Linguistics Minor

Arabic Minor

Archaeology Minor

Art History Minor

Art Theory Minor

Asian Art History Minor

Asian Studies Minor

Australian Indigenous Studies Minor

Australian Politics Minor

Biological Anthropology Minor

Chinese Language Minor

Classical Chinese Minor

Climate Science and Policy Minor

Comparative Politics Minor

Contemporary Europe Minor

Criminology Minor

Demography Minor

Development Studies Minor

Digital Humanities Minor

Economic Studies Minor

English Minor

Environmental Policy Minor

Environmental Studies Minor

European History Minor

Film Minor

Forensic Anthropology Minor

Forensic Linguistics Minor

French Language and Culture Minor

Gender and Sexuality Minor

Geography Minor

German Language and Culture Minor

Health, Medicine and the Body Minor

Heritage and Museum Studies Minor

Hindi Language Minor

History Minor

Human Ecology Minor

Human Evolutionary Biology

Human Rights Minor

Indonesian Language Minor

International Communication Minor

International Relations Minor

Italian Language and Culture Minor

Japanese Language Minor

Korean Language Minor

Latin Minor

Latin American Studies Minor

Linguistics Minor

Mathematics Minor

Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Minor

Music Minor

Music Technology Minor

Pacific Studies Minor

Persian Minor

Philosophy Minor

Philosophy and Science Minor

Political Science Minor

Political Theory Minor

Popular Music

Russian Minor

Sanskrit Language Minor

Social Psychology Minor

Social Research Methods Minor

Sociology Minor

Spanish Minor

Sustainable Development Minor

Thai Language Minor

Urdu Language Minor

Vietnamese Language Minor

Visual Arts Practice Minor

24 units from completion of courses listed in any Arts major, minor, or specialisation and the following list:

ESEN1101 Essential University English

Or:

24 units from completion of ANIP3007 Australian National Internships Program D

24 units from completion of courses listed in any Arts major, minor, or specialisation and the following list:

ESEN1101 Essential University English.

Or:

48 units from completion of a second Arts major

The Bachelor of International Relations flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

36 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

POLS1005 Intro to International Relations: Foundations and Concepts

POLS1006 Intro to International Relations: Contemporary Global Issues

POLS2094 Issues in International Political Economy

POLS2133 International Organizations in World Politics

POLS3001 Foreign Policy Analysis: Understanding Global and Australian Foreign Policy Decision-Making

POLS3017 International Relations Theory

A minimum of 6 units from the following theory courses:

POLS2063 Contemporary Political Theory

POLS2102 The Political Philosophy of Deception

POLS3032 The Politics of Empire

POLS2119 Ideas in Politics

POLS2120 Foundations of Political Theory

A minimum of 6 units from the following methods courses:

POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Science

POLS3025 Contemporary Political Analysis

POLS3028 Researching and Writing Human Rights

SOCY2038 Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods

SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

A minimum of 12 units from the following areas studies courses:

ASIA2109 Politics of South Asia

EURO1004 Europe in the Modern Era

EURO2003 European Union: Policies, Institutions and Challenges

INTR2010 International Relations of the Asia-Pacific

INTR2028 Southeast Asia: ASEAN and Regional Order

MEAS1001 Introduction to the Modern Middle East

MEAS2001 New States of Eurasia: Emerging Issues in Politics and Security

MEAS2105 The Political Economy of the Middle East

POLS1007 An Introduction to Latin American Studies

POLS2095 Politics in Latin America

POLS2117 The International Relations of Latin America

A minimum of 6 units from the following security courses:

INTR2012 China's New Approaches to Asia Pacific Security

INTR2014 Indian Foreign and Security Policy

INTR2016 US Security Policy in Asia

INTR2018 Japan's Security Dilemmas

INTR2020 Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula

INTR2024 Nuclear Politics in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities

POLS2099 Cartographies of Security: Critical Security Studies and International Politics

POLS2123 Peace and Conflict Studies

POLS2124 Politics of Nuclear Weapons

POLS2131 Security Communities: From War to Peace

POLS3033 Environment, Human Security and Conflict

POLS3036 International Terrorism

STST1001 Introduction to International Security Studies

STST2001 International Security Issues in the Asia Pacific

STST3001 Transnational Security Issues in the Asia-Pacific

STST2003 Security in the South Pacific: Is it Australia's "Arc of Instability"?

STST3002 Australia's Security in the Asian Century

A minimum of 6 units from the following global politics courses:

HIST2136 World at War, 1939-1945

HIST2141 The Cold War: 1945-1989

HIST2240 Democracy and Dissent: Europe Since 1945

PHIL2113 Global Justice

POLS2011 Development and Change

POLS2064 Global Social Movements

POLS2096 Genocide Studies

POLS2100 Genocide Post-1945

POLS2101 Refugee Politics: Displacement and Exclusion in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

POLS2113 Human Rights

SOCY2030 Sociology of Third World Development

A maximum of 12 units from the following internships and Vice Chancellors courses:

ANIP3003 Australian National Internship A

ANIP3005 Australian National Internship B

VCUG1001 The Art of Computing

VCUG2001 Creating Knowledge

VCUG2002 Leadership and Influence in a Complex World

VCUG3001 Unravelling Complexity

VCUG3002 Mobilising Research

A maximum of 24 units from courses in the following language minors

Advanced French Studies

Advanced German Studies

Advanced Hispanic Culture

Advanced Hispanic Linguistics

Advanced Italian Studies

Advanced Spanish Studies

Ancient Greek

Arabic

Chinese Language

Classical Chinese

French Language and Culture

German Language and Culture

Hindi Language

Indonesian Language

Italian Language and Culture

Japanese Language

Japanese Linguistics

Korean Language

Latin

Russian

Persian

Sanskrit Language

Spanish

Thai Language

Urdu Language

Vietnamese Language

Majors

Bachelor of Arts Majors

Minors

Bachelor of Arts Minors

Bachelor of International Relations Minors

Specialisations

Bachelor of Arts Specialisations

Study Options

Honours

For information about honours, please see Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

For information about honours, please see Bachelor of International Relations (Honours)