Engaging with Asia as a part of Asia is a strategic imperative for Australia. The Bachelor of Asian Studies provides a pathway for ambitious and adventurous people in all fields of study to gain the language skills and cultural-historical expertise critical to leading that engagement. Graduates emerge with a nuanced understanding of the Asian region and its complex national and subnational parts.
Watch our video to find out how the Bachelor of Asian Studies can help you make a difference where it matters in Asia and beyond.
The Bachelor of Asian Studies provides a firm footing in how to study and engage with Asia with both language and discipline/area studies to create a unique and world class experience.
The College of Asia and the Pacific's (CAP's) breadth of Asia and Pacific language offerings is unmatched anywhere in Australia is globally recognised. All students in the Bachelor of Asian Studies must complete at least four course/a minor in an Asian language, and we encourage students who begin the study of an Asian language at university to complete a full language major in order to graduate with the proficiency required to function as an Asia specialist in the competitive job market. Placement testing allows students with existing expertise in a language to enter at their current proficiency level and develop their language skills from that point.
CAP offers a world-leading concentration of disciplinary expertise in regionally-focused and globally-aware Security Studies, Linguistics, Politics, Anthropology, and History. Our focused discipline and area studies majors communicate this expertise to students. You can focus your studies in disciplines or choose instead to study a particular geographic region within Asia and bring a range of disciplinary perspectives to bear on exploring and understanding that area.
Our majors incorporate experiential and independent research courses that equip graduates with critical thinking skills that are contextualised with regional understandings and the capacity to communicate that across cultures. A sequence of transdisciplinary problem solving courses grants students the opportunity to develop and articulate creative solutions to emerging global and regional challenges.
Graduates from the Bachelor of Asian Studies at ANU will define Australia’s productive and peaceful engagement with the region through the 21st century.
We live in a world of major security problems. From large-scale wars and strategic competition between the major states, to threats to the environment, and challenges at home such as terrorism, cybersecurity and the impact of new technology. The Bachelor of International Security Studies (BINSS) explores the enduring problems of security and war through a broad lens. It provides students with the empirical knowledge and analytical skills to understand the history and causes of international conflict and the implications of security issues for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Students will develop the experience and communication skills to assess the nature of contemporary security problems, and drawing on the latest academic scholarship, engage with policy and civil society solutions to the security problems of our time.
The BINSS is particularly suited for those seeking careers in the Australian Government, such as working as a diplomat in Foreign Affairs and Trade, as a strategist in the Department of Defence, or as a security analyst in the Intelligence Community. Graduates will also be well placed to contribute to international organisations such as the United Nations, to Aid and Development groups, or to support the private sector as businesses and non-government organisations navigate a challenging world.
Career Options
ANU ranks among the world's very finest universities. Our nearly 100,000 alumni include political, business, government, and academic leaders around the world.
We have graduated remarkable people from every part of our continent, our region and all walks of life.
Employment Opportunities
Bachelor of Asian Studies graduates develop language skills and disciplinary sophistication within a nuanced understanding of the Asian region and its complex national and subnational parts.
Employer recruitment priorities show that Bachelor of Asian Studies graduates’ critical intercultural skills provide a competitive edge in career fields including international relations or trade, aid and development, government and policy, banking and finance, tourism, media, education, information technology, marketing, journalism, and corporate communications.
Bachelor of Asian Studies graduates develop language skills and disciplinary sophistication within a nuanced understanding of the Asian region and its complex national and subnational parts.
Employer recruitment priorities show that Bachelor of Asian Studies graduates’ critical intercultural skills provide a competitive edge in career fields including international relations or trade, aid and development, government and policy, banking and finance, tourism, media, education, information technology, marketing, journalism, and corporate communications.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of different disciplinary approaches and methods drawn from the humanities and social sciences, to synthesise knowledge about Asia, its regions, and its place in the world.
- Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the regional diversity of the societies, cultures, and life-systems perspectives across Asia and Oceania.
- Develop, refine, and apply the skills to recognise transdisciplinary opportunities and collaborate to solve complex transdisciplinary problems.
- Evaluate ideas and debate issues in both English and an Asian language, using academic style for written work.
- Critically apply theoretical frameworks and research techniques to understand the global significance of Asia as a region and as a composite of diverse societies and cultures.
- Exercise critical thinking and judgment in identifying and solving problems, individually and in groups.
- Identify and explain the key concepts, ideas and principal actors in international security.
- Evaluate the major theoretical frameworks for understanding the complexities of contemporary security challenges.
- Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the historical and contemporary dimensions of international, internal and transnational security, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Analyse the key challenges facing Australian security and defence policy
- Reflect critically on the principal factors that determine the security policies of Australia and the major regional powers
- Develop and demonstrate teamwork, interpersonal, and communication skills
Further Information
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/students/undergrad/asian-studies#.VEBTAVcjOPUhttp://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/students/undergrad/asian-studies#.VEBTAVcjOPUAdmission Requirements
- ATAR:
- 85
- International Baccalaureate:
- 32
Adjustment Factors
Adjustment factors are combined with an applicant's secondary education results to determine their Selection Rank. ANU offers adjustment factors based on equity, diversity, and/or performance principles, such as for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.
To be eligible for adjustment factors, you must have:
- achieved a Selection Rank of 70 or more before adjustment factors are applied
- if you have undertaken higher education, completed less than one year full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) of a higher education program
- applied for an eligible ANU bachelor degree program
Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.
Indicative fees
Bachelor of Asian Studies - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
Bachelor of International Security Studies - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees
- Annual indicative fee for international students
- $53,110.00
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 Asian Studies flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
A minimum of 18 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses
The 96 units must consist of:
96 units as follows:
12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
ASIA1025 Asia and the Pacific: Power, Diversity and Change
ASIA1030 Asia and the Pacific in Motion
48 units from completion of one of the following majors:
Asian and Pacific Culture, Media, and Gender
Asian History
Chinese Studies
South Asian Studies
Japanese Linguistics
Japanese Studies
Korean Studies
Northeast Asian Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
Chinese Language
Hindi Language
Indonesian Language
Japanese Language
Korean Language
Sanskrit Language
Thai Language
Vietnamese Language
A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
A minimum of 12 and maximum of 24 units from completion of courses:
in an Asian Language minor to meet the Asian Language requirements
in one or more of the majors listed above
12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
ASIA1025 Asia and the Pacific: Power, Diversity and Change
ASIA1030 Asia and the Pacific in Motion
48 units from completion of one of the following majors:
Asian and Pacific Culture, Media, and Gender
Asian History
Chinese Studies
South Asian Studies
Japanese Linguistics
Japanese Studies
Korean Studies
Northeast Asian Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
Chinese Language
Hindi Language
Indonesian Language
Japanese Language
Korean Language
Sanskrit Language
Thai Language
Vietnamese Language
A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
A minimum of 12 and maximum of 24 units from completion of courses:
in an Asian Language minor to meet the Asian Language requirements
in one or more of the majors listed above.
The Bachelor of International Security Studies flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
A minimum of 18 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses
The 96 units must consist of:
The 144 units must consist of:
36 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
STST1001 Introduction to International Security
STST1004 How Nations Fight: From Tsushima to Taiwan
STST2001 Security Concepts in the Asia-Pacific
STST2005 Why Nations Fight: The Causes of International Conflict
STST3002 Living with Giants: Australia's Security in a Contested Asia
STST3005 International Security in the 21st Century
A maximum of 12 units from completion of the following courses:
ASIA3088 The Korean War
STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific Islands
STST3003 Honeypots and Overcoats: Australian Intelligence in the World
Minimum of 6 units from completion of a course from the following concepts and methods course list:
HIST2110 Approaches to History
POLS2044 Contemporary Political Analysis
POLS3001 Foreign Policy Analysis
POLS3125 Game Theory and Social Sciences
SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
SOCY2038 Introduction to Quantitative Research methods
A minimum of 30 units from the completion of courses within one or more of the following Security, Language, and Area Studies majors and minors:
Languages
Arabic Language
Burmese Language
Chinese Language
French Studies
German Studies
Hindi Language
Indonesian Language
Italian Studies
Japanese Language
Korean Language
Mongolian Language
Persian
Russian Studies
Sanskrit Language
Spanish Studies
Tetum Language
Thai Language
Tibetan Language
Tok Pisin Language
Vietnamese Language
Regions
Asian History
Asian Studies
Contemporary Europe
Chinese Studies
Indian and South Asian Studies
Indonesian Studies
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
Middle East Politics and Security
Russian and Central Asia Studies
Northeast Asian Studies
Pacific Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
Issues
Ancient History
Climate Science and Policy
Criminology
Geography
Gender and Sexuality
History
Historical International Security
International Relations
Peace and Conflict Studies
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Social Research methods
Sociology
Sustainable Development
Technology, Networks and Society
A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
A maximum of 12 units of internships courses:
ANIP3003 Australian National Internship Program Internship A
ASIA2110 International Affairs Internship
ASIA3023 Asia Pacific Week Internship
36 units from completion of the following compulsory course list:
STST1001 Introduction to International Security
STST1004 How Nations Fight: From Tsushima to Taiwan
STST2001 Security Concepts in the Asia-Pacific
STST2005 Why Nations Fight: The Causes of International Conflict
STST3002 Living with Giants: Australia's Security in a Contested Asia
STST3005 International Security in the 21st Century
A maximum of 12 units from completion of the following courses
ASIA3088 The Korean War
STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific Islands
STST3003 Honeypots and Overcoats: Australian Intelligence in the World’
A minimum of 6 units from completion of a course from the following concepts and methods course list:
HIST2110 Approaches to History
POLS2044 Contemporary Political Analysis
POLS2125 Game Theory and Social Sciences
POLS3001 Foreign Policy Analysis
SOCY2043 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
SOCY2038 Introduction to Quantitative Research methods
A minimum of 30 units from the completion of courses within one or more of the following Security, Language, and Area Studies majors and minors.
Languages
Arabic Language
Burmese Language
Chinese Language
French Studies
German Studies
Hindi Language
Indonesian Language
Italian Studies
Japanese Language
Korean Language
Mongolian Language
Persian
Russian Studies
Sanskrit Language
Spanish Studies
Tetum Language
Thai Language
Tibetan Language
Tok Pisin Language
Vietnamese Language
Regions
Asian History
Asian Studies
Contemporary Europe
Chinese Studies
Indian and South Asian Studies
Indonesian Studies
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
Middle East Politics and Security
Russian and Central Asia Studies
Northeast Asian Studies
Pacific Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
Issues
Ancient History
Climate Science and Policy
Criminology
Geography
Gender and Sexuality
History
Historical International Security
International Relations
Peace and Conflict Studies
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Social Research methods
Sociology
Sustainable Development
Technology, Networks and Society
A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
A maximum of 12 units of internships courses:
ANIP3003 Australian National Internship Program Internship A
ASIA2110 International Affairs Internship
ASIA3023 Asia Pacific Week Internship
Majors
Bachelor of Asian Studies Majors
Minors
Bachelor of Asian Studies Minors
Bachelor of International Security Studies Minors
Back to the Bachelor of Asian Studies page
A single three year undergraduate degree offered by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific Australia
is increasingly looking to Asia - strategically, economically,
politically, and culturally - and all eyes are on the graduates of
tomorrow to take us there. Watch our video to find out how this degree will prepare you for a successful career in the Asian Century. With
a Bachelor of Asian Studies you will master an Asian language, acquire
in-depth contextual knowledge, and graduate with the kind of Asian
literacy that gets you noticed by employers. And if you love adventure, we offer you a variety of study opportunities in the region so you can experience Asia first hand. Plus we'll provide you with funding to help get you there.
Single degree
This degree requires the completion of 144 units, comprising of:
A maximum of 60 units of 1000 level courses
12 units of compulsory courses (ASIA1025 and ASIA1030)
24 units from the designated language core courses
12 units of discipline core courses
48 units from the completion of majors, minors and courses offered by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
48 units from the completion of elective courses offered by the ANU
Double degree
This degree requires the completion of 96 units, comprising of:
A maximum of 36 units of 1000 level courses
12 units of compulsory courses
24 units from the designated language core courses
12 units of discipline core courses
48 units from the completion of majors, minors and courses offered by the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Enrolment Status
While it's possible to enrol in fewer courses per semester, which is called studying part-time, it will take you longer to finish your program and get your degree. If you are an international student you must always be full-time.
Important things to keep in mind when choosing your 1000-level courses
When you enrol for the first time you will study ‘1000-level’ courses. These courses have ‘1’ as the first number in their course code, such as ASIA1234.
You need to enrol in courses for both First Semester and Second Semester. You can’t study more than four courses (24 units) per semester, eight for the year. You need to enrol in courses to meet the requirements of the program, including ASIA1025, ASIA1030, courses for the language requirement and electives. But remember you can’t count more than ten 1000-level courses (60 units) towards your single degree program.
Majors and Minors
See available majors and minors for this program
While you only need to enrol in courses to complete the requirements of your degree, you can use your core and compulsory courses to enrol in 1000-level courses for a major or minor. That way you keep your options open. Once you've selected courses for a major, and/or a minor or second major, you should choose electives to make up the balance of your courses.
Electives
While you only need to enrol in courses to complete the requirements of your degree, you can use your elective courses to enrol in 1000-level courses for a major
or minor. That way you keep your options open. Once you've selected
courses for a major, and/or a minor or second major, you should choose
electives to make up the balance of your courses.
To find 1000-level courses, search
Programs and Courses. Remember you can choose up to 8 courses from another
ANU College at the University if you are undertaking the single Bachelor of
Asian Studies program.
Study Options
Bachelor of Asian Studies Single Degree Study Plan
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | ASIA1025 Asia and the Pacific: Power, diversity and change 6 units | Language Course 6 units | Elective 6 units | Elective 6 units |
| ASIA1030 Asia and the Pacific in Motion 6 units | Language Course 6 units | Elective 6 units | Elective 6 units |
Bachelor of Asian Studies Double Degree Study Plan
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | ASIA1025 Asia and the Pacific: Power, diversity and change 6 units | Language Course 6 units | Course from other Degree 6 units | Course from other Degree 6 units |
| ASIA1030 Asia and the Pacific in Motion 6 units | Language Course 6 units | Course from other Degree 6 units | Course from other Degree 6 units |
Back to the Bachelor of International Security Studies page
When you study the Bachelor
of International Security Studies you will delve deeply into the
contemporary security threats facing nations, international organisations and
businesses around the world - including the threat of military power, civil
war, terrorism, cybercrime, environmental degradation and food security to name
just a few. Read more about this degree on our website.
Enrolment Status
It is possible to enrol in fewer courses per semester, but it
will take you longer to finish your program and get your degree. If you are an
international student you must always be enrolled full-time in 24 units each
semester.
Remember you will need to enrol in courses for both First Semester and Second
Semester. You will be able to change your enrolment in courses up until
the end of week 2 of each semester without penalty. Other things to be aware of:
A course can only be counted towards one major or minor.
You can’t study more than 4 courses (24 units) per semester.
You may need to enrol in courses for your major and/or your minor, particularly if you are completing a double degree.
If you are intending to enrol in language courses and have previous experience with the language you wish to study, you need to sit a placement test to ensure you are enrolled at the most appropriate level of language study. Further information is available here.
Important things to keep in mind when choosing your 1000-level courses
When you enrol for the first time you will study ‘1000-level’ courses. These courses have ‘1’ as the first number in their course code, such as ASIA1234.
Majors and Minors
See available majors and minors for this program
Electives
You can use your electives to enrol in any courses that you
like, provided you meet prerequisite requirements.
To find 1000-level courses, search
Programs and Courses.
Remember, though, that if you are a single-degree student you cannot count more than 60 units of 1000-level courses towards the completion of your degree. If you are a double-degree student, you cannot count more than 36 units of 1000-level courses towards the completion of the 96 units allocated to the BINSS half of your degree.
Study Options
Single Degree example
This is an example only - you need to plan your degree carefully to ensure that you are on track to fulfil the requirements of the BINSS program orders. You may, for example, wish to leave a substantial number (24) of elective units free so that you can study overseas for a semester.Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | STST1001 Introduction to International Security Studies 6 units | 1000-level course from the Language, Security and Area Studies minor list | 1000-level elective course | 1000-level elective course |
| STST1003 Coping with Crisis: The Practice of International Security 6 units | 1000-level course from the Language, Security and Area Studies minor list | 1000-level elective course | 1000-level elective course |
Double Degree example
This is an example only - you need to plan your degree carefully to ensure that you are on track to fulfil the requirements of both degrees.Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | STST1001 Introduction to International Security Studies 6 units | 1000-level course from the Language, Security and Area Studies minor list | Course from second degree | Course from second degree |
| STST1003 Coping with Crisis: The Practice of International Security 6 units | 1000-level course from the Language, Security and Area Studies minor list | Course from second degree | Course from second degree |