The Bachelor of Design critically engages with a diverse set of concepts and practices that give students creative agency to respond to our world’s wicked problems. Courses offered in the program encourage research-driven approaches and partnerships with industry to prepare students with transferable knowledge and skills required to engage sustainably and ethically in a rapidly changing world.
The Bachelor of Design combines cutting-edge digital practices with internationally renowned studio disciplines, allowing students to develop agile approaches to design futures.
Students benefit from deep immersion in digital, practical and theoretical modalities. They engage with wide-ranging perspectives of creative practices to forge their own unique path to becoming designers. From coding, to making, to manufacture, students apply hands-on design to digital and physical materials. Students delve into a wide range of fields from visual communication and web design, data visualisation, and interaction design, object design, user experience design, 3D fabrication, service design, sustainable design, design thinking, to strategic design, they experiment in studios to develop expertise in contemporary approaches.
Statistics opens the door to understanding our world by exploring data and modelling uncertainty. As our capacity to collect data accelerates, the need for statistical expertise has never been greater. Every day, over 328.77 million terabytes of data are generated globally, and the total volume of data worldwide is expected to reach 181 zettabytes by 2026, more than doubling from 2022 levels. This explosion of information outpaces our ability to interpret it meaningfully without advanced quantitative tools.
More than a decade ago, Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google, famously predicted that “the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians.” That foresight has proved correct—and remains relevant today. In a data-driven world, statistics is indispensable across every discipline that grapples with uncertainty and complexity, from climate science and public health to economics, artificial intelligence, and national security.
Statisticians are in high demand across diverse sectors, including global tech companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon, financial institutions, government agencies, pharmaceutical firms, healthcare providers, and academic institutions. Moreover, statisticians are at the forefront of addressing critical challenges such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, cybersecurity, and economic inequality.
By completing the Bachelor of Statistics at ANU, you’ll gain the analytical skills and modelling expertise to make sense of an increasingly complex world. You will be equipped to extract insights from data, make informed decisions, and help solve some of humanity’s most urgent problems—through the lens of statistical reasoning and data science.
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
Graduates of the Bachelor of Design may find careers in fields including object design, visual communication, data visualisation, user experience design, graphic design, web design, interface design, design thinking and strategic design.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Design may find careers in fields including object design, visual communication, data visualisation, user experience design, graphic design, web design, interface design, design thinking and strategic design.
Learning Outcomes
- demonstrate skills and knowledge of the practices, languages, forms, materials and technologies in their relevant discipline;
- research, develop and evaluate design concepts and processes by thinking creatively, critically and reflectively;
- apply skills and knowledge to the creation, visualisation and production of design projects;
- work independently and collaboratively on design projects and respond to project demands;
- interpret, communicate and present ideas, problems and arguments in modes suited to a range of audiences; and
- recognise and reflect on social, cultural technological, environmental and ethical issues of creative practice and design considering local and international perspectives.
- Review and synthesise a broad range of statistical knowledge from their chosen major.
- Use the R statistical computing language to carry out a wide variety of statistical tasks.
- Carry out model selection in a multiple linear regression modelling context in various discipline backgrounds.
- Describe the concepts of stochastic processes in discrete and continuous time.
- Describe and interpret probability theory, continuous random variables, and sampling distributions and the central limit theorem.
- Using a diverse range of discipline backgrounds and varied data, analyse programming problems to suggest, design and implement appropriate modular program structures, based on a data-directed approach.
Admission Requirements
- ATAR:
- 80
- International Baccalaureate:
- 30
Prerequisites
- ACT:
Required: Mathematical Methods (Major) / Further Mathematics (Major) / Specialist Mathematics (Major) / Specialist Methods (Major)
Recommended: Specialist Mathematics/Specialist Methods (Major/Minor)
- NSW:
Required: Mathematics Advanced or equivalent
Recommended: Mathematics Extension 1 or equivalent
- VIC: Mathematics Methods or equivalent
- QLD: Mathematics Methods or equivalent
- TAS: Mathematical methods/Mathematics Specialised/Mathematics 1 and II through U Tas/Both Mathematics 1 and II through UTAS/Both Advanced Calculus and Applications 1A and 1B through UTAS
- SA / NT: Mathematical Methods or equivalent
- WA: Mathematical Methods or equivalent
- IB: Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations HL/Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL or HL
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 Design - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
Bachelor of Statistics - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees
- Annual indicative fee for international students
- $56,120.00
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 Design flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 42 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
The 96 units must include:
42 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
DESN1002 Visual Communication: Design and Production
DESN1003 Contemporary Design in Context
DESN1004 The Past as Prototype: History, Ethics and Concepts for Design in the Twenty-First Century
DESN2008 Design Thinking: Human-Centred Design Methodologies
DESN3010 Design Studio: Independent Practice
DESN3011 Design Studio: Engagement and Collaboration
DESN3012 Design Studio: Professional Practice
A minimum of 6 units from completion of foundation courses from the following list:
ARTV1020 Drawn from life: Techniques and Perspectives of Observational Drawing
ARTV1034 Foundations of Contemporary Arts Practices
DESN1005 Precise Drawing and Model Making
A minimum of 24 units from completion of design courses from the following list:
DESN2001 Digital Form and Fabrication
DESN2002 Foundations of Creative Code
DESN2003 Creative Data Visualisation: Representing Data in Visual and Material Form
DESN2004 Autonomous Agents
DESN2006 Front-End Web: Crafting Online Experience
DESN2007 Design Fiction: Speculative and Critical Design
DESN2009 Typography in Context: Digital Typographic Design
DESN2010 Making Creative and Critical Technologies: Physical Computing for Art and Design
DESN2012 The Ethics of Making: Design for Reuse and Repair
DESN2015 Supporting Bodies: Now that we're here, where do we sit?
A minimum of 12 units from completion of courses from the subject area ARTV Visual Arts
A maximum of 12 units from completion of interdisciplinary concepts and theories courses from the following subject areas:
ANTH Anthropology
ARTH Art History
ENVS Environmental Science
GEND Gender Studies
INDG Indigenous Studies
PHIL Philosophy
PSYC Psychology
SOCY Sociology
MEDN2222 Exquisite Corpse - Insight into the Human Body
The Bachelor of Statistics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
The 96 units must consist of:
48 units from the completion of one of the following statistics majors:
Applied Statistics
Probability and Stochastic Processes
Statistical Data Analytics
Theoretical Statistics
12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods
STAT2005 Introduction to Stochastic Processes
6 units from completion of an introductory mathematical statistics course from the following list:
STAT2001 Introductory Mathematical Statistics
STAT2013 Introductory Mathematical Statistics for Actuarial Studies
6 units from completion of a regression course from the following list:
STAT2008 Regression Modelling
STAT2014 Regression Modelling for Actuarial Studies
12 units from completion of an introductory mathematics courses from the following list:
MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1
MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2
MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1
MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2
12 units from completion of courses from the following list:
COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving
COMP1730 Programming for Scientists
CBEA2001 Australian Indigenous Perspectives in Business and Economics
CBEA3001 College of Business and Economics Special Industry Project (UG)
CBEA3066 Global Business Immersion
CBEA3070 ANU College of Business and Economics Internship Program
MATH2301 Games, Graphs and Machines
MATH3511 Scientific Computing
Any other ANU courses
If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective.
Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Actuarial Studies degree will need to enrol in STAT2013 and STAT2014, instead of STAT2001 and STAT2008.
Students enrolled in Bachelor of Statistics/Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Hons) degree will need to enrol in MATH1115 and MATH1116, instead of MATH1013 and MATH1014.
For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.
Minors
Bachelor of Statistics Minors
Bachelor of Design Minors
Back to the Bachelor of Design page
Enrolling for the first time can be overwhelming. Below, you will find information that will assist. Please note that advice on this page is indicative, and you are encouraged to contact the CASS Student office at students.cass@anu.edu.au or visit the the CASS student office website if you require tailored information.
Important items to note:
- We recommend you start a CASS Program Plan. This is a way to track how the courses you take fit within the overall structure of your degree and will help you plan for your later year courses.
- The Bachelor of Design can be taken as a single degree or combined with another degree in a Flexible Double Degree (FDD). When the Bachelor of Design is combined with another undergraduate degree through a Flexible Double Degree, 48 units of ANU electives units are replaced with the core requirements of the other degree and the total program duration is expanded to 192 units (4 years Full-Time) or 240 units (5 years Full-Time) depending on the duration of the other program.
Please note that if you are commencing your studies in Semester 2 there may be restrictions on the courses available for enrolment. If you have concerns, please contact students.cass@anu.edu.au
Single degree
The Bachelor of Design requires 144 units (24 courses), including:
- A maximum of 60 units from 1000-level courses (i.e. 10 x 6 unit courses)
- Seven compulsory courses
- A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving (i.e. 2 x 6 unit courses)
Double degree
The total number of overall units in a Flexible Double Degree (FDD) depends on the FDD combination e.g. Flexible Double Degree - Arts, Social Sciences, Business, Science (4050): 192 units Flexible Double Degree - Law (Honours) (4350), Flexible Double Degree PhB Advanced Arts Social Sciences Business & Science (4569), or Flexible Double Degree - Engineering and Advanced Computing (Honours) (4750): 240 units Of which a minimum of 12 units (i.e. 2 x 6 unit courses) must be tagged as transdisciplinary problem-solving. These courses may be taken in either component of the FDD. The Bachelor of Design component of an FDD requires 96 units, including:
Enrolment Status
Duration
The Bachelor of Design typically takes three years to complete on a full-time basis. Students will usually take 24-units (four x six-unit courses) each semester and there are two semesters each year. One course is typically worth six-units.
In total, students need to complete 144 units of study towards the Bachelor of Design. This will be 24 courses if all courses are worth six-units, but may be fewer if one or more courses of 12-units or more are taken.
If you combine the Bachelor of Design with another degree in a Flexible Double Degree, you will need to complete a total of 192 units (32 six-unit courses) or 240 units (40 six-unit courses) depending on the combination. This will typically take four years for a 192-unit degree or five years for a 240-unit degree on a full-time basis.
Domestic students may choose to enrol in fewer than 24-units in any semester or half-year study period. Students studying 18 or more units in a half year (January – June or July – December) are considered full-time. Students studying less than this are considered part-time.
If you take fewer than 24-units in any half year period, then your degree is likely to take longer than three years to complete.
International students on a student visa are required to enrol in a full-time study load of 24-units in each half year study period (Summer, Semester 1, Autumn or Winter, Semester 2, Spring) unless they have been approved for Reduced Study Load or program leave.
Maximum time for completion
- The maximum period for completion of the single Bachelor of Design degree is 10 years from the date of first enrolment in the program. This 10 years includes any periods of leave.
- The maximum period for completion of a flexible double degree is 10 years for a 192-unit degree or 11 years for a 240-unit degree from the date of first enrolment in the program. The maximum period includes periods of leave.
A transfer of credit (status) from previous studies will reduce the total amount of time remaining to complete the balance of your degree. When you are assessed for credit, you will be notified of the new maximum end date for your degree in your credit offer.
Important things to keep in mind when choosing your 1000-level courses
In your first year, you will typically enrol in 1000-level courses – these courses have ‘1’ as the first number in their course code. E.g. DESN1001, DESN1003. Many 2000 and 3000 level courses build upon the specific knowledge achieved through 1000-level courses
You may take 1000-level courses later in your program. But remember you can’t count more than 10 x 1000-level courses (60 units) towards your single degree or 6 x 1000-level courses (36 units) towards your Design half of the double degree.
Electives
Electives are courses that provide freedom for you to select subjects that align to your personal interests and career aspirations in a more individualised way than is possible through general major or degree requirements. An ANU elective is a course that you can select without restriction, beyond the global requirements of your program (e.g. limits on 1000-level courses, etc).
In the Bachelor of Design, you can select a minimum of 48 units of electives. You can try a range of courses such as computing, history, or marketing. The choice is yours.
We also recommend holding some ANU electives in reserve to keep other opportunities open, such as international exchange, internships, and meeting the transdisciplinary requirements of your degree.
Study Options
Bachelor of Design - Single Degree
For study plans, please visit cass.anu.edu.au/current-students/degrees-and-program-plansStudy Options
| Year 1 48 units | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Bachelor of Design - Double Degree
For study plans, please visit cass.anu.edu.au/current-students/degrees-and-program-plansStudy Options
| Year 1 48 units | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Disciplines
Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving Courses (TD)
Transdisciplinary courses at the ANU are?courses that encourage students to collaborate across different disciplines and perspectives to solve complex problems. These courses help students develop skills to synthesise knowledge from different fields.
In this degree, you will have to complete 12 units of courses flagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving (TD). TD courses can be identified using the Programs and Courses search engine.
You can satisfy this requirement through a course/s listed in the program or through the ANU electives it all depends on how you structure your degree and your other enrolment choices.
Academic Advice
Course credit
If you have undertaken previous study that is relevant to your current academic program, you can request to receive course credit. For more information and how to apply, see the CASS credit application webpage, or contact the CASS Student Office.
For further information on prerequisites and Arts and Social Science disciplines you can:
Email us at students.cass@anu.edu.au, or
Come and talk to someone - you can attend a drop in session with an academic advisor here
Back to the Bachelor of Statistics page
The Bachelor of Statistics offers a rigorous program of training in the
theory and application of statistics. The program involves a core
mainstream statistical application and theory, supplemented by studies
in specialist streams. You may choose to specialise in any of a
number of areas including: Business Statistics, Econometrics, Financial
Statistics, Statistical Methodology, Applied Probability and
Psychological or Sociological Research Methods.
Single degree
In a Bachelor of Statistics single degree program you will study a total of 24 courses (144 units). Typically you will take 4 courses per semester (total of 24 units) as a full time student.
You will need to complete a minimum of 14 CBE courses (84 units) but will also get to choose up to 10 courses (60 units) from other ANU Colleges. You can try a
range of ANU courses of interest to you, potentially leading to one or
more majors and/or minors; the choice is yours.
Double degree
In a double degree program you will study a total of 14 core CBE courses (84 units) and 2 elective courses (12 units) towards the Bachelor of Statistics, and a further 16 or 24 courses (96 or 144 units) towards the second degree.
Typically, you will take 4 courses per semester (total of 24 units) as a full time student giving you a total of 32 or 40 courses (192 or 240 units) across your whole double degree. However, for each semester you are likely to take 2 courses from your Statistics degree and 2 courses from the other half of your double degree - totalling 4 courses a semester.
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, or have an approved Reduced Study Load.
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 BUSN1001, and are typically referred to as 'First Year Courses'.
Please also note that:
- You need to enrol in courses for both First Semester and Second Semester.
- In your first year, you cannot study more than four courses (24 units) per semester, eight for the year.
- You
may take 1000-level courses later in your program. There is a maximum of 10 courses (60 units) of 1000-level courses in a single degree, and a maximum of 8 courses (48 units) of 1000-level courses in the CBE half of a double degree.
- You can change your enrolment in courses via self enrolment up until the Monday of Week 2.
Electives
You can use your electives to enrol in any courses that you like, provided you meet prerequisite requirements.
Remember that you can choose up to 10 ANU wide elective courses if you are undertaking the single Bachelor of Statistics degree. If you are in a double degree, you can choose 2 ANU wide elective courses.
Study Options
Bachelor of Statistics
This is a typical study plan for the first year of a student undertaking a Bachelor of Statistics commencing Semester 1Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | STAT1003 Statistical Techniques 6 units OR STAT1008; | MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1 6 units OR MATH1013; | Elective Course - recommend COMP1100 for Statistical Data Analysis Major | Elective course 6 units |
| MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2 6 units OR MATH1014; | Statistic Major Course 6 units | Elective course 6 units | Elective course 6 units |
Bachelor of Statistics - Double Degree
This is a typical study plan for the first year of a student undertaking a Bachelor of Statistics degree with another degree, such as the Bachelor of Arts (degree B), commencing Semester 1Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | STAT1003 Statistical Techniques 6 units OR STAT1008; | MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1 6 units OR MATH1013; | Degree B course 6 units | Degree B course 6 units |
| Elective - recommend COMP1100 | MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2 6 units OR MATH1014; | Degree B course 6 units | Degree B course 6 units |
Academic Advice
In order to complete the Major in Statistical Data Analysis, students will need to complete COMP1100 in their first semester.
If after reading through these guidelines you are unsure about your which courses to enrol in, you can email info.cbe@anu.edu.au
If you are seeking status (credit) from previous study at another university you will need to submit a copy of your official transcript, detailed course outlines and a completed credit application form. For further information about the process and links to the application form, please visit: https://cbe.anu.edu.au/current-students/student-guides-and-forms/apply-credit/exemption
Additional advice for commencing students can be found at: https://www.cbe.anu.edu.au/fasttrack