As Australia’s engagement with the Pacific increases, so does the need for graduates with Pacific expertise. The Bachelor of Pacific Studies offers the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the diversity, history and contemporary issues of Oceania, preparing you to take a leading role in Pacific policy and development. 

Learning about the Pacific is a voyage of discovery, and at the ANU you have the opportunity to learn from the world’s leading experts on the Pacific. As a Pacific Studies student you will be joining a community of scholars dedicated to addressing the Pacific’s most pressing challenges, including climate change. 

Pacific Studies at the ANU will provide you with an interdisciplinary grounding to engage with diverse Pacific voices, approaches and perspectives. Our courses incorporate Indigenous perspectives, experiential and innovative ways of learning, and creative problem-solving. In the degree program you will also have the opportunity to engage in internship and immersion programs in Oceania, boosting your language skills and knowledge of the region.

What makes the human brain tick?

Find out with the Bachelor of Science (Psychology), which provides you with a great base in the key areas of psychology: developmental, social, personality, health and mental health, research methods, cognition and the biological bases of behaviour.

In your later year courses, you’ll apply this knowledge and your skills in more specialised areas such as neuroscience, counselling, health, mental health and organisational (business) psychology.

Once you’ve completed your third year, you can apply to undertake an Honours year and pursue further postgraduate study. This will allow you to practice as a psychologist or clinical psychologist.

Find out more about psychology, the degree structure, the university experience, career opportunities and student stories on our website.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically apply theoretical frameworks and research techniques to understand the global significance of Oceania as a region of diverse societies, cultures and languages;
   
2. Demonstrate an understanding of diverse disciplinary approaches and methods drawn from the humanities, social sciences and environmental studies, and use these to synthesise knowledge about Oceania and its place in the world;
3. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the diversity of Indigenous, popular culture, policy and scholarly perspectives on and within Oceania;
4. Evaluate knowledge and ideas and debate issues using academic and other approaches addressing a variety of scholarly, policy and public audiences;
   
5. Exercise critical thinking and judgement in identifying and solving problems individually as well as collaboratively;
6. Develop, refine, and apply the skills to utilise transdisciplinary approaches, recognise transdisciplinary opportunities and collaborate to solve complex transdisciplinary problems.

1. Understand, critically evaluate, apply, integrate and generate psychological knowledge in educational and professional contexts.
2. Develop and engage in a range of skills and methods to identify, analyse, critique and respond to complex problems involving psychological processes.
3. Systematically identify relevant psychological theory and concepts, relate these to appropriate methodologies and evidence, and draw appropriate conclusions.
4. Apply appropriate psychological research methods, including statistical techniques, to evaluate data.
5. Communicate psychological concepts and results clearly and effectively in written and oral formats to diverse audiences.
6. Work and learn in both independent and collaborative ways with others to encompass diverse abilities and perspectives on psychological issues.
7. Critically examine psychological knowledge and skills, and their application, from diverse cultural perspectives, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perspectives.
8. Utilise psychological knowledge and skills for exercising personal, professional and social responsibility as a global citizen.

Admission Requirements

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.

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 Pacific 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 include:

The 144 units must include:

36 units from the following compulsory courses:

PASI1011 Pacific Encounters: An introduction to Pacific Studies

PASI1012 Pacific Worlds: critical inquiry in Oceania

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

PASI3001 Politics and Development in the Contemporary Pacific

PASI3002 Gender and Sexuality in the Pacific

PASI3013 Environment and Development in the Pacific

A minimum of 36 units from the following thematic lists:

Anthropology and archaeology

ANTH3059 Doing Ethnography: Practicum in Applied Anthropology

ARCH2005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders

ASIA2130 The archaeology of rock art in Asia, Pacific, and Australia

History

HIST2231 Exploration: From Captain Cook to the Astronauts

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries

WARS2004 War in the Islands: The Second World War in the Pacific

Politics, conflict and security

ASIA2093 Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific

POLS2055 Pacific Politics

STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific

Environment, geography and migration

ASIA2018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2301 Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific

ASIA2747 Airlines in Asia and the Pacific: Histories, Technologies, Cultures and Geographies

Gender, culture and linguistics

ASIA2001 Language in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2311 Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific

PASI3012 Readings in Indigenous Studies

Field schools, study tours and self-directed research

ENVS2005 Islands Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

PASI2030 Study Tour: Regional Policymaking for Pacific Development

PASI3005 Pacific Islands Field School

Languages

Courses from the following language codes: CHIN, FREN, GERM, INDN, JPNS, TETM, TOKP, SPAN.

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

36 units from the following compulsory courses:

PASI1011 Pacific Encounters: An introduction to Pacific Studies

PASI1012 Pacific Worlds: critical inquiry in Oceania

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

PASI3001 Politics and Development in the Contemporary Pacific

PASI3002 Gender and Sexuality in the Pacific

PASI3013 Environment and Development in the Pacific

A minimum of 36 units from the following thematic lists:

Anthropology and archaeology

ANTH3059 Doing Ethnography: Practicum in Applied Anthropology

ARCH2005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders

ASIA2130 The archaeology of rock art in Asia, Pacific, and Australia

History

HIST2231 Exploration: From Captain Cook to the Astronauts

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries

WARS2004 War in the Islands: The Second World War in the Pacific

Politics, conflict and security

ASIA2093 Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific

POLS2055 Pacific Politics

STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific

Environment, geography and migration

ASIA2018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2301 Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific

ASIA2747 Airlines in Asia and the Pacific: Histories, Technologies, Cultures and Geographies

Gender, culture and linguistics

ASIA2001 Language in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2311 Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific

PASI3012 Readings in Indigenous Studies

Field schools, study tours and self-directed research

ENVS2005 Islands Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

PASI2030 Study Tour: Regional Policymaking for Pacific Development

PASI3005 Pacific Islands Field School

Languages

Courses from the following language codes: CHIN, FREN, GERM, INDN, JPNS, TETM, TOKP, SPAN.

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

The Bachelor of Science (Psychology) requires completion of 144 units, of which:

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

A minimum of 84 units must come from completion of courses from the discipline area PSYC – Psychology

The 96 units must include:

A minimum of 84 units, which must come from completion of courses from the following lists

72 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:

PSYC1003 Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour (6 units)

PSYC1004 Psychology 2: Understanding People in Context (6 units)

PSYC2001 Social Psychology (6 units)

PSYC2007 Biological Basis of Behaviour (6 units)

PSYC2008 Cognition (6 units)

PSYC2009 Quantitative Methods in Psychology (6 units)

PSYC2012 Culture and Psychology (6 units)

PSYC3018 Advanced Research Methods (6 units)

PSYC3020 Health Psychology (6 units)

PSYC3025 Psychopathology Across the Lifespan (6 units)

PSYC3026 Personality Psychology (6 units)

PSYC3202 Developmental Psychology (6 units)

12 units from completion of 3000-level courses in the subject area PSYC- Psychology

Study Options