Faculty of Arts : Guide to courses

15. Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BASc)

Table of Contents

 15. Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BASc)

The Bachelor of Arts and Sciences allows students to study subjects from both the Faculties of Arts and Science in addition to cross faculty programs such as the Environmental Program. The degree involves four years of full-time study and may be taken part-time.

BASc students are able to complete Majors in both faculties, and have the option to complete an Honours year in either Arts or Science. The degree will appeal to applicants who wish to study more broadly than is currently possible in either the BA or the BSc, but who do not wish to complete the five years study required for the combined BA/BSc degree.

 15.1. Course objectives

The Bachelor of Arts and Sciences course has as its objectives that graduates:

• can demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of selected fields of study in the sciences, humanities, languages and social and behavioural sciences, and a higher understanding in one or more of these disciplines;

• can access and appreciate national and international debates in their areas of study;

• can apply critical and analytical skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within a changing social context;

• when solving scientific problems:

  • are capable of applying appropriate knowledge,

  • are able to access relevant information,

  • understand the principles of project and experimental design,

  • have a capacity to apply practical skills and technology;

• have the knowledge, skill and attitude to enable adaptation to scientific, technological and social change, and have an appreciation of the historical background and evolution of scientific concepts;

• can demonstrate an independent approach to knowledge that uses rigorous methods of inquiry and appropriate theories and methodologies that are applied with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values;

• can communicate effectively and, in the case of those students undertaking a language major, are able to read, write and speak with fluency and with an appreciation of the cultural context of the language;

• can act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars, as citizens and in the workplace;

• have a sense of intellectual curiosity and a desire for life-long learning, and a capacity to be creative and inventive;

• are proficient in the use of appropriate modern technologies, such as computer and audio-visual systems, for the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data.

 15.2. Course structure

The BASc degree requires the completion of 400 points of study. It usually requires the completion of at least 200 points of subjects from approved departments of each faculty. The study must be completed according to the following requirements.

 15.2.1. The Arts requirement

The Arts requirement of the BASc usually includes:

• 50 points of first year, 75 points of second year and 75 points of third year Arts studies

This study must be in Arts-approved subjects (see Arts-approved subject requirement). The Arts areas of study table Arts areas of study table indicates which areas of study offer Arts-approved subjects. In addition, all language subjects are Arts-approved (see Language table).

Please note that Psychology points can be allocated to either the Arts or the Science requirements of the BASc degree. Geography and History and Philosophy of Science subjects count towards the Arts requirement only.

 15.2.2. The Science requirement

The Science requirement of the BASc must include:

• a minimum of 50 points of Science 300-level subjects and no more than 75 points of Science 100-level subjects.

The following areas of study count towards the Science requirement:

• Anatomy and Cell Biology

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Biology

• Botany

• Chemistry

• Computer Science

• Earth Sciences

• Environmental Science

• Genetics

• GeomaticsGeomatics (Science)

• Information Systems

• Mathematics and Statistics

• MicrobiologyMicrobiology and Immunology

• Pathology

• Pharmacology

• Physics

• Physiology

• Vision ScienceOptometry and Vision Sciences

• Zoology

 15.3. Further BASc requirements

Please see Further requirements for the BA for information about leave of absence, workload, study progress etc. Unless otherwise stated above, the requirements for the BASc are the same as for the BA.

 15.4. Credit towards the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree

Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree will be awarded such credit as the relevant Faculty considers appropriate at the time of their first enrolment in the degree. Students should refer to Credit for more information about credit.

 15.4.1. Credit for previous tertiary studies

Students transferring from other faculties or tertiary institutions who have completed subjects which are considered to be equivalent to those available to students in the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences may be granted specified credit for those subjects. It may be necessary for the relevant department to recommend such credit. The maximum amount of credit granted to a transferring student will be 300 points (i.e. you must complete at least 100 points while enrolled as a student in the BASc course).

Status:                   Official 1999
Last Modified:            Tuesday October 20 11:46
SGML to HTML Conversion:  Information Technology Services
Authorised by:            Academic Registrar
Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au