The Bachelor of Arts (BA) equips students with a number of important life skills. These include an ability to communicate clearly, an ability to think critically and creatively, an ability to solve problems across a wide range of domains, and general leadership abilities.
What makes the Victoria Bachelor of Arts degree distinctive is its strong emphasis on the humanities, creative arts, languages and social sciences, its flexible structure, and its broad range of opportunities for exploring a variety of disciplines.
The humanities include subjects where we explore what it means to be human; for example, languages, History, English Literature, Media Studies, Film, Theatre and Music. Social sciences include subjects where we explore how humans interact with each other, such as Cultural Anthropology, Criminology and Sociology.
Choose subjects that are closely related – like Asian Studies and an Asian language – for a focused, specialised degree. Or major in one subject that suits your career ambitions, while keeping your passions alive with study in other areas.
A BA may lead to postgraduate study in a wide range of subject areas.
On this page:
Contacts
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Customer Services Administrator
Tel: 04 463 5745
Email: address
Website: www.victoria.ac.nz/fhss
Career Opportunities
BA graduates are employed in almost every part of the workforce, both in jobs relating to their specialty subject and by employers who value their analytical and communication skills. Policy analyst, journalist, teacher, translator, diplomat, artist, market researcher, social worker, librarian, criminologist, aid worker... a BA is suited to hundreds of careers.
A BA at Victoria
Features of the BA:
- three years of full-time study
- 360 points in total
- maximum of 180 points at 100 level
- minimum of 180 points at 200/300 level, including at least 75 points at 300 level
- no course numbered 300-399 may be counted towards more than one major or minor
- at least 240 points must be from Part A of the BA Schedule (except that up to 60 approved points from other degree schedules or Part B of the BA Schedule may be included in this total where they are taken to satisfy the requirements of a major listed under the BA, but taught by another faculty)
- must complete at least one listed BA major
- may complete a second major taught by another faculty. You must confirm the requirements with your Student Adviser
- you may choose up to two minors towards your BA.
Students may select up to two minors in an undergraduate subject area offered by the University for the BA, BAS, BDI, BSc and BCA degrees and not taken as a major.
A minor comprises at least 60 points from the major requirements (or, in the case of commerce subjects, from the relevant subject code) at 200 level or above, of which at least 15 points must be at 300 level and not counted towards a major or another minor.
If you are considering a second major taught by another faculty or adding a minor to your BA, you must contact your Student Adviser for degree planning advice.
See the 2012 Calendar or the Course Catalogue for further details.
For entry requirements to the BA please see the Admissions page.
Majors
Students must meet the requirements of a major in at least one subject. Each subject has specific courses you need to take to meet the requirements of a major and involves in-depth study at 300 level.
If you are not sure which subject to choose as your major, you can include a number of different options in your first year, and make a more specific choice in your second year.
Many students combine a BA with another degree. Because a number of courses can be credited to both degrees, it is possible for able students to complete two three-year degrees in four to five years.
The Faculty also offers conjoint Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) degrees.
BA Subjects
BA Listed Majors
*majors listed under the BA Statute, but administered by other faculties
^students will only be permitted to take this subject as their sole major through the BA if they are enrolled in the conjoint BA/BTeach(ECE)
Other BA Subjects (not majors)
How To Find Out More
Check out the Subjects entries for subject areas which interest you, or use our Request for Study Materials form.
For new students: Victoria's Liaison Officers in the Student Recruitment, Admission and Orientation Office are happy to discuss your plans with you and help plan your degree(s).
For returning students: please contact the Faculty Student and Academic Services Office.
Degree Examples
Please note: the timetable is subject to change and the courses shown in the examples below may not all be available in any given year.
Example 1
BA Double Major Example (both BA listed majors)
BA with a double major in Classical Studies and History
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| CLAS 101 Greek Literature, Myth and Society | 20 |
| HIST 117 Empires and Peoples: North America | 20 |
| RELI 107 Religion, Law and Politics | 20 |
| CLAS 102 Greek Art: Myth and Culture | 20 |
| HIST 118 Making Europe Modern: Citizens, States and Nations | 20 |
| RELI 108 The World's Religions | 20 |
| Total Points | 120 |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| CLAS 209 Bronze Age Aegean Art and Archaeology | 20 |
| CLAS 207 Roman Social History | 20 |
| HIST 218 Historical Methods | 20 |
| CLAS 204 Greek Mythology | 20 |
| HIST 230 Gandhi, India and the World | 20 |
| RELI 212 Religions, Culture and Politics in Aotearoa and the Pacific | 20 |
| Total Points | 120 |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| CLAS 302 Etruscan and Roman Art | 20 |
| HIST 317 New Zealand History | 20 |
| RELI 286 Mysticism, Spiritual Maps and Reality | 20 |
| CLAS 308 Greek Society | 20 |
| HIST 337 Wild China, People's China: Environment and Society in Chinese History | 20 |
| HIST 334 The Great Sacrifice: Social and Cultural Perspectives on World War One | 20 |
| Total Points | 120 |
Example 2
BA Double Major Example (one BA listed major, one outside major)
BA majoring in Sociology with an outside major in Information Systems
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SOSC 111 Sociology: Foundations and Concepts | 20 |
| INFO 101 Foundations of Information Systems | 15 |
| ANTH 101 Foundations of Society and Culture | 20 |
| SOSC 112 New Zealand: Sociological Perspectives | 20 |
| INFO 102 Business Application Programming | 15 |
| ANTH 102 Social and Cultural Diversity | 20 |
| Total Points | 110 |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SOSC 211 Interpreting Society | 20 |
| INFO 201 Introduction to Information Systems Management | 15 |
| INFO 241 Introduction to Database Management and Programming | 15 |
| SOSC 217 Special Topic: Sociology of Dying and Death | 20 |
| INFO 232 Business Systems Analysis | 15 |
| ANTH 204 Modern Anthropological Thought | 20 |
| SOSC 215 Reproducing Gendered Bodies | 20 |
| Total Points | 125 |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SOSC 305 Social Organisation | 20 |
| INFO 322 Information Systems Implementation | 15 |
| SACS 201 Methods in Social and Cultural Research | 20 |
| SOSC 318 Social Movements and the State | 20 |
| INFO 395 Case Studies in Information Systems | 15 |
| INFO 320 Project in Information Systems | 15 |
| INTP 113 Introduction to International Relations | 20 |
| Total Points | 125 |
Example 3
Conjoint BA/BCA with a BA listed major and a minor and a BCA major in Marketing
BA major in English Literature and a minor in Spanish and a BCA major in Marketing (565 points)
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SPAN 111 Introduction to the Spanish Language | 20 |
| ENGL 111 Past Masters | 20 |
| ACCY 111 Accounting | 15 |
| MGMT 101 Introduction to Management | 15 |
| SPAN 112 Elementary Spanish | 20 |
| FCOM 111 Government, Law and Business | 15 |
| INFO 101 Foundations of Information Systems | 15 |
| MARK 101 Principles of Marketing | 15 |
| Total Points | 135 |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SPAN 113 Introduction to Hispanic Studies | 20 |
| SPAN 215 Spanish Language 2A | 20 |
| ECON 130 Economic Principles and Issues | 15 |
| MARK 202 Buyer Behaviour | 15 |
| SPAN 216 Spanish Language 2B | 20 |
| ENGL 112 Cultural Encounters: The Literature and Theatre of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific |
20 |
| MARK 201 Marketing Management | 15 |
| QUAN 102 Statistics for Business | 15 |
| Total Points | 140 |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| SPAN 315 Spanish Language 3A | 20 |
| ENGL 209 The Novel | 20 |
| ENGL 234 New Zealand Literature | 20 |
| MARK 203 Market Research | 15 |
| ENGL 221 Classic Theatre | 20 |
| ENGL 330 Modern Fiction: Colonial and Post-Colonial Literature | 20 |
| ENGL 238 Literature and New Media | 20 |
| MARK 302 International Marketing | 15 |
| Total Points | 150 |
| Year 4 | |
|---|---|
| Course | Points |
| ENGL 331 New Zealand Literature | 20 |
| ENGL 308 Renaissance Literature | 20 |
| MARK 301 Marketing Communications | 15 |
| MGMT 202 Organisational Behaviour | 15 |
| ENGL 244 Children's Literature: A Selected Genre | 20 |
| ENGL 332 American Literature: Twentieth Century | 20 |
| MARK 303 Strategic Marketing Management | 15 |
| MARK 318 Thinking Skills in Marketing | 15 |
| Total Points | 140 |