Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor Laws

The final intake of students into the Bachelor of Art/ Bachelor of Laws program took place in 2007. From 2008 no further intake of First year students into this degree program will occur. Students interested in undertaking an Arts degree as well as a degree in Laws should undertake a Bachelor of Arts and then apply for Melbourne University's Juris Doctor.

The Bachelor of Arts has as its objectives that graduates:

* can demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of selected fields of studies in the humanities, languages and social and behavioural sciences;
* can access and appreciate national and international debates in their areas of study;
* 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 apply critical and analytical skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within a changing social context;
* can act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars, as citizens and in the work force;
* can communicate effectively an,in the case of those students undertaking a language major, are able to read, write and speak another language with fluency and appreciate its cultural context;
* qualify for employment in a wide range of occupations;
* have a continuing committment to learning;
* are proficient in the use of appropriate modern technologies, such as the computer and other IT systems, for the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data.

To complete the combined Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws degrees you must complete subjects from both degrees to a minimum of 500 points or five full time years of study. Each degree component requires the completion of both an minimum and maximum number of points from each faculty within the total of 500 points. No subject can be counted towards both degrees.

A combined degree involves completing fewer subjects or points than is both degrees were completed separately.

You cannot be awarded one component of your combined degree upon completion of the minimum requirements for that component. In other words, you must complete all the requirements for both components before you are eligiable to graduate from either. If you discontinue either component of your combined course, you must complete the full requirements of the remaining degree (ie. the full amount of points required for the remaining single degree, for example 300 points for the BA).

You are expected to be familiar with the course requirements of both of the components of your degree. For more detailed information about the specific course requirements for each combined art degree please refer to the 2007 undergraduate handbook or contact the Arts Student Support Centre.

The Basic Rules:

Students must complete 200 points towards the arts component of these degrees, comprising:

• no more than 50 points of first-year arts (usually four subjects);

• 75 points of second-year arts (usually six subjects);

• 75 points of third-year arts (usually six subjects).

As well as the completion of 200 points of BA study, four further basic rules apply;

• breadth of study requirements: No more than 150 points may taken in any one area of study. This consists of a maximum of 25 points at first year level and 125 points at second/third year level.
• subject year level entry requirements:
• arts-approved subject requirements: the arts component of a combined degree is aubject to the arts approved subject requirement. this means that most students in combined degrees are not able to complete the number of points required for an arts major in areas of study from outside the Faculty of Arts.
• language study restrictions: The study of languages is encouraged in BA combined degrees, and language learning can be one outcome of the arts component. which allows for extended study of one language. As the BA also seeks to provide a broad base of learning in the humanities and social sciences, therefore a second language is not permitted for credit within the arts component of BA combined degrees. Combined degree arts students who enrol themselves through the SIS in a second language (excluding Ancient languages) may not recieve credit for the additional language study.

All students are responsible for planning a course that satisfies course requirements.