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Why study a BA at Flinders?

Why a BA?

The answer to this question is simple. The BA is the developed world's most recognised and portable university qualification. It signals that you have the knowledge and skills associated with a good liberal education - skills that are flexible and never become out of date, no matter how the workforce changes. More than one third of all graduates enter the workforce with a BA.

Today employment is not just a matter of having a job; it is about being always employable. Employers say they want graduates with creativity, flair and confidence and the ability to solve problems, think around corners and communicate with ease. A BA helps you develop those skills while you follow an academic path of your own choosing.

Our BA program allows you to select from more than 36 distinct areas of study to find your own balance between breadth and specialisation.

You genuinely tailor a course to meet your own needs. A BA can take you into a range of careers or lay the groundwork for more advanced study at honours or postgraduate level.

BA - Fact File

With 2109 students enrolled in 2008, the Bachelor of Arts is by far the largest of the 65 bachelors degrees offered by Flinders University. Of the 2109 students in the BA, 974 are enrolled in the undergraduate BA and an additional 1051 enrolled in one of the specialist degrees with joint programs with the BA. The largest of those combined BA degrees is with Education (923 students - 75 early childhood, 357 primary, 209 middle school, 282 secondary school). The second largest combined degree is with Law (78 students) followed by Behavioural Science with 34. The newest of the combined degrees are Business and Commerce. An additional 84 Flinders students are enrolled in the BA at the Honours level.

STRUCTURE OF THE BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE AT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
The importance of the BA at Flinders is reflected in almost all other Australian universities and most universities in the world. There are, however, some distinctive features of the Flinders BA.

The BA degree at Flinders requires three years of full time study, completing 108 units of study, comprising a major in one area of study (three years of work and 33 units) and at least a minor (first and second years of work and 21 units) in a second area of study. These two requirements consume exactly half of the 108 units in an undergraduate degree at Flinders. Students at Flinders have enough space in the BA degree to pursue four different strategies. They can:

create a second major (12 more units of the minor field),
create a third major (12 more units in the minor field and an additional 33 units in the third major),
use those 54 units to concentrate even more work in their major and/or minor fields, or
use those 54 units to sample the diversity of the University's thousands of topics in all fields of knowledge.

The majority of Flinders BA students choose to complete two majors (63 percent) while 31 percent complete a single major and six percent use the flexibility of the degree to complete three majors. This is a freedom not evident in other BA degrees in Australia. Some BAs, for example, concentrate on single majors, making double majors difficult and precluding triple majors.

BA students at Flinders have 39 majors (and 42 minors) to choose from. In 2007, Flinders BA students completed 344 majors and 118 minors with the largest numbers concentrated in English, Screen Studies, History, Drama, Sociology and Languages. Other Flinders BA students completed majors or minors in significant numbers in American Studies, Asian Studies, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Philosophy, and Politics. The BA Board of Studies constantly monitors the distribution of majors and minors to ensure that the Flinders BA degree caters to the vast range of interests of our students.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND THE BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE AT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
The minimum TER for entry into the BA in 2008 was 60. The average TER of a new BA student in 2008, however, was 73 and nearly 30 percent had a TER above 80.

The BA minimum TER is about the same as that required for entry into many of the other degrees at Flinders, including the Bachelor of Nursing, the Bachelor of International Studies, the Bachelor of Archaeology, the Bachelor of Information Technology and the Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. The average TER of BA students is about the same as those entering specialist degrees such as the Bachelor of Justice and Society, the Bachelor of Environmental Health, the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering.

Student satisfaction with a Flinders BA

The information the Board receives from BA students completing their degrees seems to suggest a high level of satisfaction with the teaching they have received. Overall satisfaction was just over 70 percent which was above the University average. Indeed BA students gave their degree higher scores in every category measured - quality of teaching, generic skills taught, graduate skills taught and student support - than the Flinders University average for all degrees. This is a distinctively good result for the University's largest degree.

Further study and employment opportunities with a Flinders BA

Useful employment data on BA graduates is somewhat more difficult to obtain because so many BA students see this as their first degree - their general education - providing the foundation for specialisation in further study, eg graduate entry studies in Education, Honours, etc. Indeed the BA has nearly the highest rate of students going on to further study (51 percent) of any degree in the University. Of those not going on to further study and available for work, 59% report being in full-time employment and 24% in part time work.

Why Flinders?

At Flinders the BA is a vital part of the teaching program, with administrative support through a dedicated BA Office. As well as the broad range of study options and the flexible structure of the degree, you'll benefit from small classes, excellent teaching, modern facilities and equipment and the status of being part of a leading research university.

At the same time, you'll feel genuinely a part of a vibrant university renowned for its friendliness, strong community atmosphere and beautiful campus. If you want to know more about Flinders, visit the Prospective students section of the university web site.