The combined degrees program of Bachelor of International Relations /Bachelor of Arts requires the completion of 144 units of study.

Admission requirements

For admission to the program, students must apply for admission to the Bachelor of International Relations combined degrees through SATAC.

Eligible students who decide to take up the combined degrees program in a subsequent year will be required to apply through SATAC, or via internal university transfer, for admission to the Bachelor of Arts.

Students enrolled in a combined degree program must complete the full program specified within the combined program for each degree before they can graduate with either award.

Students who commence, but subsequently do not wish to complete, the combined degrees program may be eligible to transfer to either the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of International Relations and to receive credit for some or all of the topics already completed.

Program of study

To qualify for the combined degrees of Bachelor of International Relations /Bachelor of Arts, a student must complete the following program of study with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic:

  • an International Relations component of at least 72 units for the Bachelor of International Relations, as detailed below
  • an Arts component of at least 72 units for the Bachelor of Arts, as detailed below.

Bachelor of International Relations component

To qualify for the Bachelor of International Relations a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or better or NGP in each topic. This must include:

Year 1 topics

9 units of core topics:
AMST1002  America and the World: The United States in a Global Context  (4.5 units)
INTR1006  International Relations: An Introduction  (4.5 units)

9 units chosen from the following:
HIST1704  History's Killing Fields (4.5 units)
HIST1802  Europe, 1945 to the Present (4.5 units)
HIST1803  'The Lucky Country'? Australia and theWorld since 1939 (4.5 units)
INTR1100  Exploring the International (4.5 units)
INTR1102  Modern Asia since 1945 (4.5 units)

Year 2 topics

13.5 units of core topics:
INTR2003  The Asia-Pacific in the 20th Century (4.5 units)
INTR2006  Debating Human Rights  (4.5 units)
INTR2015  New Security Agenda  (4.5 units)

4.5 units chosen from the following:
HIST2014  War and Society in the Modern World  (4.5 units)
HIST2016  Globalisation in World History (4.5 units)

9 units chosen from the following:
AMST2002  American Politics  (4.5 units)*
HIST2030  The Great Powers and the Origins of the Modern Middle East (4.5 units)
HIST2042  The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire (4.5 units)
HIST2043  Terrorism and Society in Modern Europe(4.5 units)
INTR2005  The Next Superpower? The Rise of China in the 21st Century  (4.5 units)
INTR2008  Africa on a Global Stage  (4.5 units)
INTR2012  Food Security (4.5 units)
INTR2100  Reimagining the Global South (4.5 units)
INTR2101  Democracy and Human Rights in Asia  (4.5 units)

* Note that students who wish to qualify and apply for the Washington Internship must select AMST2002

Year 3 topics

9 units of core topics:
INTR3104  Global Workplace (4.5 units)
INTR3102  Controversies in International Relations  (4.5 units)

18 units chosen from the following:
AMST3013  The Alliance and the Rise of China  (4.5 units)
AMST3016  Internship Program: Washington DC  (9 units)*
HIST3004  The Fall of Britannia's Empire and the Postcolonial Experience  (4.5 units)
INTR3001  Australian Foreign Policy  (4.5 units)
INTR3003  Africa: International Interventions  (4.5 units)
INTR3006  The Rise of the Indo-Pacific  (4.5 units)
INTR3100  Environment and Development in Asia (4.5 units)
INTR3101  Global Inequality  (4.5 units)
INTR3103  International Practicum (4.5 units)*

* Note that students cannot take both INTR3103 International Practicum and AMST3016 in this combined degree program.

Bachelor of Arts component

To qualify for the Bachelor of Arts a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or better or NGP in each topic. This must include:

  • COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication (4.5 units)*
  • a 36 unit major sequence, comprising two first level topics (9 units), two second level topics (9 units), two third level topics (9 units), plus two topics (9 units) from second or third level according to requirements for the specific major sequence;
  • a 22.5 unit minor sequence in a different field of study, comprising two first level topics (9 units), two second level topics (9 units) and a further topic (4.5 units), at either second or third level;
  • a further two topics (9 units) at either second or third level for the elective component.

For acceptable majors and minors please refer to the Bachelor of Arts course rule for details. NB, students undertaking a combined Bachelor of International Relations, Bachelor of Arts may not complete a major in either History or International Relations within the Bachelor of Arts. Students may complete a minor in History or International Relations within the Bachelor of Arts.

*Under certain conditions the core topic COMS1001 may be replaced with an alternative topic. See COMS1001
for further details.