Bachelor of Arts

Course Structure

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) comprises 24 units of study (or subjects). Each unit represents 3 credit points. To fulfil the requirements of the BA award, you will need to complete a minimum of 72 credit points.

Common Core units (8 units)

As a Sheridan BA student, you will take core units common to all BA students in all three years of your study. There are three types of common core units:

• Core Arts units (2 units) - these include units in creative thinking, and in critical thinking and ethics.
• Core Research units (3 units) - these include units on academic skills, research methods, and a research project. Each of these units is taken by students from all undergraduate courses at Sheridan.
• Core Christian Studies units (3 units) - these include units on the Christian faith, the Bible and understanding worldviews. Like the Research units, each of these units is taken by students from all undergraduate courses at Sheridan. 

Major units (8 units, or 10 units for language majors)

You may choose from one of the following fields of study for your major:

• Chinese Studies
• Creative Writing
• Economics
• Geography
• History

You will do a minimum of eight units specific to that discipline (ten for language majors), including a minimum of at least four Level-300 units.

You may also nominate a double major. Adding a second major will usually require taking additional units and will extend the length of your Bachelor degree by one or more semesters.

Minor / General electives (8 units, or 6 for language majors)

In addition to your major, you can construct a minor within your BA degree. A minor comprises four 200/300-level units in a humanities or social sciences discipline that is not your major, and provides you with a second specialisation. 

Alternatively, you may choose to broaden your studies by taking general electives either from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences or from another school at Sheridan, provided you meet the necessary prerequisites for those units.

Course Duration

Three years full-time or longer part-time.

Full-time = minimum of twenty-four (24) or more credit points (or 8 standard units) in an academic year

Part-time = less than twenty-four (24) credit points (or 8 standard units) in an academic year

Mode of Study

Face-to-face through lectures, tutorials and seminars, and is supported by Canvas, Sheridan's server-based learning management system. 

All teaching takes place at the Perth CBD campus (Suite 18, 7 Aberdeen St Perth).

Sheridan does not currently provide online study options for remote students.

Course Workload

A standard Bachelor of Arts unit represents 168 hours of study over a semester, including class contact hours and private study. 

The 168 hours typically consists of seminars for 36 hours (3 hours per week over 12 teaching weeks) and private study for 132 hours (9 hours per week over 12 teaching weeks plus 12 hours per week over 2 non-teaching weeks).

If you are a full-time student (ie you are taking 4 units in a semester) you should plan to set aside a minimum of 12 hours/week for your formal classes and a total of 36 hours/week for your private study. 

Course Learning Outcomes

A Bachelor Degree qualifies individuals who apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge in a range of contexts to undertake professional work and as a pathway for further learning.

Upon completing the Bachelor of Arts, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate your understanding of a broad and coherent body of knowledge, with an emphasis on the underlying principles and concepts of one or more disciplines within the humanities and social sciences.
• Exercise your cognitive skills successfully to critically analyse, synthesise and consolidate information, concepts and theories from multi-disciplinary perspectives.
• Critically evaluate the scholarship and professional practice of one or more disciplines within the humanities and social sciences in the light of contemporary research, of workplace practice, and of perspectives grounded in Christian scholarship.
• Communicate your understanding of current knowledge and professional practice of one or more disciplines to others through structured assignments and presentations in a variety of learning contexts.
• Demonstrate your intellectual independence through creative intellectual contributions to the study and/or practice of one or more disciplines within the humanities and social sciences.
• Apply research-based knowledge, skills and concepts from one or more disciplines within the humanities and social sciences to analyse problems and propose creative solutions across a diverse range scenarios.
• Demonstrate your capacity to seek knowledge and truth with persistence, independence, rigour, and integrity.
• Evaluate the relevance of Christian faith and practice to the pursuit of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences.
• Model self-discipline, servant leadership and respect for the dignity of individuals and groups in various settings.

Each unit you take in the Bachelor of Arts program will contribute towards the fulfilment of these broader learning outcomes.