Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts at Charles Darwin University is a three-year degree built around choice. You pick a major from the social sciences and psychology area and fill out the rest of your study with units from across the university. That structure is deliberate. It lets you combine, say, psychology with sociology, or add a language, a writing sequence, or Indigenous knowledges. The degree sits at level 7 on the Australian Qualifications Framework, the same level as any other bachelor degree in the country.

How the degree is put together

CDU runs its academic year in semesters. You enrol in units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need to accumulate the total the degree requires to graduate. A typical full-time load is four units a semester, though you can spread it out. Most students take a major plus a minor or a second major, and there is usually room for elective units. Not every unit runs every semester, and some are only offered on certain campuses or online, so you map out your sequence with a course adviser rather than guessing.

Social sciences and psychology units at CDU cover areas such as human behaviour, research methods, statistics for the social sciences, social policy, and the relationship between individuals and the communities they live in. You learn to read research critically, design a small study, analyse data, and write arguments that stand up. Later in the degree you can take a capstone unit or a research project where you pull those skills together on a topic you choose.

Studying in the Northern Territory

CDU's main campuses are in Darwin and Alice Springs, with study available across the Territory and online. That location shapes what you can study. The Northern Territory has a large Aboriginal population, remote communities, and a distinctive mix of health, education, government and community services work. Social science and psychology units here often draw on that context, and placements or community projects may take you outside the city. If you are interested in cross-cultural practice, social policy in remote areas, or community wellbeing, this is a setting where those questions are live rather than theoretical.

Who it suits, and what to check

This degree suits people who want flexibility rather than a single fixed career track. It works well if you are heading towards social work, community development, policy, human resources, or further study in psychology, and it also suits students who want to keep options open while they work out what fits. It is not a professional qualification by itself, a Bachelor of Arts does not make you a registered psychologist or a registered social worker. Those require further accredited study, and you should check the requirements with the relevant Australian professional body before you rely on this degree for registration.

English requirements differ by course. International applicants generally need IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall for undergraduate study, but teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work ask for 7.0 to 7.5. CDU accepts TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and its own English programmes as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs also sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa, which is not the same as the university's requirement. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 0101026. Confirm the current unit list, entry requirements and fees on the official CDU page before you apply.

• Community services and welfare roles, case work, support coordination and program delivery with non-profits, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and local councils, particularly across the Northern Territory and regional Australia.
• Government and public policy, policy officer, program officer and research assistant roles in Territory and federal departments, especially in health, education, housing and Indigenous affairs.
• Human resources and people services, recruitment, workplace relations support and organisational development in the public and private sectors.
• Research and data roles, social research assistant, survey and evaluation support, and data collection roles with universities, consultancies and government agencies.
• Youth, family and community work, youth worker, family support worker and community development officer, often with a further vocational qualification.
• Further study pathways, graduates use the degree as the base for a master's in social work, psychology, counselling, public policy or education. Registration as a psychologist or social worker requires an accredited postgraduate qualification, so check with the relevant professional body.

International graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which allows you to stay and work in Australia after you finish. Student visa holders can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session. Always confirm visa conditions with the Department of Home Affairs.