Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education is a three-year degree built around the social sciences and psychology. You'll study how people think, behave and organise themselves, units in psychology, sociology, counselling and research methods are typical of a degree in this area. The point is to understand people and communities well enough to work with them, and to back your reading of a situation with evidence rather than opinion.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees run three years full time, and Sheridan follows the standard model: two semesters a year, with each unit of study worth a set number of credit points. You accumulate credit points across the degree, usually 24 units or the equivalent, and you need the full total to graduate. First year introduces the disciplines, introductory psychology, sociology, academic writing and statistics. Later years let you go deeper, and most students finish with a capstone unit or a supervised research project that pulls the threads together. If you want to keep going, an honours year is a separate fourth year on top, and it's the usual path into a master's or a doctorate.

What you actually learn

Expect to write a lot, read a lot, and learn how to run and interpret research. You'll cover research design and basic statistics, because anyone working in the social sciences needs to read a study and know whether it holds up. You'll look at human development, mental health, social inequality, group behaviour and the ethics of working with people. Class sizes at a smaller institution mean discussion and feedback rather than sitting in a lecture theatre of 500. Assessment is mostly essays, reports, presentations and exams, with group work mixed in.

Who it suits

This degree suits people who are curious about why people do what they do, and who want a qualification that opens several doors rather than one narrow one. It works for school leavers, for mature-age students returning to study, and for people already working in community services, education support or health who want a degree behind them. It's also a sensible base if you're aiming at postgraduate study in psychology, counselling or social work, though check the specific entry requirements for those, because they often expect particular undergraduate units.

Studying in Australia

Sheridan Institute of Higher Education is an Australian provider, and this course is registered on CRICOS (course code 096269K), which is the register international students check before enrolling. If you're coming from overseas, you'll need to meet the English requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced accepted as equivalents. Note that the Department of Home Affairs sets its own English threshold for the Student visa, separate from the institution's. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term. On completion, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream is worth looking into if you want to stay and work. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, and you should confirm fees, unit lists and intake dates on the official page before you apply.

• Community services and welfare support worker, not-for-profits, local councils and state government departments across Australia.
• Youth worker or family support worker, schools, community health centres and family services organisations.
• Mental health support worker, community mental health teams and non-government providers.
• Human resources or recruitment officer, a common destination for social science graduates in the private and public sectors.
• Policy or research assistant, government departments, think tanks and advocacy organisations.
• Education support officer, schools and TAFE, working alongside teachers and wellbeing staff.
• Case worker in disability or aged care, the NDIS and aged care sectors hire steadily.
• Further study pathway, an honours year, then a master's in psychology, counselling or social work, for students aiming at registration as a psychologist or social worker.