Major structure
Overview
Your course structure
The Bachelor of Arts requires the successful completion of 24 subjects (300-points), including at least one major. Most students study eight subjects each year (usually four subjects in each semester) for three years full-time, or the part-time equivalent.
Most Arts majors require 100 points of study (usually eight subjects) for attainment. This means out of your 300-point program, you have the opportunity to achieve two majors in your course.
Completing your major
If you are taking Criminology as a major, you must complete:
- Two level 1 (usually first year) subjects, comprising of either:
- Arts Discovery and one level 1 elective subject (for a single major) OR two level 1 elective subjects (for a double major)
- One level 2 core subject (usually second year)
- 25 points (usually two subjects) of level 2 elective subjects (with a maximum of 12.5 points in non-core elective subjects)
- One level 3 (usually third year) capstone subject
- 25 points (usually two subjects) of level 3 elective subjects (with a maximum of 12.5 points in non-core elective subjects)
If you are taking Criminology as a minor, you must complete:
- One level 1 elective subject (usually first year)
- Arts Discovery (if not already counted towards a major)
- 12.5 points (usually one subject) of level 2 core subjects
- 12.5 points (usually one subject) of level 2 elective subjects
- 25 points (usually two subjects) of level 3 elective subjects
Breadth studies
Breadth is a unique feature of the Melbourne curriculum. It gives you the chance to explore subjects outside of arts, developing new perspectives and learning to collaborate with others who have different strengths and interests — just as you will in your future career.
Some of our students use breadth to explore creative interests or topics they have always been curious about. Others used breadth to improve their career prospects by complementing their major with a language, communication skills or business expertise.
Aida Zepcan
Aida Zepcan is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Criminology and Sociology
Studying Criminology and Sociology has provided me with an interdisciplinary skill set that has made me think critically about dominant discourses, and both domestic and global systems of domination and resistance.
One of my favourite subjects in the Criminology major has been Crime and Culture. This subject looks at how crime is represented within popular culture, television and films. Within the Criminology major I was fortunate enough to study a breadth of criminological subjects, some tackling troubling topics such as terrorism, youth crime, and indigenous overrepresentation within Australian prisons. Crime and Culture allowed me to analyse in depth some of my favourite crime dramas and films while also unpacking how these films and television shows change or strengthen society’s idea of what crime is.
I believe that the criminal justice system in Australia fails to accept multilayered identities and responds to crime through a very narrow lens. The criminal justice system in Australia has neglected the experiences and often confounding disadvantages faced by the Indigenous population – disadvantages that stem from colonisation – which continue to propel rates of recidivism among these populations.
Studying Criminology has also allowed me to delve deep into the psychologies of criminals while also learning about the criminological theories that underpin justice responses on both a national and international level.
I am currently applying for my Masters, which I plan to undertake overseas in ethnic nationalism and intercultural conflict – a topic very close to my heart, being a child of refugee parents.
I believe that an academic understanding of the processes of migration and cultural conflicts is vital for the development of adequate policies and interventions surrounding refugees and immigration, and I hope that one day I can use my own studies to propel positive change within these fields.
Explore this major
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this major.