Bachelor of Arts
at The University of Queensland, Queensland.
A flexible humanities and social sciences degree. Students major in fields such as history, sociology, politics, literature or a language, with broad elective choice across the faculty.
ATAR cutoff history
Published cutoff data for the The University of Queensland Bachelor of Arts. We never invent figures; entries marked "not published" mean the university or admissions centre has not released a verified cutoff for that intake.
| Intake year | ATAR cutoff | Admissions centre |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
| 2023 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
| 2022 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
No verified cutoffs are available. Confirm the latest figure on the official QTAC cutoff release.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
The UQ Bachelor of Arts is a three-year degree built around two majors plus a free elective stream taught from the St Lucia campus. Year one is broad, with students typically sampling four or five disciplines (history, sociology, political science, philosophy, anthropology, ancient and modern languages, English literature, linguistics, writing, Indigenous studies) before locking majors at the end of first year. Tutorials run at 12 to 20 students with weekly readings of 80 to 150 pages per unit. Year two narrows to two majors at level 2, with research methods built into history, political science and sociology streams. Language majors run streamed beginner, intermediate and advanced pathways with weekly oral practice classes. Year three carries 3000-level capstone seminars, independent research essays and discipline-specific theory, plus a third-year independent research project option. Many students take electives across the faculty (Indigenous knowledges, Asian studies, languages other than English) or pick up units in Business, Music or Science.
Example first-year subjects
- Introduction to Sociology
- Australia in the World
- Reading Literature Across Genres
- Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies
- Power, Ideas and Political Change
- Introduction to Linguistics
How you will be assessed
- Essays of 1500 to 3500 words across most units
- Tutorial participation marks of 10 to 20 percent
- Take-home final exams or major research papers in lieu of written exams
- Annotated bibliographies and literature reviews from second year
- Oral presentations and seminar leadership in 3000-level units
- Honours year features a supervised thesis
Career outcomes
- Graduates work in writing, editing and publishing roles across media, government and the not-for-profit sector.
- Many alumni pursue policy and research positions in the public service or NGO sector.
- Common further-study pathways include teaching, law (graduate JD) and a research Honours year.
Typical first jobs
- Policy officer in Queensland Government graduate programs and federal departments
- Editorial assistant in publishing, content and communications
- Communications adviser at NGOs, corporates and Brisbane media outlets
- Electorate officer for state and federal members of parliament
- Research assistant at universities, think tanks and policy NGOs
- Project coordinator in not-for-profits and Queensland arts organisations
Graduate starting salary
$55,000 - $70,000 per year
Source: https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/graduate-outcomes-survey-(gos). Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
UQ runs the BA Honours year (added fourth year, supervised thesis of around 15,000 to 20,000 words) as the standard pipeline into research masters and PhD pathways. Common postgraduate pivots include the Juris Doctor (three years) into law, Master of Teaching (Primary or Secondary, two years) for QCT registration, Master of Museum Studies, Master of Communication and Master of Development Practice. Combined bachelors with Laws, Economics, Science, Education, Music and Business are widely taken at UQ. Top students may also enter the BA (Honours) Extended Major in a single discipline for a research-rich pathway.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Students who enjoy reading 100 plus pages a week and writing long-form essays
- People comfortable defending an argument in small tutorials
- Those willing to design their own pathway across two majors and electives
- Students considering law, journalism, policy or postgraduate teaching
- Independent learners who can manage unstructured study time
It is probably not for you if
- Students who want a structured timetable with one clear career outcome from day one
- Those who prefer technical problems with single correct answers
- Anyone hoping to avoid 2000 to 3000 word research essays
Related courses at UQ
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the The University of Queensland handbook and on QTAC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/uq/bachelor-of-arts.