Course overview

Build a degree tailored to your interests with a Bachelor of Health Sciences/Bachelor of Arts. This flexible and diverse degree will equip you with a unique skill set that will unlock wide-ranging career opportunities and give you a competitive edge in the job market. You will develop specialist knowledge in your chosen disciplines and learn how to apply critical, creative and strategic thinking to solve real-world issues.

Your studies in the arts will arm you with transferable skills in communication, research, analysis and problem-solving, making you highly employable in many areas. You will also gain a solid grounding in multiple fields of health sciences, preparing you for a successful career in the largest and fastest-growing employment sector in Australia, with employment in Health Care and Social Assistance projected to grow by 15.8% by 2026.

Are you looking to develop a cross-disciplinary skill set that empowers you to design your own future?

This combined degree gives you the freedom to choose majors based on your interests to connect and expand your career prospects. You will study equal parts health sciences and arts, ensuring you graduate with a well-developed skill set in both disciplines.

Build a solid foundation in health while developing your skills across a range of arts, communications, humanities and social science disciplines. Create original course combinations by choosing majors including (but not limited to):

• strategic advertising
• criminology
• disability and inclusion
• education
• family, society and health
• food studies
• health, nature and sustainability
• health promotion
• international relations
• sport journalism
• media and communication
• physical activity and health
• politics and policy studies
• public health
• sociology
• sport and society.

Opportunities to pursue work-integrated learning experiences and industry practicums are available throughout the course, including the Health Science Practicum offered in third year, giving you the option to complete a 120 hour practice education placement.

You will gain invaluable experience by immersing yourself in your chosen field – whether it’s helping to design public relations campaigns for major food companies or working at grassroots level in the community through health education programs.

You will also have the opportunity to experience different cultures by taking your studies abroad. You could find yourself working on community health projects in Fiji or studying politics and policy in Norway. Various in-country and authentic virtual global experiences are offered through the course. Gain a global perspective that will give you an international outlook and a competitive edge.

Course structure

To complete the Bachelor of Health Sciences/Bachelor of Arts students must attain 32 credit points. Most units (think of units as 'subjects') are equal to 1 credit point. In order to gain 32 credit points you will need to study 32 units (AKA 'subjects') over your entire degree. Most students choose to study 4 units per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters each year.

You must fulfil the requirements of each of the two degrees in your course of study.

The course comprises a total of 32 credit points which must include:

• 16 credit points from the Faculty of Health including 6 compulsory core units in the Bachelor of Health Sciences PLUS one major (6 credit points) and one minor (4 credit points)
• 16 credit points from the Faculty of Arts comprising of core units in either the Global Challenge sequence (3 credit points) or Employability sequence (3 credit points) PLUS one major sequence (8 credit points) as described under course A310 Bachelor of Arts. The remaining credit point(s) may be used to undertake a Bachelor of Arts minor sequence or to take additional elective units chosen from the Bachelor of Arts. A minimum of 4 credit points at level 3 of Arts coded units. 

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate course work students are required to complete HAI010 Academic Integrity in their first trimester of study (0 credit point compulsory unit).

Intakes by location

The availability of a course varies across locations and intakes. This means that a course offered in Trimester 1 may not be offered in the same location for Trimester 2 or 3. Check each intake for up-to-date information on when and where you can commence your studies.

Additional course information

Course duration - additional information

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. Please refer to the relevant unit guide.

Workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Work experience

Work Integrated Learning

A core unit at third-year level, based on inter-professional learning (IPL), provides students the opportunity to draw together their cross-disciplinary learning to demonstrate the knowledge and the skills they have acquired throughout the course and apply them to real-world issues. HSH324 Integrated Learning for Practice involves interdisciplinary teams working to develop responses to real-world problems for presentation to a professional audience.

Recognition of prior learning

If you have completed previous studies which you believe may reduce the number of units you have to complete at Deakin, indicate in the appropriate section on your application that you wish to be considered for Recognition of Prior Learning. You will need to provide a certified copy of your previous course details so your credit can be determined. If you are eligible, your offer letter will then contain information about your Recognition of Prior Learning.
Your Recognition of Prior Learning is formally approved prior to your enrolment at Deakin during the Enrolment and Orientation Program. You must bring original documents relating to your previous study so that this approval can occur.

Entry pathways

This course provides a pathway to higher degree by research courses (if students undertake an additional Honours year) and other postgraduate coursework programs.

Careers

Career outcomes

Your career outcomes will depend on the majors you complete with this degree.

Studying health sciences could lead you into careers in areas such as:

• community health
• counselling
• disability and inclusion
• environmental health
• health education
• health promotion
• nutrition
• regional health service planning
• sports development.

An arts degree provides you with solid transferable skills that can be applied across diverse industries and careers. Depending on your majors, you could find yourself in fields such as:

• advertising and marketing
• business
• education
• ethnic affairs
• government
• international relations
• media
• politics and policy
• public relations.

Your majors could also help you pursue careers where your degrees overlap. Careers such as health media, food writing, international relations and public relations for health and food organisations all require the skills acquired from both health science and arts degrees.