Overview 2021
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The Bachelor of Philosophy is an amazing opportunity to extend beyond the traditional confines of a structured degree. The freedom to learn for the sake of enjoyment is what attracted me to the Bachelor of Philosophy. I love its openness, as it allows me to have a creative outlet whilst completing my principal degree.
It’s a degree built of your choosing that you generally study in parallel with your principal degree, with unit options covering research, leadership and service, cultural understanding, and multidisciplinary perspectives. There is a particular focus on transferable, multidisciplinary skills, and cultural engagement, with many units breaking the classroom/exam tradition and providing you the option to undertake projects within local, state, national or even international communities.
As a true high achiever reward program, domestic students who qualify for this program currently also receive a full HECS scholarship, meaning you can get a second degree full of amazing and enriching experiences for no extra cost while you complete your main degree.
For further information on the BPhil, please contact the Course Coordinator on B.Phil@utas.edu.au.
Course objectives
This degree is designed to challenge and inspire high achieving students, provide a wealth of multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience, and build a broad set of transferrable soft skills that will give you an edge in your future careers.
While you can choose a range of units to suit your particular tastes and interests, all students who complete this program will graduate with core set of skills, knowledge and experience. You will have a high-level of professional communication skills, multi-disciplinary project planning and management experience, collaboration and negotiation skills across a range of cultures, backgrounds and disciplines, and a global perspective that is invaluable when applying your knowledge to shape the world.
Bachelor of Philosophy graduates are the leaders of tomorrow, and this degree expands your education experience to provide the breadth of skills, knowledge and experience you need to excel in whatever path you pursue.
Practical experience
The units that you choose to build your Bachelor of Philosophy can deliver a breadth of practical experience unlike any other degree. The study options are grouped into four streams, each offering a unique range of experiences for you to take advantage.
Research
The units in the research stream are ideal for developing skills and knowledge that prepare you for undertaking research honours, and potentially continuing down a research pathway with a research higher degree (Masters by Research, or PhD).
You can undertake research projects on topics of your choice, supported by supervisors, across a wide range of arts, science and business units, and other disciplines by negotiation. This allows you to put your knowledge into practice, expand the scope of your studies, and simultaneously learn valuable time, people and project management skills at the same time.
Leadership and service
While your degree delivers a depth of discipline knowledge, the Bachelor of Philosophy can provide genuine skills and experience in leadership, entrepreneurship, community engagement and people management that will help you become a leader in your chosen field.
Units in this stream are focussed on getting you thinking strategically and being involved with people, both within the University context, as well as local, national and international communities. We aim to get you out of the classroom and into the real world, for real world experience. You can get credit for activities as diverse as engaging with charity and community groups, working as a student representative on boards and committees, and being a support leader amongst your peers.
Cultural Understanding
The world is a fascinating, diverse place, and the thought and action leaders of the future need skills and knowledge that crosses borders, cultures, races and ethnicities.
Units in this stream are for the explorers, providing options to get out into the world and focus on capturing and maximising the learning and personal development that takes place during cross-cultural encounters, including international exchange, internships and in-country study.
Multidisciplinary perspectives
Adaptability is the key to survival, and for our high achievers to thrive in a complex, multi-disciplinary world they need skills, knowledge and experience that covers multiple disciplines. This stream provides an opportunity to gain a range of complementary perspectives, building a comprehensive set of tools you can use to solve problems and affect change.
Choose units that expand your learning through project, collaboration and practical experiences with marketing, tourism, management, art, theatre, law, sociology, environmental sustainability, and much more. Prepare yourself to meet the complex challenges of tomorrow with units that investigate topics such as international relations and trade, legal and ethical considerations of biotechnology, or climate change policy. It’s a multi-disciplinary world, and to succeed you need a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Career outcomes
Throughout the BPhil I was on a journey of leadership and service and that has continued to this day.
The BPhil has instilled in me a desire to be constantly engaging in professional development. In many ways, it was the icing on the cake for my university experience as the practical nature complemented the theoretical concepts studied in my primary degree BA-BBus so well.
The Bachelor of Philosophy provides complementary skills, knowledge and experiences that make you an adaptable, motivated and valuable leader in whatever career path(s) you choose.
The breadth and depth of what you can study in the Bachelor of Philosophy will give you the confidence to shape the world whenever you choose to apply yourself. Employers are looking for people who are both technically capable in their profession, and have demonstrated experience in the multi-disciplinary soft skills such as people, time and project management. For future leaders, these skills become even more valuable as you engage in diverse, complex business environments.
The multicultural and global perspectives you can establish with this degree will help you to engage with stakeholders across multiple business units, organisations, states, and even countries. Careers in the public and private sector, at all scales and locations, are increasingly interconnected with each other, and dealing with an ever-diversifying range of clients, so these global perspectives become life-long tools you’ll use time and again.
I graduated in 2015 with a combined BA-BBus and BPhil, with my main area of focus in the BPhil being Leadership and Service. In this stream of study, programs included Effective Speaking, Public Relations, the Vice-Chancellor’s Leadership Award and a range of Entrepreneurship units. I was even able to base a unit around my experiences working in a summer camp in the USA through Bringing the World Back Home and undertake an internship in Nepal for a Not for Profit Organisation through Professional Placement in Asia! These innovative and outside the box programs well and truly set me up for my career and equipped me with the tools necessary to approach challenging situations daily.
Fast-forward 2 years I am now working as a Recruitment Consultant. I work in an industry that is constantly changing, and in order to be on top of my game, I am required to adapt quickly to challenging situations and effectively plan strategically. Through the innovative units on offer, I was able to develop a strong set of soft skills and gain a foundation in bigger picture strategic thinking.
Cameron Scott, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business, and Bachelor of Philosophy graduate
Course structure
Entry requirements
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
International students
International students should refer to the International Students course fees page to get an indicative course cost.
Scholarships
Domestic Students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards to students from all walks of life, including: those who have achieved high academic results, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, students with sporting ability, students undertaking overseas study, and students with a disability.
For information on all scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
International students
There are a huge range of scholarships, bursaries and fee discounts available for international students studying at the University of Tasmania. For more information on these, visit the Tasmanian International Scholarships (TIS) website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries