Go to Courses and units

Bachelor of Philosophy (X3P)

Overview Career outcomes Course structure Entry requirements Fees & scholarships
Apply now

Overview (2027)

Key Information

Duration

Minimum 1.5 years, up to a maximum of 7 years.

This course is available to study as both part-time or full-time
Duration
Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Location

Online
Semester 1, Semester 2, Summer, Spring, Winter

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.

Grace Williams, Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws, and Bachelor of Philosophy student

The Bachelor of Philosophy is a companion degree for high achieving students who are critical and creative thinkers. People who are motivated to become the thought and action leaders of the future, who want to embrace the world around them, expand their university experience to include multi-disciplinary perspectives, and affect positive change wherever their future careers take them.

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.

Study without tuition fees in 2026

For domestic students, the Bachelor of Philosophy is offered with 100% tuition fee scholarship for students commencing in 2026. This means you pay NO tuition fees!

  • 1 Develop, apply and integrate knowledge in a disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and/or professional context.
  • 2 Communicate professional and disciplinary information and ideas to diverse audiences in effective and appropriate ways.
  • 3 Conceptualise, negotiate and plan projects or investigations that consider disciplinary or multi-disciplinary perspectives and issues of ethics and integrity.
  • 4 Conduct and evaluate projects, or investigations, that address questions or issues through application of disciplinary or multi-disciplinary methodologies and consideration of global perspectives.
  • 5 Develop and demonstrate interpersonal skills to communicate, collaborate and negotiate with people from diverse global cultures and/or backgrounds and/or disciplines.
  • 6 Work, learn and plan for future learning in both independent and collaborative ways in a range of disciplinary, multi-disciplinary, global and/or professional contexts.

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.

Cameron Scott, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business, and Bachelor of Philosophy graduate

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

The Bachelor of Philosophy requires 300 credit points (equivalent to 24 standard units of study) to complete, the same as most Bachelor degrees. The difference with this degree is that half that requirement is met by achieving graduation requirements which are a) the successful completion of your principal degree, with a GPA of 5.5 or higher; AND b) the successful completion of 150 credit points of study under the BPhil, also achieving a GPA of 5.5 or higher.

This means you only need 150 credit points (12 standard units of study, or equivalent) in addition to completion of your principal degree to graduate with the Bachelor of Philosophy. You must achieve a graduation GPA of 5.5 or higher in both degree programmes (your principal degree AND the BPhil) in order to graduate with the Bachelor of Philosophy.

You can complete those units in parallel with your principal degree so that when you graduate from that, you also graduate from the Bachelor of Philosophy, OR within seven (7) years from admission into the BPhil.

To ensure you receive a true multidisciplinary experience, you can choose a maximum of 75 credit points (Six 12.5cp units or equivalent) from any single stream:

  • Research
  • Leadership and Service
  • Cultural Understanding
  • Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Note: Some College-based units require the completion of prerequisites; it is the students' responsibility to ensure these prerequisites have been met and/or negotiate other arrangements with the coordinator of the unit.

The units below are ONLY A SAMPLE of those available. For additional information, please email the Course Coordinator at B.Phil@utas.edu.au.

Entry requirements

Domestic applicants who recently completed secondary education (in the past two years)

To be eligible for an offer, you must:

  • Apply for, and be accepted into a Bachelor course at UTAS; and

  • Have an ATAR of 90 or above. This is the minimum ATAR needed for your application to be considered. Applicants are ranked by ATAR and offers made based on the number of places available.

Domestic applicants with higher education study
To be eligible for an offer, you must have:

  • Have completed a course at Bachelor level within the past three years and have marks equivalent to a grade point average of 5.5 on a seven-point scale; or

  • Be currently enrolled in a UTAS Bachelor degree, have completed at least six units of study (75 credit points) and have a UTAS grade point average of 5.5.

You can enquire online for advice on converting your results into grade point average on a seven-point scale.

Domestic applicants with VET / TAFE study

Applicants are not admitted to this course on the basis of prior VET / TAFE study.

Applications on the basis of work or life experience

Applicants are not admitted to this course on the basis of prior work or life experience. 

Special Consideration
If your ability to access or participate in education has been affected by circumstances beyond your control, you can apply for special consideration as part of your application. We will consider a range of factors for special consideration, including economic hardship, a serious medical condition or disability.

We can only approve applications for special consideration where we are confident that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in your studies. If your application is not approved, the admissions team will work with you to find the best alternative pathway to your chosen course. Special consideration is not available for international applicants.

We encourage you to apply for the courses you most want to study. If you are not eligible to enter your chosen course right now, the UTAS admissions team will work with you to find the best pathway option. 

Enquire online for advice on the application process and the available pathways to study at UTAS.

Admissions information for international applicants, including English language requirements, is available from the International Future Students site.

This course is only open to international students who are enrolled in a Bachelor degree onshore and who have completed one year of full time study. International students must be able to complete the Bachelor of Philosophy course requirements within the time permitted by the CoE for their principal degree.

International students should discuss the possibility of enrolling in the Bachelor of Philosophy with the BPhil course coordinator.

Units completed within the BPhil may be credited towards another award if students fail to maintain an acceptable GPA and are ineligible to be awarded the Bachelor of Philosophy, the Associate Degree in Philosophy or the Diploma of Philosophy.

Detailed admissions information and advice for all undergraduate courses, including comprehensive, course-level student profiles, is available from UTAS Admissions.

Fees & scholarships

Domestic students

Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available for this course. For eligible domestic students, this means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.

Commonwealth Supported Place indicative annual fee: $12,337

How is this calculated?

This is an estimate. The calculation is based on the average full-time enrolment for this course in 2026. All figures are indicative only for 2027. Actual tuition fees will depend on specific unit enrolment, and are subject to annual increases each year. You can find the complete fee details for each unit of study on the individual unit pages. The units for this course are found in the course structure section of this page.

These figures do not include other costs such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). For further information, please visit Scholarships, fees and costs.

HECS-HELP loans

You may be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.

Further information on student loans and a CSP eligibility checker can be found at Australian Government Study Assist.

Domestic scholarships

Domestic students

The Bachelor of Philosophy is offered with a 100% HECS tuition fee scholarship for eligible domestic students studying in 2025. This means you can have NO tuition fees to pay.

Fee scholarship details

For domestic students studying in 2025, we are pleased to offer this degree with a 100% HECS tuition fee scholarship. The scholarship does not include Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF). This scholarship is not available for OUA students.

This scholarship is valid provided that the following eligibility criteria are met. If you are eligible, the HECS tuition fee scholarship will be automatically applied upon enrolment. This scholarship is valid for units offered in 2025 only.

  1. You are an Australian citizen or permanent resident (i.e. eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place [CSP]).
  2. You are enrolled in the Bachelor of Philosophy and commence study in 2025.
  3. You must be enrolled in a minimum of one unit and must remain enrolled until after the University Census Date relevant to the semester of study. If you are on an approved Leave of Absence (LOA), you are exempt from this requirement for the duration of your approved LOA.
  4. To retain this fee scholarship, you must engage with your enrolled units. If you have not engaged and receive a result of AN (Absent deemed failed) for all enrolled units in a given study period, will not retain the scholarship/discount from the following study period onward. You cannot then apply to have the scholarship/discount reinstated.
  5. You are not excluded from the course based on academic progress or misconduct.

While your tuition fees are completely covered by the HECS tuition fee scholarship, please note you will still be required to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

If you have questions about your enrolment or scholarship, please contact us at course.info@utas.edu.au.

For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.

Continuing students

If you are a continuing student, please contact UConnect for fee scholarship information relevant to your enrolment.

Course year 2027

View 2026 course information

View 2025 course information

View previous years course information

Useful links

Share this page

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

Email

Course.Info@utas.edu.au

Online

Online enquiries

Next steps

Enquire How to apply Scholarships