Explore your passion for humanities, arts and social sciences at Murdoch, and find out what makes our school unique.
Do you find culture or politics fascinating? Perhaps you want a career helping others or embracing your creative side? Well, HASS might just be the path for you.
Learn more about Murdoch University’s School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and how we can get your budding career off to a flying start.
What is HASS?
At its core, HASS is about humans and how we interact with others and the world around us. It’s the lens through which we look at things on a deeper level, studying our shared existence through language, culture, society, history, politics, and the environment.
Take history, for example. We devour dramas about royal sagas and power struggles (e.g. The Crown, Henry VIII, and Game of Thrones which drew inspiration from the War of the Roses). We debate the zeitgeist of generations like Gen Z vs Millennials, read about intriguing First Nations stories, and ponder how the pyramids were built. We’re captivated by TikToks and Ted Talks on plagues and Grimms’ fairy tales. We read articles and books about cultural suppression and religion, connecting the dots to present-day conflicts. So, as you can see, history is all around us. History – and HASS – flows through almost every subject imaginable.
Read about the diverse careers open to our graduates.
A day in the life of a HASS student
What will your day look like? As a student you might:
- Discuss solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing problems.
- Edit a creative writing piece to showcase at a national competition.
- Work on a sustainable development project at an environmental agency.
- Stretch your legs and practice your dance performance in our purpose-built theatre.
- Discuss the complexities of political decisions around the world.
- Discover the ways crime organisations commit cyber-attacks.
- Learn what drives and sustains poverty and inequality.
- Practice your Indonesian language skills, and
- Read how colonialism has had a lasting impact on today’s society.
There’s always something new and interesting going on in HASS.
The Murdoch difference
Studying a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Global Security at our school means you join a vibrant and diverse community that strives to create positive change. We are Western Australia’s top university for HASS with recognition from industry and respected educational sources:
- A QS Five-star rating for full-time employment for Humanities, Culture and Social Sciences.
- #1 in WA for full-time employment and median graduate income after one year for Humanities, Culture and Social Sciences, as recognised by the Good Universities Guide 2024.
- Ranked in the top 15 universities in the country for Social Sciences by Times Higher Education Rankings 2023.
You’ll have a variety of great majors at your fingertips. You might choose to focus on a topic you have intense interest in; something that makes you want to scream it from the rooftops and investigate every last drop of data. Perhaps you could find a new angle on a topic area where nobody has really put an argument together before. Or if you have a wide range of interests, you can try out multiple different subjects to find the one of your dreams.
Beyond the classroom
There are lots of opportunities available off-campus, too:
- Internships. Gain valuable experience nationally and internationally. Like Karis, an International Aid and Development graduate who interned in Indonesia at the Business Export Development Organisation and with the Sumatra Rainforest Organisation.
- Work placements. You could be developing projects and campaigns that create positive change in people’s lives, with a community group, private organisation, NGO, or government agency.
- Study tours. Join an international study tour over the summer or winter break alongside students from your study area.
- Study abroad. Make lifelong memories while studying for one or two semesters at one of our partner universities in Asia, North America, or Europe.
Choose your adventure: which major will you pick?
This is the very beginning of a new chapter – one that could alter the trajectory of your life.
We have two undergraduate degrees with a range of pathways to choose from. The Bachelor of Arts offers more than a dozen majors while our Bachelor of Global Security has four majors. As a general guide, the Bachelor of Arts explores issues that arise from our past, shape our present, and determine our future. On the other hand, a Bachelor of Global Security looks at the security challenges of our present and future world, including political conflict and environmental change.
Get to know our school and the courses we offer in more detail.
Your future awaits
Murdoch University’s School of HASS is highly respected. We have strong ties to industry, world-class research facilities, and we partner with leaders and official bodies in each field to make sure our curriculum is fresh. This means our graduates are job-ready with the skills needed to make an impact in their chosen profession.
We are also proud to be a diverse and inclusive community, embracing the values of Ngala Kwop Biddi, Building a Brighter Future, Together. So no matter who you are, you’re welcome at Murdoch.