Arts & Humanities
If you have a passion for communication and for understanding fellow humans, this study area can lead to exciting employment or self-employment opportunities.
Find out moreArts & Humanities at ECU
Communication is fundamental to human existence - we need to understand how people communicate with each other, both verbally and visually.
From understanding language to understanding politics and even understanding mindsets, communication is also a major theme at ECU.
Here, you can study courses as diverse as Media and Communication, Criminology, or Design. Or choose from Psychology, Arts or Counselling courses.
Why ECU?
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Good Universities Guide In the 2020 Good Universities Guide, ECU graduates have given us a 5-star rating for:
- Teaching quality
- Skills development
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Median salary (based on the starting salary for new domestic graduates under age 25, and in their first full-time job.)
The 5-star rating for teaching quality has now been achieved for 13 straight years. We're the only public university in Australia to have achieved such a consistently high endorsement.
Read more about the Good Universities Guide.
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THE Young University Rankings ECU has been ranked in the world's top 150 universities under 50 years old in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Rankings.
Young universities are measured on their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
These are the same performance indicators as measured in the overall THE World University Rankings.
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Specialised Social Science majors We are the only university in Western Australia to offer specialised majors in Children and Family Studies and Human Services within a Social Science program.
This gives our Social Science graduates a broader range of career options.
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Ranked best in Australia ECU received the top undergraduate teaching quality ranking of all public universities in Australia in the 2019 QILT (Quality Indicators for Teaching & Learning) survey.
We're also the top-ranked Australian public university for skills development and overall educational experience (based on two-year aggregated results).
Arts and Humanities disciplines ranked among the best in Australia in the survey:
- Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences – Australia's top university for teaching quality and skills development and top in Western Australia for overall education experience, teaching quality and learning resources.
- Creative Arts – ranked #2 in Australia for teaching quality, skills development and quality of educational experience.
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THE Impact Rankings ECU has been ranked number 6 in the world for Gender Equality and number 11 for Quality Education in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
The rankings show how the global higher education sector is working towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
ECU is ranked in the top 50 overall, and also features at #22 for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and #28 for Good Health and Well-being.
Read more about the THE Impact Rankings
Courses
Our course structures allow you to specialise in one area, or gain expertise in multiple areas. We know that the more multi‑skilled you are, the more likely you'll be able to succeed in today's complex technological, social and creative world.
To increase your chances of finding employment, we mix practical, hands-on experiences and industry placements with a solid theoretical background.
Study areas, degrees and majors
At ECU, we group similar fields of work into study areas – Arts & Humanities is one of them.
Within each study area you can choose a degree, for example a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Counselling.
For some degrees, you can choose a speciality, or major, like Advertising, Fashion, English or Children and Family Studies – or even a double major.
Postgraduate degrees involve coursework or research. For example, a Master of Design (by coursework), or a Master of Criminal Justice by Research.
Arts & Humanities
If you already know what you're interested in, choose a discipline.
Download a guide
If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.
Become World Ready
Experience Arts & Humanities at ECU.
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Photography studio with backdrop and flash hoods -
WA Screen Academy Sound Studio Our Sound Studio on ECU Mount Lawley Campus is one of the postgraduate learning facilities available to WA Screen Academy students.
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ECU Psychological Services Centre The ECU Psychological Services Centre is a modern training facility that provides services to the community.
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Building 10 exterior
Reduce your expenses
Scholarships recognise those whose life journey may have been challenging, as well as students who've shown outstanding academic excellence and endeavour.
A scholarship can help you realise your ambitions by paying for fees, text books and living expenses.
Laura's inventive approach to mental health
Laura Butshiire is studying a Bachelor of Social Work in the hope of one day working as a school social worker – and she is well on the way to achieving her dream.
Laura is already having an impact on the mental well-being of kids. She has run workshops at Clarkson Primary School where dogs, aerobics, basketball, parkour, dance and chalk art were all part of the program to promote mental well-being.
"The aim was to teach students practical ways of becoming more mentally healthy and for children to be able to implement strategies to look after their own mental health which they'll be able to carry through primary school, teen years, and even into adulthood," she said.
Explore your options
Meet students from our History, Politics, Media and Writing courses who are studying at ECU Mount Lawley.
Student
stories
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"The longer I've been here, the more I'm falling in love with Perth"
Melati Enida Binti PahaminBachelor of Arts (Majoring in Psychology and Human Resource Management) One of the main reasons why I decided to study in ECU is because I wanted a new and modern university atmosphere. I also heard the teaching quality is good here and that's important for my development and learning in university. I also chose to study psychology at ECU because this uni focuses on research as well as theory and I have an interest in becoming a researcher in the future.
I would like say to someone who is thinking about studying at ECU is grab this opportunity you will not regret it. Perth is beautiful, there's so much to do and so much to see and ECU has amazing opportunities, helpful lecturers, and beautiful campuses. If you ever feel like you're homesick, join a club or association it will make you feel like you have a sense of belonging. The longer I've been here, the more I’m falling in love with Perth.
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"I wanted more from my job, to be more involved with children and families who are disadvantaged"
Joyce NederpelBachelor of Social Science graduate I worked in childcare for many years and had worked my way up to management. I wanted more from my job, and wanted to be more involved with children and families who are disadvantaged. I attended the 2014 Open Day and spoke to Dr Anna Targowska who pointed me in the right direction in terms of the course I needed to do.
As a student, I never had a bad experience with any lecturer; they were always happy to help, listen and challenge my thinking.
And I didn't know how valuable the networking would be and how many opportunities it would open up. It was so much more than studying further to get a job.
I went to Camp Kulin as camp counsellor, then did my second placement at Foundations Care which opened up a whole new world for me. This was the dream job, the job I have always wanted. It was incredible to learn from and watch my supervisor. I was extremely lucky! I was then offered a job and stayed on at Foundations Care as a case worker, starting my new journey.
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"This is the kind of learning environment that pushes people to really think about things!"
Rebecca BaylisBachelor of Psychological Science student I did a lot of research before deciding on ECU. I wanted to make sure that I would be attending a university that fit with my personality, had a stellar reputation, and would give me the best opportunities post-graduation.
I scoured each university’s website, attended open days, and visited student information centres to speak to representatives face-to-face. ECU checked all the boxes for me. In my opinion, it has the best Psychology program in WA.
As a student, you can never really foresee the things that end up making all the difference. The lecturers at ECU are phenomenal. Nobody is too busy to answer a question or set up a meeting to get assignment feedback and it’s just obvious that they care about the things they are teaching. The level of participation and discussion in my classes is amazing – this is the kind of learning environment that pushes people to really think about things!