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 more

Arts & 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?

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.
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.
Good Universities Guide

In the 2019 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 12 years in a row. We're one of only two public universities in Australia to have achieved such a consistently high endorsement.
Read more about the Good Universities Guide.
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
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.

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.

Download a guide

If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.

Study area guide Undergraduate course guide Postgraduate course guide International student guide

Become World Ready

Experience Arts & Humanities at ECU.

Don McAlpine Output Suite

The Don McAlpine Output Suite on ECU Mount Lawley Campus is one of the postgraduate learning facilities available to WA Screen Academy students.
Postgraduate Broadcasting Radio Studio

Students using the Postgraduate Broadcasting Radio Studio facilities on our ECU Mount Lawley Campus.
Radio ECU studios

Broadcasting and Journalism students in the new Radio ECU studios on Mount Lawley Campus.
ArtsHum exhibition

Visual Arts student Melissa Fry creating her exhibit for ArtsHum, the annual graduate exhibition at Mount Lawley Campus.

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.

Realise your dream with our scholarships

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 majoring in Graphic Design, Interactive Multimedia and Environmental and Spatial Design at ECU Mount Lawley.

Student
stories

"I would definitely recommend ECU"

Bernadine TuckerMaster of Criminal Justice by Research graduate

One of the best skills I obtained from undertaking this study was how to critically analyse situations and propose reasoned arguments in response.
Additionally, my writing skills enhanced significantly, giving me the confidence and ability to write substantial technical reports and proposals.
My qualification has certainly helped me obtain senior employment opportunities and progress to a State Manager level.
"As a person with two disabilities, there are many challenges to be faced in tertiary education"

Vanessa VlajkovicMedia and Communication student

I have always loved reading and writing and I have a natural curiosity about the world around me, so journalism seemed like the ideal choice of major for me.
ECU has excellent facilities and the staff are very accommodating.
Being deafblind means I've had to advocate a lot for myself at uni, this has lead to a great improvement in my advocacy skills and my confidence, especially when communicating what I need and what works for me.
"I’ve always had an interest in marketing, advertising and PR"

Pia CampbellMarketing, Advertising and PR graduate

Marketing, Advertising and PR work hand-in-hand in the real world, so it made sense to unite them at uni too. The combined degree at ECU allowed me to study all three. We experienced the end-to-end process from PR consultant, to journalist, to publishing in classes that mirrored the real world. One of my units was held in an awesome computer lab where we were plugged in to live blogs and industry news – this was a great way to learn how to write a timely and successful press release.