Study Aotearoa New Zealand’s most flexible arts degree
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is a three-year degree that allows you explore what you’re passionate about and set yourself on a path to a fulfilling career.
Throughout your study, you’ll be encouraged to think about how you can contribute to an internationally connected society. You’ll gain research, analysis, and communication skills which are valued in any workplace.
The BA will give you insights into cultures, languages, art, history, politics, and societies that will challenge your thinking and expand your view of the world.
Study for the Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington allows you to explore your passions while gaining valuable skills for your career.
Why Wellington
We’ve offered the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences for over a century, with many of our subjects consistently ranked in the world’s top 100 in the QS World University Rankings. Whatever area you want to explore, you’ll be joining a community that values understanding people, culture, and society.
As the capital, Wellington sits at the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand’s political life and the creative economy. From Wētā FX, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, connect with and learn from leaders making their mark.
What you’ll learn
In your BA courses—sometimes called papers—you’ll learn about:
- communication and creativity
- research and critical thinking
- how to apply analytical tools.
You’ll customise what you learn about when you choose courses for your majors and minors.
Year breakdown
First year
Explore up to three majors in your first year. Discover your passions and develop a broad base of learning before you decide what to focus on.
Second year
You’ll take 200-level courses in your chosen majors and any optional minors. And you’ll explore key issues in your subject area through research and practical projects.
Third year
You’ll complete the final required courses for your chosen majors and any optional minors. You’ll graduate with the skills needed to step confidently into your career.
Degree support and advice
We can help you match your interests and career goals with the right course of study.
If you’re a new student, talk to a Future Student Adviser.
If you’re already studying with us, talk to Tītoko—Student Success.
How our degrees work
Flexible, or structured? Learn more about the different types of undergraduate degrees at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for domestic students
- Requirements for students who completed secondary school in:
If you live in New Zealand and are a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand or Australia, you're considered a domestic student.
Some citizens of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau may automatically hold New Zealand citizenship.
Diplomatic residents living in New Zealand are also regarded as domestic students.
To be accepted into this qualification, you need:
A New Zealand university entrance qualification or equivalent.
Entry for domestic students
- Your acceptance to this programme is based on your previous qualifications or experience.
- If you’re not sure what admission type you are, you can use our tool to check.
Degree requirements
Excerpt from the regulations for the BA
For this degree, you’ll need to complete at least 360 points, of which:
- A maximum of 180 points can be at 100 level
- At least 180 points must be at 200 and 300 level. Of these:
- at least 75 points must be from the BA schedule
- at least 75 points must be from 300-level courses.
You'll also need to meet the requirements for at least one major subject.
- 300-level courses may only be counted towards one major.
Majors in the BA
Majors are the subjects you focus your degree on.
Explore more degree options by adding an optional second major or minor. How our flexible degrees work.
Major subjects and requirements
Explore your major options below.
BA subjects
Asian Studies
Classical Studies
Cultural Anthropology
Data Science
Development Studies
Education for the Environment
Educational Psychology
English Literature
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Studies
Gender and Sexuality Studies
International Relations
Kaitiakitanga
Language Sciences
Māori Studies
Media Studies
Mental Health Principles and Applications
Modern Language Studies
Pacific Studies
Political Science
Psychological Science
Public Policy
Samoan Studies / Matā‘upu tau Sāmoa
Study of Religion
Te Reo Māori
21 of 44 major subjects shown
Change filtersNo matching majors found.
Second major subjects
You can choose to add an optional second major from within the BA or from another degree. Explore your options for a second major below.
Accounting
Actuarial Science
Animation and Visual Effects
Architecture History and Theory
Artificial Intelligence
Asian Studies
Audio Production and Recording
Biology
Biotechnology
Brain Sciences & Mental Health
Cell and Molecular Bioscience
Chemistry
Classical Performance
Classical Studies
Climate Science
Cognitive Science
Commercial Law
Communication Design
Computer Science
Criminal Justice & Psychology
Cultural Anthropology
Data Science
Design for Social Innovation
Development Studies
Digital Health
Digital Intelligence
Digital Mus & Audio Production
Earth Science
Ecology and Biodiversity
Education for the Environment
Educational Psychology
Electronic / Computer Systems
Electronic Music
English Literature
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Fashion Design Technology
Finance
Game Design
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Health Informatics
Health Policy and Innovation
Health Promotion
Health Psychology
Human Genetics
Human Resource Management and Employment Relations
Industrial Design
Information Systems
Instrumental/Vocal Composition
Interaction Design
Intercultural Communication
International Business
International Relations
Jazz Performance
Kaitiakitanga
Language Sciences
Literary and Creative Communication
Management
Māori Psychology
Māori Studies
Marine Biology
Marketing
Marketing Communication
Media Studies
Mental Health Principles and Applications
Modern Language Studies
Molecular Pathology
Molecular Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry
Music Studies
Pacific Studies
Physical Activity & Hauora
Physics
Political Communication
Political Science
Popular Music Studies
Population Health, Policy and Service Delivery
Psychological Science
Public Policy
Samoan Studies / Matā‘upu tau Sāmoa
Science Communication
Songwriting
Space Science
Statistics
Study of Religion
Sustainability and Ethics in Business
Taxation
Te Reo Māori
Tourism Management
Work and Organisational Psychology
21 of 109 major subjects shown
Change filtersNo matching majors found.
Select an optional minor subject
Add another dimension to your degree by choosing an optional minor. Most major BA subjects are also available as minors. You can also choose minors from our other degrees, like the BCom or BSc.
Some subjects are only available as minors. While most minors require 60 points at 200- and 300-level, there are a few minors with other specific requirements.
Minor subjects and requirements
Start planning your study
Use the tiles below to find out how you could include the selected minor in your degree. Not all major and minor combinations are available, so talk to us before you lock down your plan of study. Talk to us.
BA minor subjects
Accounting
Actuarial Science
Animation and Visual Effects
Applied Physics
Architecture
Architecture History and Theory
Art History
Artificial Intelligence
Asian Studies
Banking
Biology
Biotechnology
Brain Sciences & Mental Health
Business Ethics and Sustainability Management
Cell and Molecular Bioscience
Chemistry
Chinese
Classical Studies
Cognitive Science
Commercial Law
Communication Design
Composition
Computer Graphics
Computer Graphics and Games
Computer Science
Creative Writing
Criminal Justice & Psychology
Criminology
Cultural Anthropology
Data Science
Design for Social Innovation
Development Studies
Digital Health
Ecology and Biodiversity
Econometrics
Economics
Education
Education for the Environment
Educational Psychology
Electronic / Computer Systems
English Literature
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Fashion Design Technology
Film
Finance
French
Game Design
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Geographic Information Science
Geography
Geology
Geophysics
Geophysics (Meteorology)
German
Greek
Health Informatics
Health Policy and Innovation
Health Promotion
Health Psychology
History
Human Resource and Industrial Relations
Human Resource Management and Employment Relations
Industrial Design
Information Systems
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Studies
Interaction Design
Intercultural Communication
Interior Architecture
International Business
International Relations
Italian
Japanese
Kaitiakitanga
Landscape Architecture
Language Sciences
Latin
Linguistics
Literary and Creative Communication
Management
Māori Psychology
Māori Studies
Marine Biology
Marketing
Marketing Communication
Mathematics
Media Design
Media Studies
Mental Health Principles and Applications
Modern Language Studies
Music
Music Technology
New Zealand Sign Language
Pacific Studies
Performance
Philosophy
Photographics
Physical Activity & Hauora
Physical Geography
Physics
Political Communication
Political Science
Popular Music Studies
Population Health, Policy and Service Delivery
Psychological Science
Public Policy
Renewable Energy Systems
Samoan Studies / Matā‘upu tau Sāmoa
Science Communication
Science in Society
Social Policy
Sociology
Space Science
Spanish
Statistics
Study of Religion
Taxation
Te Reo Māori
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Theatre
Tourism Management
Work and Organisational Psychology
21 of 123 minor subjects shown
Change filtersNo matching minors found.
Build your degree
We offer the most flexible Bachelor of Arts in Aotearoa, which means that there’s more than one way for you to study. You must do at least one major as part of your BA.
Some of your options include:
- a double major—specialise in two subjects chosen from over 40 Bachelor of Arts majors
- a second major from a different degree—study a wider range of subjects without doing another degree by choosing from over 90 other majors across the University
- a minor—specialise in one or more subjects without doing as many courses as for a major
- elective courses that aren’t part of your major—these can be courses from other degrees that expand the scope of your studies.
Combining your BA with another degree
A conjoint degree lets you to complete two undergraduate degrees in a shorter time than it would take to complete them separately.
You do fewer courses for each degree, so you can complete both of them within four to six years of full-time study.
Students often pair their BA with a:
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Popular Music
- Bachelor of Science.
A conjoint degree can help you find specialised jobs and prepare for changes in your career by giving you a broader range of knowledge.
These degrees involve a more intense study schedule, so it’s a good idea to talk to a student adviser to create a plan that suits you.
Future careers
BA graduates work in a wide range of roles that make the most of their communication, analysis, creative, and critical thinking skills. Graduates are employed in every part of the workforce.
The kind of role and industry you’ll work in depends on your chosen subject.
- media, arts, and culture
- governmental and non-governmental agencies
- education
- social services
- research and development
- heritage organisations.
FHSS Internship
The FHSS Internship course run by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences helps develop practical workplace experience.
More career information
Find out more about careers.
The government careers website, Tahatū, offers more information about jobs, salaries, and current opportunities.
Scholarships
You may be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies.
We have first-year and school-leaver scholarships available, as well as specialised scholarships for different groups and subject areas. If nothing fits right now, something may suit you later.
We encourage you to apply. It's a straightforward process, and it could make a real difference.
Scholarships for arts and humanities
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This scholarship is for students undertaking or intending to undertake an Honours or Masters degree at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington in areas related to Peace Building or Peace Studies, Trust Building, Conflict Resolution, addressing Historical Injustice, Restorative Justice, Social Cohesion, Community building and promoting cross-cultural understanding, Change Making or Ethical Leadership.
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The Brian Murray Fox Scholarship in History offers an opportunity to students who are intending to undertake their second, third or Honours year of their degree at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington in the year following application.
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The Brian Murray Fox Scholarship in English Literature offers an opportunity to students who are intending to undertake their second, third or Honours year of their degree at Te Herenga Waka Victoria—University of Wellington in the year following application.
Scholarships for international students
We are currently offering a NZ$15,000 VUW Undergraduate International Scholarship to all eligible international students enrolling in a Bachelor’s degree.
Your scholarship will be processed automatically when your programme application is accepted, and the amount will be deducted from your tuition fees.
We also have specialised scholarships for different groups and subject areas.
Scholarships for arts and humanities
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This scholarship was established in 1980 by the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt. Hon. Sir John Marshall, GBE, CH, BA, LLM, Hon. LLD, to encourage the study of Political Science at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. The Scholarship was extended to include International Relations.
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This scholarship was established to encourage students to complete a major in Language Sciences at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, and continue to further study or careers in this field.
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This scholarship is to assist students in the last year of their first Bachelors degree at Victoria University of Wellington. The scholarship fund will be awarded equally between male and female students.
Globally ranked
Our Bachelor of Arts is ranked in the top 150 worldwide for Arts and Humanities in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
The QS World University Rankings is an annual global publication that gives overall rankings and subject rankings for more than 1,500 universities worldwide.
Postgraduate study
After you finish your degree, there are plenty of postgraduate study options. You could focus on research or coursework, for example through an Honours or Master’s degree.
In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, you’ll join a talented team of internationally recognised researchers doing innovative work.
Beyond Master's level, if you want to take your research further, you could apply to do a PhD.
Accommodation
Live in accommodation close to campus at one of our:
- catered halls of residence
- self-catered apartments or flats
- self-catered studios.
We provide care and support across our halls and flatting communities.
Get help to manage your finances
We can help you:
- budget your money
- manage your student loan or allowance
- work out your accommodation payment schedule.
And if you're ever having trouble with money, talk with us. You could be eligible for government or community support, and we have a hardship fund for financial emergencies.
Apply for a New Zealand study visa
You’ll need to apply for a study visa if you plan to study with us as an international student.
You should apply for your visa after you’ve received your Offer of Place, and before you come to New Zealand.
Wellington Global Exchange
If you're a current student at Victoria University of Wellington, you can complete part of your degree overseas. Choose from our 140 partner universities worldwide.
Study Abroad and Exchange Programme
If you're an overseas student, you can spend a trimester or a year at Victoria University of Wellington. You'll earn credits at your home university while you study here.