The Melbourne curriculum

How does our curriculum work?

You start with a three-year bachelors degree. Once completed, you can advance to graduate study to gain specialised knowledge. Or, enter the workforce with a broad knowledge base and career-ready skills.

Choose a major

Making up one third of your subjects, a major is the subject area you’ll focus on during your undergraduate degree. Each degree has a different set of majors. For example, if you’re studying a Bachelor of Design, you might choose to major in Architecture or Construction. Or in a Bachelor of Commerce, you might pick a major in Management or Finance. In some of our courses, you can choose to do a double major.

Depending on your degree, you can focus on your major straight away in first year, or explore other subjects before deciding on what major you want to pursue.

Choose your undergraduate degree

We offer seven bachelors degrees in the Melbourne curriculum – arts, biomedicine, commerce, design, fine arts, music, and science – covering over 100 different study areas. We also offer specialist degrees in agriculture and oral health, where everything you study is structured for your chosen discipline.

Discovery subjects

Designed to support your introduction to University, discovery subjects are core first-year subjects within each undergraduate degree that offer varying experiences and delivery modes. These subjects connect your studies to outside the classroom, showing you how your degree can address real-world problems.

Branch out your studies

Breadth study

In addition to the subjects offered in your core area of study, you can also take subjects from other disciplines – like marketing, genetics or philosophy – or test out subjects you’re thinking of pursuing in a graduate degree – like law, development studies or urban design.

Breadth allows you to explore beyond your study area to build an interdisciplinary skillset, so you’ll be capable of critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and leadership in a vastly broad range of professions.

Concurrent diplomas

You have the option to study an extra qualification alongside your degree. If you’re a passionate musician, programmer or mathematician, or have an interest in languages, you can enrol in one of four concurrent diplomas alongside your bachelors degree - computing, languages, mathematics or music.

Complete an honours degree

Honours is an additional year of specialised study you can do after completing your undergraduate degree. Honours degrees combine advanced coursework with an independent research project, guided by an academic supervisor. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself further, build research skills and set yourself up for graduate coursework or research (like a masters or PhD).

We offer eight honours courses:

• Bachelor of Agriculture (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Biomedicine (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Design (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Medical Science (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Music (Degree with Honours)
• Bachelor of Science (Degree with Honours)

Advance to graduate study

Following your bachelors degree, you can continue your studies to gain advanced expertise and skills. Choose from more than 200 graduate degrees including masters, doctoral and research specialisations.

Graduate study connects you to globally leading research and partnerships, and can provide professional accreditation for some professions.

By completing an undergraduate degree followed by a graduate degree, you’ll emerge with a globally recognised credential and a competitive advantage in the employment market.