The purpose of the

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

Faculty of Arts is 'the pursuit, advancement and application of knowledge in the humanities, social and environmental sciences and creative and performing arts'. It offers degrees from undergraduate to PhD level. Entrance into the undergraduate

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

program is competitive, as it is the most popular Arts degree among university applicants in Victoria.

History

The Faculty of Arts was one of the foundation faculties of Monash University. In 1961, the faculty enrolled about 150 students out of a University total of about 360. Today, student enrolments number approximately 7,500. Initially, the Faculty consisted only of the Departments of English, History, Philosophy and Modern Languages (Politics was part of the Economics Faculty). During the 1960s and 70s, this expanded to include a range of new disciplines. Some of these, such as

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and Indonesian, had never previously been taught in Australia. The Faculty's research and teaching became well known due to its depth in studies relating to Asia, which was unusual at the time for an Australian university. With the University's expansion in the 1990s, the Faculty developed a research and teaching presence overseas, in Malaysia, South Africa, and Italy.

Location

The home campus for the Faculty of Arts is

Clayton Campus. However, the Faculty has a teaching and research presence at most of Monash's campuses, including Caulfield, Malaysia, South Africa, and Berwick.

Notable alumni

The Monash Faculty of Arts has produced a number of notable graduates who are currently leaders in their fields, including:

Government, Politics and Law

Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition ...

- Federal Opposition Leader, Victorian President of the ALP, former National Secretary of the AWU, * Daniel Andrews - Victorian Premier, Victorian Labor Leader * Kevin Bell - Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, current President of the

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the Tribunal sits 'below' the Magistrat ...

(VCAT) * Jennifer Coate - Current Coroner of Victoria; first President of the

Children's Court of Victoria The Children's Court of Victoria is a statutory court created in Victoria, Australia. The court deals with criminal offences alleged to be committed by children aged between 10 and 17 and with proceedings concerning children under the age of 17 ...

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

- Longest-serving

Treasurer of Australia The Treasurer of Australia (or Federal Treasurer) is a high ranking official and senior minister of the Crown in the Government of Australia who is the head of the Ministry of the Treasury which is responsible for government expenditure and ...

* Paul Grant - President of the Children's Court of Victoria * Ian Gray - Chief Magistrate of the

Magistrates' Court of Victoria The Magistrates' Court of Victoria is the lowest court in the Australian state of Victoria. The court possesses original jurisdiction over summary offences and indictable offences heard summarily, as well as civil claims up to $100,000. ...

* Felicity Hampel - Prominent

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

lawyer, now Judge of the

County Court of Victoria The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states. The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and civ ...

Alistair Harkness Alistair Ross Harkness (born 7 August 1974, Melbourne) is a former Australian politician and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party. Early life Dr Harkness grew up in Frankston, Victoria, where he attended Frankston ...

- Politician *

Gavin Jennings Gavin Wayne Jennings (born 18 April 1957) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1999 to 2020, representing Melbourne Province (1999–2006) and then the South Eastern Metropolitan R ...

- Former Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change * Simon Molesworth AM QC - Chairman, Australian Council of National Trusts * Brendan O'Connor - Australian Minister for Employment Participation *

Clare O'Neil Clare Ellen O'Neil (born 12 September 1980) is an Australian politician who is the Minister for Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position tha ...

- Youngest female Mayor in Australian history * Robert Ray - Australian Senator and Former Defence Minister *

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...

- Minister for Consumer Affairs * Michael Rozenes - Chief Judge of the

Sharman Stone Sharman Nancy Stone (née Bawden; born 23 April 1951) is a former Australian politician who represented Murray in the Australian House of Representatives between March 1996 and July 2016 as a member of the Liberal Party. She currently serves a ...

- Former Australian Minister for Workforce Participation *

Don Watson Don Watson (born 1949) is an Australian author, screenwriter, former political adviser, and speechwriter. Early life Watson was born in 1949 at Warragul in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and grew up on a farm in nearby Korumburra. Academi ...

- author, chief speechwriter to Prime Minister

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...

* Beth Wilson - Victorian Health Services Commissioner

Media and Arts

Cecilia Dart-Thornton Cecilia Dart-Thornton is an Australian author of fantasy novels, notably the '' Bitterbynde'' Trilogy. Dart-Thornton was educated at Monash University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in sociology. Published works ''The Bitte ...

- Author * Lindy Davies - Actor and Dean of the Victorian College of Arts *

Laurie Duggan Laurence James Duggan (born 1949), known as Laurie Duggan, is an Australian poet, editor, and translator. Life Laurie Duggan was born in Melbourne and attended Monash University, where his friends included the poets Alan Wearne and John A. Sc ...

- Poet * Jon Faine - Melbourne radio presenter *

Max Gillies Maxwell Irvine Gillies AM (born 16 November 1941) is an Australian actor and a founding member of the 1970s experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group. Early life and education Gillies studied art teaching at Frankston Tea ...

AM - Actor/satirist * Andy Griffiths - children's author *

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

- Pianist and composer * Michael Leunig - Cartoonist * Eva Orner -

Academy-Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning film producer * John A. Scott - poet *

Jo Stanley Joanne McFarlane (''née'' Bailey), commonly known as Jo Stanley, is an Australian television and radio presenter and comedian. Stanley was a host of ''Jo & Lehmo'' on Gold 104.3 from 2016 to 2017. She previously hosted ''Weekend Breakfast'' ...

- radio personality *

Alan Wearne Alan Wearne (born 23 July 1948) is an Australian poet. Early life and education Alan Wearne was born on 23 July 1948 and grew up in Melbourne. He studied history at Monash University, where he met the poets Laurie Duggan and John A. Scott. H ...

- Poet

Academia

* Diane Bell - Anthropologist * Michael Clyne - Linguist * Ben Kiernan - Leading researcher in the study of genocide,

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

Stuart Macintyre Stuart Forbes Macintyre (21 April 1947 – 22 November 2021) was an Australian historian, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne from 1999 to 2008. He was voted one of Australia's most influential historians. Early lif ...

- Historian

Business

Fiona Balfour Fiona Balfour is an Australian business executive in the field of information technology. She has been named Chief Information Officer of the Year in Australia four times: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2006 she was awarded the Pearcey Award for ...

- Businesswoman, former

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

and

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

executive * Tony D'Aloisio - Chairman, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) *

Peter Ivany Peter Alexander Ivany (born 1954) is an Australian entrepreneur. He currently runs Ivany Investment Group and is the former CEO of Hoyts (1988–1999). Biography Peter Ivany was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1954. As Chief Executive of Hoyts ...

- Australian media mogul and billionaire *

Naomi Milgrom Naomi Milgrom (; born ) is an Australian businesswoman and philanthropist. Her private company ARJ Group Holdings owns women's clothing retailers Sportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae. Life and business career Milgrom was born in Melbourne, o ...

- Owner and CEO of Sussan Group

Schools

The Faculty has six academic schools in Australia, and two overseas, which are responsible for the creation and dissemination of disciplinary knowledge through individual and group research and through the development of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs.Schools & Centres, Arts, Monash University
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Schools in Australia

* Geography and Environmental Science * Media, Film and Journalism * Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics * Philosophical, Historical and International Studies * Social Sciences * Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance

Schools in Malaysia

* School of Arts and Social Sciences

Schools in South Africa

* School of Social Science

References

External links

Faculty of Arts website

{{Authority control

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...