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With some of Australia's leading scholars and innovators in the inter-disciplinary fields of biography, public culture and digital humanities, and national cultural institutes and archives at your fingertips, there's no better place to study liberal arts than ANU.
Incorporating public heritage, history and writing, archives, biographical research and digital humanities studies, a Master of Liberal Arts allows you to draw on our innovative world leading staff and strong industry connections and partnerships to develop your professional expertise and experience.
You can take a broad range of courses, or choose to specialise in:
- Public humanities and culture
- Biographical research and writing
Career Options
Employment Opportunities
A Master of Liberal Arts will advance your career in the professional museums, collections or heritage sectors, the public service, government and non-government organisations, and academia. It also leads in to our active PhD program.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:
- Reflect critically with sophisticated analysis on the key concepts from the various disciplines that contribute to the broad field of Liberal Arts.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of, and engagement with the historical, political, institutional and cultural frameworks for contemporary practices in one or more of museums, heritage arena, visual cultures, public humanities and biographical research and writing in Australia and internationally.
- Demonstrate effective communication and independent conceptual thinking and research relevant to the field.
- Develop a strong and critical understanding of interdisciplinary methodologies and theoretical debates alongside an ability to apply these in professional contexts.
The Master of Liberal Arts requires completion of 96 units, which must consist of:
A minimum of 12 units from completion of research courses from the following list:
HUMN8007 Cultural and Environmental Heritage Research Project
HUMN8012 Writing, World Histories and Lives: Research Project
HUMN8013 Writing, World Histories and Lives: Special topics
HUMN8017 Writing, World Histories and Lives: Extended Research Project
HUMN8018 Cultural and Environmental Heritage: Extended Research Project
HUMN8022 Physical Conservation of Historic Heritage Places
HUMN8023 Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
HUMN8024 Digital Humanities: Theories and Projects
HUMN8026 Writing in the Public Sphere
HUMN8027 Critical issues in Heritage and Museum Studies
MUSC8004 Internship 1
MUSC8005 Internship 2
MUSC8008 Museums, Art and Society in the Asia-Pacific
MUSC8009 Museums and Collections: Research Project
MUSC8011 Museums and Collections: Extended Research Project
Either:
24 units from completion of one of the following specialisations:
Biographical Research and Writing
Public Humanities and Culture
A maximum of 36 units from completion of courses on the following list:
ANCH6013 Ancient World in Film
ANCH6014 Homer and the Trojan War
ANCH6023 State, sanctuary and community: archaeology of settlement and memory in ancient Greece
ANCH6101 Cultures in conflict: Greeks, Romans and others in southern Italy and Sicily
ANCH6501 Travellers and Geographers in Antiquity
ANCH6502 Bad neighbours: evidence of Athenian life from 4th century law-court speeches
ANCH6504 Warfare in the Greek and Roman worlds
ANCH6505 A region in antiquity: Gallipoli and western Turkey
ANTH8041 Photography in Social Context
ARCH8104 An Introduction to Cultural and Environmental Heritage
ARTH6043 Modernism and Postmodernism in Art and Design: 1850-2000
ARTH6045 Curatorship Theory and Practice
ARTH6050 Photography: A history in art
ARTH6056 Art and architecture of Southast Asia: Tradition and Transformation
ARTH6057 The art and politics of collecting
ARTH6598 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
ARTH8004 Exploring Asian Art in Asia
ARTH8013 East-West Interactions in Art
ARTV6104 Cool old masters
ARTV8100 Points Of View
ARTV8107 Arguing Objects
DART8067 New Media Innovation and research 1
DART8071 New Media Innovation and research 2
ENGL6020 16th, 17th and 18th Century Literature
ENGL6021 Nineteenth Century US Literature
ENGL6022 19th and 20th Century Literature
ENGL6023 Jane Austen History and Fiction
ENGL6024 Australian Crimes: Crime Narratives on Page, Stage and Screen
ENGL6025 Contemporary Australian Writing
ENGL6026 Creative Writing 3 Advanced Fiction
ENGL6027 Empire and its Fictions
ENGL6028 Literature and Human Rights
ENGL6029 Modern American Fiction
ENGL6030 Modern Australian Drama
ENGL6031 Modernist Literature 1890-1940
ENGL6032 Poetry in English from Shakespeare to Postmodernism
ENGL6033 Post-Colonial Literature
ENGL6034 Renaissance Drama
ENGL6035 20th Century American Drama
ENGL6036 Victorian Literature
ENGL8018 Re-Making Literature: Topics In Reading And Analysing Genre
ENGL8019 Reading Context: Topics In Production And Reception Of Texts
ENGL8021 Creative Reading: Topics In Theory, Methodology And Interpretation
EURO8003 The European Union: Regional Integration in Comparative Perspective.
GREK6101 Intermediate Ancient Greek
GREK6112 Continuing Ancient Greek
GREK6125 Advanced Ancient Greek
HIST6007 Making History
HIST6110 Approaches to History
HIST6121 Electric Citizens: The Rise of the Modern Media in the United States 1865-2000
HIST6133 Human Variations and Racism in Western Culture c 1450-1950
HIST6213 Real Men: Manhood and Identity in the Western World
HIST6229 Sexuality in Australian History
HIST8003 Digital Histories and Biographies
HIST8004 Biographical Research Project
HIST8010 Biographical Practices
HIST8011 Writing Biography
HIST8012 Oral History, Memory and Life Writing
HIST8013 Australian Dictionary of Biography Internship
HIST8016 Settler Societies and Indigenous Encounters
HIST8021 Readings in History
HUMN8001 Interdisciplinary Humanities Research: Methods, Theories and Skills
HUMN8006 Best Practice in Managing Heritage Places
HUMN8008 World Rock Art: Global Perspectives on Rock Art Research
HUMN8009 Biography and Society
HUMN8010 Material Culture Studies
HUMN8019 World Heritage: conserving cultural heritage values
LATN6002 Continuing Latin
LATN6101 Intermediate Latin
LATN6125 Advanced Latin
LING6001 Introduction to the Study of Language
LING6002 Language and Society
LING6005 Language Change and Linguistic Reconstruction
LING6015 Language, Culture and Translation
LING6018 Languages in Contact
LING6021 Cross Cultural Communication
LING6103 Language, Power and Identity
LING6311 Language and Social Interaction
LING6023 Dictionaries and Dictionary-makingMUSC8006 Indigenous Collections and Exhibitions
MUSC8012 Understanding Learning in Museums and Heritage
MUSC8013 Museum Education and Heritage Interpretation Study Tour
MUSC8016 Museum Learning: The Politics of Dress
MUSC8017 Museums and Collections: Key Concepts and Practices
MUSC8018 Exhibition Design and Delivery
Or:
A maximum of 60 units from completion of courses on the following list:
ANCH6013 Ancient World in Film
ANCH6014 Homer and the Trojan War
ANCH6023 State, sanctuary and community: archaeology of settlement and memory in ancient Greece
ANCH6101 Cultures in conflict: Greeks, Romans and others in southern Italy and Sicily
ANCH6501 Travellers and Geographers in Antiquity
ANCH6502 Bad neighbours: evidence of Athenian life from 4th century law-court speeches
ANCH6504 Warfare in the Greek and Roman worlds
ANCH6505 A region in antiquity: Gallipoli and western Turkey
ANTH8041 Photography in Social Context
ARCH8104 An Introduction to Cultural and Environmental Heritage
ARTH6043 Modernism and Postmodernism in design
ARTH6045 Curatorship Theory and Practice
ARTH6050 Photography: A history in art
ARTH6056 Art and architecture of Southast Asia: Tradition and Transformation
ARTH6057 The art and politics of collecting
ARTH6598 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
ARTH8004 Exploring Asian Art in Asia
ARTH8013 East-West Interactions in Art
ARTV6104 Cool old masters
ARTV8100 Points Of View
ARTV8107 Arguing Objects
DART8067 New Media Innovation and research 1
DART8071 New Media Innovation and research 2
ENGL6020 16th, 17th and 18th Century Literature
ENGL6021 Nineteenth Century US Literature
ENGL6022 19th and 20th Century Literature
ENGL6023 Jane Austen History and Fiction
ENGL6024 Australian Crimes: Crime Narratives on Page, Stage and Screen
ENGL6025 Contemporary Australian Writing
ENGL6026 Creative Writing 3 Advanced Fiction
ENGL6027 Empire and its Fictions
ENGL6028 Literature and Human Rights
ENGL6029 Modern American Fiction
ENGL6030 Modern Australian Drama
ENGL6031 Modernist Literature 1890-1940
ENGL6032 Poetry in English from Shakespeare to Postmodernism
ENGL6033 Post-Colonial Literature
ENGL6034 Renaissance Drama
ENGL6035 20th Century American Drama
ENGL6036 Victorian Literature
ENGL8018 Re-Making Literature: Topics In Reading And Analysing Genre
ENGL8019 Reading Context: Topics In Production And Reception Of Texts
ENGL8021 Creative Reading: Topics In Theory, Methodology And Interpretation
EURO8003 The European Union: Regional Integration in Comparative Perspective.
GREK6101 Intermediate Ancient Greek
GREK6112 Continuing Ancient Greek
GREK6125 Advanced Ancient Greek
HIST6007 Making History
HIST6110 Approaches to History
HIST6121 Electric Citizens: The Rise of the Modern Media in the United States 1865-2000
HIST6133 Human Variations and Racism in Western Culture c 1450-1950
HIST6213 Real Men: Manhood and Identity in the Western World
HIST6229 Sexuality in Australian History
HIST8003 Digital Histories and Biographies
HIST8004 Biographical Research Project
HIST8010 Biographical Practices
HIST8012 Oral History, Memory and Life Writing
HIST8011 Writing Biography
HIST8013 Australian Dictionary of Biography Internship
HIST8016 Settler Societies and Indigenous Encounters
HIST8021 Readings in History
HUMN8001 Interdisciplinary Humanities Research: Methods, Theories and Skills
HUMN8006 Best Practice in Managing Heritage Places
HUMN8008 World Rock Art: Global Perspectives on Rock Art Research
HUMN8009 Biography and Society
HUMN8010 Material Culture Studies
HUMN8019 World Heritage: conserving cultural heritage values
LATN6002 Continuing Latin
LATN6101 Intermediate Latin
LATN6125 Advanced Latin
LING6001 Intro to Study of Language
LING6002 Language and Society
LING6005 Language Change and Linguistic Reconstruction
LING6015 Language, Culture and Translation
LING6018 Languages in Contact
LING6021 Cross Cultural Communication
LING6103 Language, Power and Identity
LING6311 Language and Social Interaction
LING6023 Dictionaries and Dictionary-makingMUSC8006 Indigenous Collections and Exhibitions
MUSC8012 Understanding Learning in Museums and Heritage
MUSC8013 Museum Education and Heritage Interpretation Study Tour
MUSC8016 Museum Learning: The Politics of Dress
MUSC8017 Museums and Collections: Key Concepts and Practices
MUSC8018 Exhibition Design and Delivery
24 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU
Specialisations
- Biographical Research and Writing
- Museum Education and Heritage Interpretation
- Public Humanities and Culture
A Bachelor degree or international equivalent with an average mark of at least 65%
All applicants must meet the University's English Language Admission Requirements for Students
Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit.
Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.
Cognate disciplines
History, Ancient History, Museum Studies, Politics, Sociology, Archaeology, Social Sciences, Philosophy, English, Gender Studies; Fine Arts; Creative Arts; Anthropology; Classics; English; Environmental Management; Environmental History; Visual Arts.
Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.
- ✔️ Flexible study schedule
- ✔️ Experienced teachers
- ✔️ Certificate upon completion
📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.
ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.
Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are. Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.
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