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What's the difference between a major and a minor? Unsure how your HSC subjects relate to Arts and Social Sciences? Use this handy page as a guide to help you decide what to study at university.

Say you want to continue studying a subject you’ve enjoyed in your final years of high school, like English, or History. You’ve probably discovered that it isn’t as simple as enrolling in a Bachelor of English or History, because... those degrees don’t exist.

But fear not—you can still study these subjects and develop in-depth knowledge by enrolling in a Bachelor of Arts, a broad degree that offers heaps of subject areas to specialise in.

The first thing you need to know when you enrol in a Bachelor of Arts is that you’ll study a major and a minor.

The technical answer: “A defined sequence of units of study that deepens your experience in a field of study.”

In plain terms, a major is a group of related subjects you’ll take to gain specialised knowledge in a specific area.

Each subject (what we call a “unit of study”) is assigned credit points.

To achieve a major, you need to complete 48 credit points, usually made up of 8 units of study, taken across the duration of your degree.

Minors are very similar to majors—think of them as a smaller group of related subjects that give you knowledge in a specific area.

A minor requires fewer credit points than a major—36 to be exact, usually made up of 6 units of study over the course of your degree.

All of our liberal studies degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Commerce) and the specialist Bachelor of Economics require you to complete a major and a minor (or second major).

We’re glad you asked! Click on an HSC subject below to see our related Arts and Social Sciences majors (and minors). From there, you can learn about each major’s overall aims and specific units of study.

One last thing: this is just a guide! You don’t need to have studied these specific HSC subjects to take on the listed majors and minors. They’re simply suggestions to get you started - you can study any of these areas without prior experience.