Studying UWA's Bachelor of Arts lets you cultivate your passions while developing the transferable skills that employers need and an Arts degree provides.

Transferable skills are sometimes referred to as 'people skills' because they're about personal attributes that are essential in every industry. Importantly, these skills can never be automated, ensuring you’ll be ready and well equipped for work.

Political Science and International Relations

Societies can only continue to exist if they solve the problem of internal order and are able to protect themselves from external threats. This major focuses on the ways in which states and peoples interact with other states, regional or global political organisations, and social movements in an increasingly interdependent world. Gain an understanding of how government is organised; of values such as liberty, participation, majority rule and minority rights, which inform political institutions and public policy; and of ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism, feminism and environmentalism, which have motivated much political action in modern societies.

Political Science and International Relations graduates are trained in critical thinking, problem-solving, the ability to identify connections between global, national and local phenomena, research and analysis, cross-cultural awareness, and oral and written communication skills. These skills prepare students for a wide range of occupations.

Graduates of this major are not only found in political parties, ministers’ offices and parliament – many pursue careers in Commonwealth or WA public services including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Graduates often go on to policy and research positions in international, national and local government agencies, in the private sector, non-governmental and community organisations, in parliament, political parties and electoral agencies; or use their training as a basis for further study in law, social work the media and the education sector.