The interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts (Sustainable Development) addresses some of the most crucial issues facing the world today, including climate change, environmental protection, the use of scarce resources such as water and fossil fuels, and fair and equitable economic growth for communities. With an emphasis on practical solutions, this course builds connections between theory and practice and integrates environmental, economic, and community considerations. Students have the opportunity to specialise in areas such as urban or regional sustainability, overseas aid and development, and climate change.
Sustainability is an emerging growth industry and profession. Graduates progress to successful careers in the State and Commonwealth public sectors; local councils and non-government organisations (NGOs); research institutes; national and international aid organisations; as well as in industry, tourism, media, education, and resource sectors of the economy.
Please note: This degree is not offered in the standard Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 course structure with all 24 units of equal value. Refer to the Award Requirements and Recommended Study Pattern for further information.
Career Outcomes
You may choose to pursue employment in a range of federal, state or local government agencies or with non-government organisations concerned with the environment. Graduates may also find employment in a wide range of businesses such as mining, agriculture and urban development.
Special Requirements
Murdoch University’s undergraduate degrees have a course structures that is different from the standard OUA undergraduate degree.
• The standard university undergraduate degree in Australia as offered through OUA requires the completion of 24 units of equal value
• This Murdoch University degree calculates the award requirements in credit points only and students can complete this undergraduate degree with fewer than 24 units. .Although there are fewer units in a Murdoch degree, the cost is the same as for other OUA degrees.
• The value of units in this degree is:
PART 1
3 credit point (0.125 EFTSL) units which are equivalent to all the standard university undergraduate units offered through OUA with the same OUA unit fee.
PART 2
4 credit point (0.167 EFTSL) units which are unique to Murdoch University and have a higher OUA unit fee than the standard university undergraduate unit fee. The higher unit fee is because of the higher EFTSL value and is in proportion to the number of units students need to complete a Murdoch degree. There is no increase in the overall cost of the degree.
Award Requirements
To qualify for the Murdoch University Bachelor of Arts (Sustainable Development) students must complete 72 credit points.
• This requirement is structured into 24 points of Part 1 units and 48 points of Part 2 units.
• Students can only include one Foundation unit in the degree.
• The degree will normally take three years for fulltime students but part-time students may take up to ten years to complete the course.
• Students must complete all of the core requirements from the Murdoch University units for this course to graduate with a Murdoch BA in Sustainable Development.
Please note: Refer to Special Requirements for further information about unit details and fees for this course. Students are recommended to Register in this course before starting their Part 2 units to receive enrolment advice from Murdoch University.
Recognition of Prior Learning / Credit
Students may be eligible for credit for previous studies. When applying for credit, students will need to provide documentation, including original transcripts of academic records or certified copies, unit outlines and an explanation of the grading system. This must be sent to the Open Universities Australia Liaison Team at Murdoch University. Please note that credit cannot be gained for subjects completed more than 10 years ago. To obtain an Application for Advanced Standing Form, please email OUA@murdoch.edu.au.
Registering in this Course
Students are recommended to register for the degree with Murdoch University before commencing their Part 2 units to receive enrolment advice. A fee of $250 is payable on registration. To obtain an Application for Registration Form, please email OUA@murdoch.edu.au
Recommended Study Pattern
To get the most from this course, students are recommended to follow these steps:
PART 1 (total of 24 points)
• Students who have not studied at university before are recommended to start with SSK12 Introduction to University Learning as one of their Part 1 General Electives.
• Complete the Foundation unit from ISU102, ISU103, ISU110, or ISU11 (3 points).
• Complete six Part 1 core units (18 points).
• Complete one Level 1 or Part 1 General Elective from any OUA unit (3 points).
PART 2 (total of 48 points)
• Complete five Core units (20 points)
• Complete two Specified Electives (8 points)
• Complete General electives (20 points)
Course Structure
Electives
PART 1
General Electives: Students may select their 3 point General Elective from any OUA unit. Students new to university study may want to enrol in SSK12 Introduction to University Learning as their Part 1 General Elective
PART 2
Specified electives: Students must select their 8 points of Specified Electives from the list below.
General electives: Students may select their 20 points of General Electives from the list of units from the Community Development and Sustainable Energy Management units listed below.
BA (Sustainable Development) students may also choose non-Murdoch 3 point units as Part 2 General Electives in their degree but are advised to seek enrolment advice from Murdoch University.
Please note: OUA students interested in studying any Murdoch 4 point units as electives towards a non-Murdoch degree should contact their university for approval before enrolling in the unit. 4 point units have a higher unit fee because of their higher EFTSL and this may have credit implications if completed for a non-Murdoch degree.
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PART 1 Foundation Units
Total number of units to complete:
1 unit
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2012 Availability
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Optional Units: Complete
1 unit
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4 units
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PART 1 Core units
Total number of units to complete:
6 units
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Unit name
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2012 Availability
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Required Units: Complete the following
6 units
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Murdoch
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Murdoch
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ENV104
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Australian Environmental Issues
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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Students may select their Level 1 or Part I General Elective from any OUA unit. It is highly recommended that one of these units be SSK12 Introduction to University
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PART 2 Core units
Total number of units to complete:
5 units
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Unit name
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Provider
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2012 Availability
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Required Units: Complete the following
5 units
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Murdoch
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SUS206
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Sustainability Ethics
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SUS212
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Global and Regional Sustainability
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SUS214
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Sustainability, Ecology and Communities
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SUS220
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Cities and Sustainability
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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Part 2 Murdoch units are 4 point units and not the standard 3 point OUA units.
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PART 2 Specified Electives
Total number of units to complete:
2 units
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Select
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Unit code
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Unit name
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Provider
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2012 Availability
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Optional Units: Complete
2 units
from the following
3 units
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Murdoch
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SUS303
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Sustainability and Social Justice: the non-profit sector
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SUS330
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Cities and Innovation
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2014
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Part 2 Murdoch units are 4 point units and not the standard 3 point OUA units
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PART 2 General electives - Sustainable Energy Management
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2012 Availability
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Murdoch
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Murdoch
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SEM287
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Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SEM393
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Energy Economics
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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SEM390
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Energy Systems
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2014
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SEM391
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Energy Policy
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2014
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SEM374
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Innovation Management
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2014
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Murdoch
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BA (Sustainable Development) students complete 20 points of General Electives: any 6 Murdoch Part 2 units. Students interested in studying Level 2 & 3 OUA units as Part 2 General electives in their degree should contact Murdoch University for enrolment advice
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PART 2 General electives - Community Development
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2012 Availability
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Murdoch
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SOC222
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Social research methods
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Murdoch
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Coming in 2013
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Murdoch
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Murdoch
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Murdoch
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BA (Sustainable Development) students complete 20 points of General Electives: any 6 Murdoch Part 2 units. Students interested in studying Level 2 & 3 OUA units as Part 2 General electives in their degree should contact Murdoch University for enrolment advice
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