Bachelor of International Studies

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of International Studies
Deakin course code	A326
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Online	Yes
Duration	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2025. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	075375D Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Dive into diverse cultures and build a global career by studying Deakin’s Bachelor of International Studies. If you are interested in different cultures, languages and perspectives outside of your own, this experience-rich course gives you a deep understanding of the international forces shaping the world today.

The Bachelor of International Studies is a degree that can take you anywhere. Gain an understanding of globalisation and development, global power and capitalism and build your intercultural communication skills through core units. Combine these foundation skills with specialised study in your area of interest and add value to your degree through one of our many international experiences.

Ready to create a global career?

First-hand experiences in other countries and cultures let you develop the practical and soft skills required to pursue a global career. You might see yourself studying at an overseas university, completing an in-person or virtual internationally focussed internship in Australia or overseas, mastering a new language through an In-Country Language Program or completing a short study tour.

It’s this international experience, combined with engaging course content delivered by teachers with extensive industry experience, that allows you to develop a systematic understanding of other cultures and societies. Feel confident about analysing and interpreting the international forces shaping government, business and community life in contemporary Australia, and impress employers with intercultural skills and experience.

Get even more out of your degree by choosing from nine majors to match your unique career aspirations. Your major allows you to become an expert in a specialty area, and the knowledge you will build will act as a bridge between you and your dream job.

Career opportunities

The professional, social and personal experiences on offer throughout this course prepare you for employment in a range of areas in the private and public sector including:

businesses with an international orientation
communications
defence
diplomacy
education
finance
immigration
NGOs with regional and global links
trade and aid.

If you’re considering further study, Deakin’s honours program and postgraduate pathways can open up a world of research and employment opportunities in Australia and abroad.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT.

Participation requirements

Elective units may be selected that include work-based training or community-based learning. Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Alternative exits

Diploma of Arts (A215)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Review, analyse and apply key concepts in International Studies relating to international politics and society, globalisation and development, intercultural competency, global citizenship and professional development with reference to one or more Social Science disciplinary perspectives and appropriate theories and technical knowledge.
Communication	Apply learnings from personal and professional development in diverse organizational contexts to effectively communicate cross-cultural ideas, arguments and analyses to diverse audiences using a range of different mediums.
Digital literacy	Employ a range of digital technologies and platforms to conduct research, engage in discussion and debate, document personal and professional skills and attributes, communicate effectively with and deliver reports and presentations to a diverse range of audiences within and outside the field of International Studies.
Critical thinking	Analyse and critically evaluate conceptual and theoretical approaches to issues of international politics and society, intercultural competency, global citizenship, and professional development in the context of an increasingly complex globalised world that requires appreciation of local, national, regional and international dynamics and their interactions.
Problem solving	Employ initiative and creativity in conjunction with appropriate Social Science methods of research and analysis to systematically investigate and generate context-sensitive and pragmatic solutions to complex real-world problems.
Self-management	Exercise autonomy, responsibility, accountability and a sustained and ongoing commitment to learning and skill development in International Studies contexts including but not limited to communities of practice and scholarship.
Teamwork	Work and learn collaboratively and productively with others in the field of International Studies and with stakeholders from other disciplines and backgrounds to achieve shared goals.
Global citizenship	Analyse and respond appropriately to issues of cultural, social and political inequity; the transferability of knowledge and skills in different geographic, knowledge and organisational contexts as a reflective scholar and practitioner, taking into consideration cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility and adherence to professional and academic ethical standards.

Approved by Faculty Board November 2020

Course rules

To complete the Bachelor of International Studies students must pass 24 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
6 credit points of core units
1 major (8 credit points)
a minimum 2 credit points of approved international experience
remaining credit points which may comprise of:
- 1 additional major
- additional electives
a maximum of 8 credit points taken outside the Faculty of Arts and Education
a maximum of 10 credit points at level 1
a minimum of 6 credit points at level 3

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Note:

It is envisaged that students would complete the international experience in the third or fourth year of their course.

Majors

Refer to the details of each major sequence for availability.

International Relations

Middle East Studies

Politics and Policy Studies

Spanish

~ The Indigenous Studies major sequence is offered in the online mode only. International on-campus students must first seek approval from Student Central with a course map plan to ensure they do not exceed one-third (or equivalent) of their course completed online and meet all other course and enrolment rules.

Course structure

Core units

AIS101

Intercultural Communication

AIS102

Working in International Contexts (previously AIS201)

AIR200

Global Capitalism and Power

AIS204

Gender, Globalisation and Development

AIS303

International Studies Capstone Portfolio

AIS304

International Futures

International Experience

All students must complete at least 2 credit points of international experience, selected from one or more of the following:

trimester of study at an overseas university exchange partner
international internship (AIS330 or AIS331)
in-country language program (in Chinese, Indonesian, Arabic, or Spanish)
approved study abroad program or approved study tour (AIS203 or other)
approved onshore internship with an international organisation (available for AIS330 only).
2 credit points of consecutive language units other than an in-country language program can be taken to achieve one credit point of the international experience requirement

AIS203

Immersion Program: Japanese Politics, Society and Culture

AIS330, AIS331 - Internship units are normally undertaken in third year (or equivalent) and are subject to completion of specified prerequisite units and special application requirements, including Unit Chair approval of their planned placement.

AIS330

International Internship A (2 credit points)

AIS331

International Internship B (4 credit points)

For further information regarding the in-country language programs, refer to the major sequences in Indonesian, Chinese and Arabic.

For further information on the international student experience and on previous students' overseas internships, explore Arts and Education WIL opportunities.

Work experience

Elective units may provide additional opportunities for Work Integrated Learning experiences.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Other learning experiences

All students are required to complete a minimum of 2 credit points of international experience (see International Experience, above)