About Us

Welcome to the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, where ‘putting leading thought into leading practice’ is our guiding principle.

Our programs encapsulate the notion that our excellence in teaching and learning is shaped by the needs and wants of the professions that we serve. We invite you to explore our relationships with industry, our commitment to global internships, and our passion for research.

Our fundamental aims are: we want to help you to think, research and communicate clearly and creatively. We want to give you access to academic staff and fellow students who can help you develop your intellectual skills and academic abilities. We want to connect you with our many alumni who can assist you through your studies and who can guide your careers.

We encourage you to take advantage of the extraordinary life and study experiences available at The University of Adelaide. You will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with some of the best minds. You can also choose to study overseas at one of our many exchange partners through the Global Learning program, or complete an internship aligned with your interests. For those of you choosing to study on campus, the Faculty is set in Adelaide’s cultural precinct, close to the central business district, within easy reach of the many activities and opportunities the city has to offer.

We look forward to meeting you.

Our schools

  • Learning and teaching

    Student engagement through quality learning is central to the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law & Economics. The Faculty Learning and Teaching Strategic Action Plan, which is aligned with the University's primary goals, means we aim:

    • To provide a distinctive learning experience of high quality for our students, and to produce graduates whose knowledge and attributes enable them to have significant impact within their communities.
    • To ensure that the University of Adelaide is regarded as the University of first choice for students through excellent program offerings, innovative delivery and high-quality supervision of research, and the provision of quality student administration and support services.

    The Faculty values the diverse learning community of students preparing for a range of professions and acknowledges that each student engages in learning in different ways based on their background, educational experiences and their socio-cultural identity. We value this diversity and strive to shape our teaching to be responsive to individual differences through state of the art pedagogies, flexible approaches to course delivery and technologically enhanced learning opportunities.

    Further, we have strong relationships with industry partners so that the knowledge construction that underpins learning in this Faculty results in graduates who demonstrate professional attributes that are highly respected in the field, both locally and internationally.

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    Study alongside leading researchers in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law & Economics. With undergraduate, postgraduate, honours and masters on offer, the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law & Economics provides students with studies in many different disciplines.

    Our graduates have gone into the community prepared to make an lasting impact on the world. The Faculty of Arts is also home to the first indigenous Rhodes Scholar, Rebecca Richards.

    Discover our programs

  • Our research

    Research in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law & Economics encompasses a wide variety of disciplinary approaches to documenting, clarifying, shaping and enriching thought and behaviour, policy and planning. Research undertaken by the Faculty is independently ranked by the Excellence in Research Initiative for Australia (ERA). 

    Our research has been ranked as at, above, or well above world standard in creative writing, performing arts, demography, philosophy, anthropology and development studies, human geography, political science and historical studies. 

    One of our Research Centres, the J.M Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice was established in recognition of our first Nobel Prize winner, J.M. Coetzee. One of the most lauded of living writers, J.M. Coetzee's work is an inspiration for the centre's activities in terms of excellence and engagement with social and political issues.

    We also actively build research strengths through a number of means including applications for nationally competitive research fellowships and grants, internal funding schemes and our acclaimed research centres.

    Discover our research

  • Graduate attributes

    1. Deep discipline knowledge

    Our graduates hold relevant professional skills which are:

    • accredited or validated against national or international standards
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active or aware educators from year 1
    • developed through experience and access to relevant data and materials
    • the basis for the capability for future learning and application in complex contexts

    2. Critical thinking and problem solving

    Our graduates are able to provide creative and innovative solutions to problems, by applying ways of thinking which are steeped in the research methods of their disciplines, based on

    • the use of valid reliable quantitative and qualitative evidence
    • a professionally relevant and academically rigorous approach to managing information and knowledge, and
    • familiarity with real-life contexts honed through workplace-based learning

    3. Teamwork and communication skills

    Our graduates' teamwork and communication skills are encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning.

    These skills:

    • are built through extensive experience of working cooperatively in small groups, including through the small group discovery experience, and
    • include the capability to communicate with different audiences, in multi-disciplinary teams in a variety of modes

    4. Career and leadership readiness

    Our graduates:

    • are technology savvy
    • are professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • are forward thinking and well informed
    • have capabilities tested and validated through structured and supervised work-based experiences, and
    • have a commitment to contribute to desirable social outcomes in our community

    5. Intercultural and ethical competency

    Our graduates:

    • are adept at operating in other cultures and other groups in our community
    • are comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • have an international study experience
    • can operate ethically in complex contexts, and
    • have an understanding of indigenous knowledge.

    6. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Our graduates have the experience of developing their capacities for self-awareness, reflection, and processing emotional information to operate more effectively in the workplace and social situations.