The purpose of the Monash University Faculty of Arts is 'the pursuit, advancement and application of knowledge in the humanities, social and environmental sciences and creative and performing arts'. It offers degrees from undergraduate to PhD level. Entrance into the undergraduate Bachelor of Arts program is competitive, as it is the most popular Arts degree among university applicants in Victoria.
The Faculty of Arts was one of the foundation faculties of Monash University. In 1961, the faculty enrolled about 150 students out of a University total of about 360. At the peak of enrolments in Arts in Australia in the 1970s, the faculty taught 11,000 students. Today, student enrolments number approximately 7,500.
Initially, the Faculty consisted only of the Departments of English, History, Philosophy and Modern Languages (Politics was part of the Economics Faculty). During the 1960s and 70s, this expanded to include a range of new disciplines. Some of these, such as sociology and Indonesian, had never previously been taught in Australia. The Faculty's research and teaching became well known due to its depth in studies relating to Asia, which was unusual at the time for an Australian university.
With the University's expansion in the 1990s, the Faculty developed a research and teaching presence overseas, in Malaysia, South Africa, and Italy.
The home campus for the Faculty of Arts is Monash University Clayton Campus. However, the Faculty has a teaching and research presence at most of Monash's campuses, including Caulfield, Malaysia, South Africa, and Berwick.
The Monash Faculty of Arts has produced a number of notable graduates who are currently leaders in their fields, including:
Government, Politics and Law
Bill Shorten - Federal Opposition Leader, Victorian President of the ALP, former National Secretary of the AWU,Daniel Andrews - Victorian Premier, Victorian Labor LeaderKevin Bell - Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, current President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)Jennifer Coate - Current Coroner of Victoria; first President of the Children's Court of VictoriaPeter Costello - Longest-serving Treasurer of AustraliaPaul Grant - President of the Children's Court of VictoriaIan Gray - Chief Magistrate of the Magistrates' Court of VictoriaFelicity Hampel - Prominent human rights lawyer, now Judge of the County Court of VictoriaAlistair Harkness - PoliticianGavin Jennings - Former Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate ChangeSimon Molesworth AM QC - Chairman, Australian Council of National TrustsBrendan O'Connor - Australian Minister for Employment ParticipationClare O'Neil - Youngest female Mayor in Australian historyRobert Ray - Australian Senator and Former Defence MinisterTony Robinson - Minister for Consumer AffairsMichael Rozenes - Chief Judge of the County Court of VictoriaSharman Stone- Former Australian Minister for Workforce ParticipationDon Watson - author, chief speechwriter to Prime Minister Paul KeatingBeth Wilson - Victorian Health Services CommissionerCecilia Dart-Thornton - AuthorLindy Davies - Actor and Dean of the Victorian College of ArtsLaurie Duggan - PoetJon Faine - Melbourne radio presenterMax Gillies AM - Actor/satiristAndy Griffiths - children's authorLeslie Howard - Pianist and composerSue Howard - Director of Radio and Regional Content, Australian Broadcasting CorporationMichael Leunig - CartoonistEva Orner - Academy-Award winning film producerJohn A. Scott - poetJo Stanley - radio personalityAlan Wearne - PoetDiane Bell - AnthropologistMichael Clyne - LinguistBen Kiernan - Leading researcher in the study of genocide, Yale UniversityStuart Macintyre - HistorianFiona Balfour - Businesswoman, former Qantas and Telstra executiveTony D'Aloisio - Chairman, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)Peter Ivany - Australian media mogul and billionaireNaomi Milgrom - Owner and CEO of Sussan GroupThe Faculty has six academic schools in Australia, and two overseas, which are responsible for the creation and dissemination of disciplinary knowledge through individual and group research and through the development of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs.
Geography and Environmental ScienceMedia, Film and JournalismLanguages, Literatures, Cultures and LinguisticsPhilosophical, Historical and International StudiesSocial SciencesSir Zelman Cowen School of MusicSchool of Arts and Social SciencesSchool of Social Science