The Faculty of Arts is one of the largest faculties at the University of Melbourne. It is the University's home of teaching and research in the humanities, social sciences and languages.
Although teaching of the arts and humanities at the University of Melbourne began when the University was first opened to students in 1855, the Faculty of Arts was not officially opened until 1903.
The current Dean is leading expert and researcher in government and social policy, Professor Mark Considine.
As part of one of Australia's largest research institutions, the Faculty of Arts is home to many researchers who are working on publicly and privately funded research projects. These projects range from archaeology to contemporary art.
Research output contributes to the world rankings of the University of Melbourne which in 2013 ranked 23 for Arts and Humanities and 23 for Social Sciences.
Notable academics who are currently taking part in research at the Faculty of Arts include:
The Faculty is home to the University's Bachelor of Arts, which was the first degree offered at the University in 1855.
The Bachelor of Arts is a key part of the University of Melbourne's unique curriculum. The University was the first in Australia to align its education more with that offered in Europe and North America and to offer a broad education at the undergraduate level with specialised options at the graduate level. Since the launch of this revised structure the degree has become the most popular in the state of Victoria based on how many high school students select it as their first preference and most likely in Australia. In 2013 over 1700 offers were made for this program, making it one of the largest in Australia.
In 2013 students could take the following majors or minors in the humanities, social sciences and languages.
The Faculty of Arts currently has one graduate school in operation and a second will be launched in 2013.
See Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
On November 12, 2012 the Faculty of Arts announced it was launching a new School of Government. According to University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor Glyn Davis:
"The Melbourne School of Government will seek to unite policy makers, industry leaders and members of the public to help provide workable policy solutions. It will draw together existing expertise and students from across the University in the fields of political science, international relations, economics, law, development studies and more."
The School of Government will be officially launched in 2013.
The Faculty has five discipline schools. These schools are home to researchers and teachers of various disciplines who contribute to the teaching and learning of the University.