Humanities and Social Sciences

Understand humanity's complex and fascinating mix of cultures, values and beliefs to enhance contemporary and future society.

• Explore the ideas, values, practices that shape the world

  Whether you’re looking to explore human experience through creative expression, critical analysis and interpretation of cultural artifacts and texts. Or investigate how people create and live in social structures, institutions, and how these interact with the world across time, space, and cultural, political, and social contexts. Both Humanities and Social Sciences offer a diverse range of subjects for you to explore, including: philosophy, history, literature, media and languages, sociology, anthropology, geography, politics, gender and work studies, criminology, and development studies.

  The University of Adelaide presents an ideal location for your study. Our main campus's position in the heart of our city's central business district and cultural precinct puts a vast number of related bodies and organisations - government, private sector and not-for-profit - within an easy walk.

  You’ll be able to explore the ideas, values and practices that shape the world—including deep insights into social justice, equality, crime, political practice and cultural and social membership— and how to apply this knowledge to gain deep understanding of the past, the present, and the future of our kind.

• Remarkable career diversity

  Our humanities and social sciences degrees can equip you for wide range of valuable and rewarding roles, tackling some of society's great challenges. This includes in:

  • social policy impact assessment and planning
  • natural resource management
  • corrections systems
  • immigration and foreign affairs
  • fraud investigation
  • housing and health services
  • disability advocacy and support
  • youth development.

• Career prospects

  Careers in the humanities and social sciences are predicted to grow by almost 9% by 2026^†.

  These roles involve developing solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges—and many are only just emerging. These include dealing with climate change, resource scarcity, pandemics, international terrorism, securing global health and cybersecurity, how we handle artificial intelligence, and making the world safe for human difference.

See our degrees