Postgrad Arts programs at UQ target life skills

Postgrad Arts programs at UQ target life skills

Do something for your soul - study something you've always wanted to do, rather than something you have to do to gain a qualification.

That's the message University of Queensland Executive Dean of Arts Professor Alan Rix is spreading to people looking for postgraduate courses to study at their leisure.

"Postgraduate Arts courses offer freedom in direction and award level," he said.

"Whether it's Ancient History, Australian Studies, Critical Thinking or Humanities, Arts courses give the freedom to take your mind in the direction you want to go," he said.

"People can study just one postgraduate subject or a whole degree. Arts courses are available for full-time or part-time study. We have a new suite of flexible postgraduate coursework offerings and a full range of research degrees from honours to PhD. And people can start study in a discipline completely different from their first degree."

Professor Rix said it was a common phenomenon for people to return later in life to study subjects they may have enjoyed at school, for example Romance or Asian languages, or religion or classics.

"Many people choose Arts because they want to expand their general knowledge in literature, music and the humanities or hone their intellectual prowess with critical thinking, creative writing, or to develop applied skills in history or languages," he said.

He said people often developed new career directions after undertaking further postgraduate study in Arts.

Professor Rix said from 2000, the University's Faculty of Arts would offer students a streamlined set of coursework programs from many of its departments, along with two new interdisciplinary fields in the Humanities and Australian Studies.

People wishing to undertake postgraduate Arts study at the University of Queensland can call 1800 880 823 for more details.