Teaching Information for Intending Students
Undergraduate study
Honours
Postgraduate coursework
Postgraduate research
Undergraduate study
Of all the levels of study at UNSW@ADFA, the undergraduate level alone is reserved for officer cadets and midshipmen of the Australian Defence Force. ADFA was established so that these students could earn a highly-regarded university degree, undertake an intensive program of military training, and develop the esprit de corps required for an effective military force.
If you are in Years 11 or 12 at secondary school and wish to study at ADFA, you must meet both the entry requirements of the ADF and those of the University of New South Wales. The ADF requirements can be found at Defence Recruiting and the University’s requirements can be found at Student Administrative Services.
All enquiries about future study at undergraduate level are handled by Student Admininistrative Services.
If you are nevertheless interested in the courses currently offered by the School, while understanding that course offerings change from year to year, you are welcome to explore the ADFA Handbook.
Here is some more information about the content of our programs.
Honours
The disciplines taught in our School contribute to the award of a UNSW Bachelor of Arts degree. Military students who achieve a BA at very high levels are invited to return to UNSW@ADFA for a fourth, Honours, year. Non-military students who have achieved outstanding BA results at other universities are also welcome to come to UNSW@ADFA for their Honours year, subject to academic and other considerations.
Honours (one year full-time, or two years part-time) comprises a discipline-specific thesis (of no more than 15,000 words) and a range of specialised and demanding coursework. The great benefits of Honours in HASS are the small class sizes and the ability to work closely with an academic research leader.
Details about applications for, and study in, Honours can be found at Student Administrative Services.
Postgraduate coursework
The School teaches two Masters coursework programs (normally one year full-time, or two years part-time): the Master of Arts in Defence Studies and the Master of Arts in Strategy and Policy. Students may be—but are not required to be—members of the ADF.
Most of our courses at Masters level are available on campus, and many are also available in distance mode for those who cannot regularly attend classes at the ADFA campus in Canberra.
Details of the programs and the courses available within them can be found in the ADFA Handbook. Students are expected to have a good undergraduate degree and considerable work experience as qualifications for entry to these programs.
Further details are available from Student Administrative Services, or contact the School’s postgraduate coursework coordinator.
Postgraduate research
The School welcomes applications from students who wish to undertake a Doctorate or a Masters degree by research. Students are not required to be members of the ADF. Details about our staff research interests and how to prepare an application for a research degree are available on the School’s Research page.
Information about research scholarships can be obtained from the UNSW@ADFA Research Office. Application forms and advice about the application procedure can be obtained from Student Administrative Services.