Study of Humanities

When you study a Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Wits University, you will learn to communicate, to solve problems and to think critically and analytically. BA graduates are highly skilled and able to work in almost any field.

The private sector is constantly on the look-out for successful graduates to take up positions in middle management because it values the proficiency in problem-solving and communication that a student develops while studying for a BA.

The ability to think critically and imaginatively and to convey ideas clearly is valued in any profession.

The BA also provides a basis for more specific career directions. In particular, the BA offers an educational foundation for a number of careers with a strong social commitment.

It is an appropriate education for intending lawyers and teachers, who proceed to professional training after the three years of the general BA (for intending lawyers this would be the LLB degree, for teachers, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education).

If you are interested in communications or journalism as a career, suitable areas of study would include Media Studies, Languages, Sociology, Psychology, International Relations and Political Studies.

The Faculty offers four-year professional programmes in Social Work, in Speech and Hearing Therapy, and in the Performing and Visual Arts. Psychology can be studied by both students interested in the field from a general academic knowledge perspective as well as by students who wish to go on and study to become professional psychologists. It is both an academic and professional discipline.

The study of education

Education is an exciting and dynamic area of study. At Wits, education encompasses many areas including the study of educational policy; advanced specialisation in school phases learning areas and teaching subjects; the construction, development and implementation of the school curriculum; the processes of learning, teaching and assessment; and the role of schooling in the modern globalised economy. Expertise in these and other areas ensures that our students have access to the most up-to-date developments in education and enter the profession fully equipped to be excellent teachers who can respond to the needs of learners.

The Bachelor of Education (BEd) is taught at the Wits School of Education in Parktown. The study of education will give you a professional qualification, equip you to manage change, help you to accommodate individual differences and will develop your critical thinking and problem solving skills.

A qualification in education opens up many career opportunities in teaching, training, commerce, industry and management. Besides employment in the formal education sector, careers include working as an educational trainer in the corporate world, or developing educational material such as Aids awareness campaigns for television or newspapers, or working with children who have special educational needs.

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