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Social Sciences Schools Size Rankings

Australian University Social Sciences Schools Rankings

Studying Social Science in Australia

One of the broadest areas of study is the social sciences. Studying social science in Australia can appeal to students that have various interests related to liberal arts, the humanities, politics, and even culture. The best universities in Australia offer a wide range of courses under the social sciences.

Social Science Courses in Australia

Because of the broad nature of this discipline, it is unsurprising that a large majority of students are enrolled in related courses. In Australia, the list of the best universities for social science in terms of student numbers enrolled is headed by Macquarie University (MQ), Monash University (Monash), and University of Sydney (Sydney). Each of these schools has a student body of more than fifteen thousand.

Social science programs in international relations, sociology, philosophy, and history are just a fewthat are offered by MQ. Despite the broad range of courses, all of them contain the key elements of human interaction, culture, and society. Other programs, such as those offered by Monash, give students the option to pursue a double degree combining a social science course with a business or education course.

At the postgraduate level, the field remains broad and offers opportunities for further learning. Postgraduate courses in the social sciences provide various opportunities for research and may focus on a single or a broad area of specialization. For example, students can choose from more than twenty-five postgraduate social science courses offered by Sydney.

NOTE: Click the column headers to sort the table

Table 1: Humanities Society and Culture Student Numbers in Australian Universities
Uni UG PG Total
Macquarie University (mq) 15052 2712 17764
Monash University (monash) 12992 3963 16955
University of Sydney (usyd) 12043 4530 16573
University of Queensland (uq) 10332 2336 12668
Deakin University (deakin) 9267 2825 12092
University of Western Sydney (uws) 11387 651 12038
University of New South Wales (unsw) 8793 3197 11990
Australian National University (anu) 5185 6695 11880
University of Melbourne (unimelb) 5732 5496 11228
Charles Sturt University (csu) 6708 2992 9700
Griffith University (griffith) 6988 1427 8415
University of New England (une) 6199 1922 8121
La Trobe University (latrobe) 6720 1176 7896
Queensland University of Technology (qut) 5961 1500 7461
Flinders University (flinders) 5168 2214 7382
Curtin University of Technology (curtin) 5185 1153 6338
University of Adelaide (adelaide) 5030 962 5992
Swinburne University of Technology (swinburne) 4950 983 5933
University of Western Australia (uwa) 4940 749 5689
Murdoch University (murdoch) 4718 866 5584
Australian Catholic University (acu) 4005 1212 5217
University of Newcastle (newcastle) 3720 1408 5128
Victoria University (vicuni) 4236 802 5038
University of Tasmania (utas) 4052 612 4664
University of Technology Sydney (uts) 2962 1540 4502
Edith Cowan University (ecu) 3727 749 4476
University of Wollongong (wollongng) 3692 574 4266
RMIT University (rmit) 2740 1379 4119
James Cook University (jcu) 3292 625 3917
University of South Australia (unisa) 2869 679 3548
University of Canberra (canberra) 2882 582 3464
University of Southern Queensland (usq) 2581 417 2998
University of Notre Dame Australia (nd) 2237 300 2537
Southern Cross University (scu) 2053 217 2270
Charles Darwin University (cdu) 1889 313 2202
Bond University (bond) 1133 873 2006
University of the Sunshine Coast (usc) 1690 198 1888
CQ University (cqu) 1519 247 1766
Federation University Australia (feduni) 709 127 836


The percentages displayed in Table 2 show the weighting of students studying in the humanities society and culture area of study relative to the total number of students studying at the university in each category of undergraduate, postgraduate, and overall total.

NOTE: Click the column headers to sort the table

Table 2: Percentage Breakdown of Humanities Society and Culture Student Numbers
Uni ug% pg% Total%
Australian National University (anu) 51.8 62.8 56.7
Macquarie University (mq) 56.7 23.9 45.8
University of New England (une) 45.9 29.8 38.8
Bond University (bond) 35.9 42.8 33.1
Flinders University (flinders) 37.8 26.3 32.4
University of Sydney (usyd) 36.4 22.4 30.5
University of Western Sydney (uws) 33.2 9.6 28.8
Monash University (monash) 28.1 22.5 26.3
Deakin University (deakin) 28.7 21.6 26.3
University of Queensland (uq) 29.4 18.6 26
Charles Sturt University (csu) 25 26.8 24.8
La Trobe University (latrobe) 26.2 14.8 23.3
University of Notre Dame Australia (nd) 25.6 24.4 23.1
Murdoch University (murdoch) 24.1 21.9 23.1
University of New South Wales (unsw) 27.4 17 22.9
University of Adelaide (adelaide) 27.3 13.2 22.7
University of Western Australia (uwa) 24.6 13.2 22
Totals Average (mean) (%) 23.3 20.3 21.8
University of Melbourne (unimelb) 23.4 20.5 21.5
University of Canberra (canberra) 23.9 16.6 21.2
Australian Catholic University (acu) 20.4 22.3 20.3
Charles Darwin University (cdu) 28 13.8 20.3
Griffith University (griffith) 21.2 16.3 19.5
Swinburne University of Technology (swinburne) 19.8 15.6 18.7
Victoria University (vicuni) 19.3 17.2 18.5
James Cook University (jcu) 21.3 11.9 17.9
University of the Sunshine Coast (usc) 21.1 15.7 17.6
University of Tasmania (utas) 19.8 11.2 17.4
Edith Cowan University (ecu) 19.4 12.5 16.9
Queensland University of Technology (qut) 17.5 14.1 16.4
Southern Cross University (scu) 18.8 9.6 15.8
University of Newcastle (newcastle) 15.6 15.4 14.1
University of Wollongong (wollongng) 18 6.5 14
Curtin University of Technology (curtin) 14.1 11.5 13.1
University of Technology Sydney (uts) 12.4 12.3 12
University of Southern Queensland (usq) 15 6.1 11.2
University of South Australia (unisa) 11.7 9.1 10.8
CQ University (cqu) 12.4 5.4 9.4
RMIT University (rmit) 6 12.1 7.2
Federation University Australia (feduni) 8.8 2.9 6.5

Key & Notes

* Percentages: – displayed percentages indicate the percentage of students studying in the social sciences area of study relative to all students enrolled at the university within each of the three categories

You might also be interested in the following pages:

Total Student Numbers

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Percentages


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