09 Feb 2026
Pacific Studies is a course that provides students with the opportunity to explore and understand the diversity of Pacific peoples, places and experiences. It provides Pacific Islander students an opportunity to engage with their learning through the close study of their heritage, and non-Pacific Islander students an opportunity to learn more about the vast sea of islands covering one third of the globe. Students will have the opportunity to express their learning in a range of formats and mediums.
Pacific Studies (A/T/M) is a course that provides students with the opportunity to explore and understand the diversity of Pacific peoples, places and experiences. It provides Pacific Islander students an opportunity to engage with their learning through the close study of their heritage, and non-Pacific Islander students an opportunity to learn more about the vast sea of islands covering one third of the globe.
Students engage with indigenous Pacific ways of knowing, thinking, being, doing and valuing. They develop a culturally appropriate research skills to explore a range of topics and issues related to Pacific Islander peoples, places and cultures. Students appreciate their own culture and other cultures and will develop intercultural skills in moving between cultures and cultural understanding by learning about other ways of life.
Students in Pacific Studies have the opportunity to engage with a range of sources and perspectives to critically analyse the history, environment, geography, literature, communities, linguistics traditions, arts and popular culture of the region. They reflect on their own identity and relationships to communities in the Pacific. Students learn to use key terms in languages that reveal important concepts and ways of knowing, thinking, being, doing and valuing.
Students will be supported to become lifelong learners and knowledgeable citizens in relation to the Pacific. They will become culturally aware and competent to learn through communicating and interacting respectfully. Students use this learning as they engage with Pacific Islander peoples and cultures in Australia and internationally.
The course is made up of the following units:
- Places and Origins
- The Modern Pacific
- Pacific Peoples and Communities
- Pacific Popular Culture
- Independent Study
Schools will determine if they wish to offer the course. Schools will be able to offer the Pacific Studies course with A, T, and/or M accreditation. There are a range of enriching learning experiences available to students undertaking the course at all classifications. The T course provides strong preparation for a range of tertiary course areas, including Pacific Studies programs at university.
The BSSS will provide a range of professional learning for teachers and school interested in the course in cooperation with Pasifika experts and teachers. The BSSS will also coordinate a supportive network of schools and teachers who are planning to offer the course. Course developers and the Cultural Reference Group have also prepared an Implementation Guide to support teachers in delivering the course.