8 people you didn’t know have a Bachelor of Arts

Wondering just how far your career could go with a Bachelor of Arts?

These 8 high achievers – some Aussie locals, some from around the world – are shining examples of the limits for BA graduates. Hint: The limit does not exist.

Get inspired by these big names, and then explore where your Bachelor of Arts could take you.

Barack Obama

Bachelor of Arts (Political Science major) from Columbia University

Photo by Luke Vargas (Creative Commons)

If you can become President of the United States, you can probably become anything. Obama’s Bachelor of Arts first led him into a career of community service organising and community development. He then went on to study law at Harvard and work at multiple law firms, meeting his future wife along the way.

Aside from the obvious, Barack Obama’s resumé includes:

• Director of Developing Communities Project
• President of the Harvard Law Review
• State Senator
• Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago
• US Senator from Illinois.

“The arts and humanities define who we are as a people. That is their power – to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common. To help us understand our history and imagine our future. To give us hope in the moments of struggle and to bring us together when nothing else will.”

- Michelle Obama

Annastacia Palaszczuk

Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Laws from The University of Queensland

Let’s jump from one level of politics to another – and a little closer to home. Annastacia studied a dual arts / laws degree right here at UQ before progressing into a Master of Arts (London School of Economics) and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (Australian National University). Her BA program included a diverse mix of subject areas, with a focus on politics and drama.

Annastacia was the Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2023. On the path to this role, she had also been:

• a parliamentary secretary
• Minister for Disability Services and Multicultural Affairs
• Minister for Transport and Multicultural Affairs
• Leader of the Opposition.

Discover what you could do with a Political Science major

Emma Watson

Bachelor of Arts (English Literature major) from Brown University

Photo by Cotidiano Mujer (Creative Commons)

It wasn’t witchcraft that led to Emma’s hugely successful career. A combination of talent, charisma and ongoing education have seen her thrive as both an actress and activist.

Though she’d established herself as a household name before high school and earned enough money for a lifetime by 18, Emma still saw the value in higher education. And she performed exceptionally well in her academic pursuits throughout school and university. Life imitating art or art imitating life? You decide.

Right in the peak of her acting career, Emma found time (or maybe turned time) to study a Bachelor of Arts at Brown University. She graduated with her BA in 2014, the same year she was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. She continues to be a vocal and celebrated gender equality advocate, with projects including an online feminist book club she ran between 2016 and 2020.

Discover where an English Literature major could take you

Peter Tesch

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (German and Russian majors) from The University of Queensland

Throughout his accomplished career, Peter Tesch demonstrated how a Bachelor of Arts – especially with language majors – can take your career global. He served as Australia’s ambassador to Germany (2009-2013) and the Russian Federation (2016-2019), putting both his BA majors to good use.

His other roles included:

• Ambassador to Kazakhstan
• Head of the International Security Division
• Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nation, New York.

Peter is also a perfect example of how the Bachelor of Arts allows you to follow a passion and develop it into a profession. He took on a major in Russian out of general interest in the country’s history and culture, and this began his journey to a distinguished career in international politics.

Matt Groening

Bachelor of Arts (Journalism major) from Evergreen State College

Photo by Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons)

Ever dreamed of creating something that’s recognised and beloved all over the world? Matt Groening is one BA graduate to have achieved just that. After all, The Simpsons are perhaps the most well-known fictional family to ever exist.

Matt’s journey to fame is a true BA success story, because what you study isn’t always what you end up being known for. Creating one of the longest-running TV series isn’t likely what he was planning to do while he was studying journalism. But arts graduates have a funny way of taking the skills they learn and applying them to whatever career they find themselves in.

“Living creatively is really important to maintain throughout your life. And living creatively doesn't mean only artistic creativity, although that's part of it. It means being yourself, not just complying with the wishes of other people.”

- Matt Groening

Sylvia Jeffreys

Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and Spanish majors) from The University of Queensland

Moving now from someone who studied journalism and didn’t become a journalist, to a BA graduate who went on to become one of the biggest names in Australian media. Sylvia completed a dual Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Journalism right here at UQ, where she honed the skills she now applies in the production office and newsroom.

Sylvia was offered her first junior role (script assistant) while still in her first year of study at UQ. Since then, her career has included roles such as:

• reporter
• weather presenter
• news presenter
• program host.

Sylvia’s academic transcript reminds us that the BA can be exceptionally rewarding when studied alongside another program. It provides both the universal skills to complement specialised training and the flexibility to explore your passions (political science and Spanish, in Sylvia’s case).

Natalie Portman

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology major) from Harvard University

Photo by Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons)

Though she was already established as an up-and-coming actress, Natalie took some time away from Hollywood to continue her education at Harvard, graduating with a BA in 2003. She believed a Psychology major might help enhance her acting. And with an Academy Award for her role in psychological thriller Black Swan, it seems she was right.

When asked if interrupting her acting work to study was a risk, Natalie made it clear that education was her higher priority.

“I don’t care if [college] ruins my career,” she says.

“I’d rather be smart than a movie star.”

She was later invited back to Harvard to deliver the commencement address in 2015, where she imparted this wisdom:

“If your reasons are your own, your path, even if it’s a strange and clumsy path, will be wholly yours, and you will control the rewards of what you do by making your internal life fulfilling.”

- Natalie Portman

Ann Sherry AO

Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Politics majors) from The University of Queensland

Ann is one of the biggest names in the Australian business community, perhaps best known as the Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia. That wasn’t her first CEO rodeo though, as she also filled this role at the Bank of Melbourne (2000-2002) and Westpac New Zealand (2002-2007).

Throughout her distinguished career, Ann has also been on several boards, including:

• Palladium International (director)
• Australian Rugby Union (director)
• Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (director)
• UNICEF Australia (chair)
• Philanthropy Australia (chair)
• Queensland Airports (chair).

All this started with her BA, majoring in Economics and Politics, here at UQ.

Most recently, however, Ann has taken on the role of Chancellor at Queensland University of Technology. But hey, nobody’s perfect. (JK, we love you QUT.)