The purpose of the Monash University Faculty of Arts is 'the pursuit, advancement and application of knowledge in the humanities, social and environmental sciences and creative and performing arts'.
The Faculty's research and teaching became well known due to its depth in studies relating to Asia, which was unusual at the time for an Australian university.
With the university's expansion in the 1990s, the faculty developed a research and teaching presence overseas, in Malaysia, South Africa, and Italy.
However, the Faculty has a teaching and research presence at most of Monash's campuses, including Caulfield, Malaysia, South Africa, and Berwick.
The Monash Faculty of Arts has produced a number of notable graduates who are currently leaders in their fields,[3] including: The Faculty has six academic schools in Australia, and two overseas, which are responsible for the creation and dissemination of disciplinary knowledge through individual and group research and through the development of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs.