Bachelor of Psychology (Honours)/Bachelor of Business (Dual degree)

at University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus Australia

Big Data can solve problems in science, society and business including population growth, transport, security, medical technology, trade and commerce. All sectors will have a demand for creative people with a background in quantitative analysis who can look for strategic insights in massive data sets, using techniques in data mining, data visualisation, data analysis, data manipulation and data discovery.

Computer scientists focus on the theoretical foundations and practical approaches to computation and its applications. They design methods and tools and write programs for computer applications. These applications can be in areas such as computer systems to control machinery, information management and big data, applications for mobile devices, stock market trend analysis, game design, visualisation of chemical reactions, neural network design, computational geometry for robot navigation, patient monitoring in hospitals, and much more.

This degree
You will be able to choose your major in your second year after studying a common core of subjects that links our computer science, IT and information systems degrees. Find your strengths and interests as you study the fundamentals of computer science and IT: programming, problem solving, network and communications, web technology, data management, system analysis, human-computer interaction, and project management. You’ll also complete a final-year capstone team project.

You can choose to study a double degree with Engineering, Mathematics, Science, Creative Arts or Business. These programs of study will provide you with a broad experience of technology using various industry products from companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Oracle, SAP and Cisco.

What you will study
You will study subjects in data mining, big data management, database performance tuning, distributed systems and cloud computing. Learn to evaluate both structured and messy big data sets using the '4 Vs': Volume, Velocity, Variety, and Veracity. Volume represents the sizes of datasets at a level of Terabytes and even Petabytes. Velocity represents fast-changing data streams that require continuous analysis. Variety represents many different formats of data. Veracity represents uncertain and unreliable data.

Join one of humanity’s greatest collective endeavours when you study a degree in science at UOW. You will work with interdisciplinary teams to explore creative solutions for our world's biggest issues. You will learn about the science that underpins and advances societies globally.

How can scientific and technological advances increase the quality of our lives and guide our care of Earth’s complex systems? How does the scientific community respond to societal needs, natural hazards and global challenges?

On completion, you will be able to answer these questions and more as you enter this expansive and rewarding field.

What you will study
You'll benefit by learning from recognised and passionate leaders in this academically rigorous field.

You will learn the core fundamentals of science across practical and theoretical subjects in the first year of your degree before deciding which major/minor disciplines to focus on from the second year. You will complete extensive professional experience throughout your degree, which allows you to learn by observation and apply your skills in the lab. Throughout this degree, you will gain hands-on experience and make meaningful professional connections across the broader scientific community.

This degree
Marine science is the study of the ocean. Marine scientists look into the biological nature and capacity of oceans, their impact on human society, and the conservation and environmental management of marine and coastal resources and regions. They spend their time observing, defining and experimenting with coastal processes, biodiversity and climate change, as well as using emerging technologies to ensure the sustainable management of these environments.

The Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) is for high achieving students who have completed the three-year Bachelor of Social Science degree.

The one-year Honours program provides students with the opportunity to undertake research on a topic of interest and may be used as a gateway to higher research degrees, a research-focused career, or for professions requiring advanced analytical and investigative skills.

What you will study
This Honours degree will allow you to further develop your knowledge and skills in your field of inquiry, and make you more competitive in the workforce. It is a research training degree that provides training in in-depth enquiry, specialised development of research skills, project management and communicating findings.

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour. Psychology is about understanding who we are and how we think, feel, act and change. This knowledge helps us improve wellbeing and psychological health. Psychologists' clients include children, adults, couples, families and organisations.

The Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) will provide you with comprehensive training in the processes basic to human psychological functioning required for qualification as a professional psychologist. You can also combine your Psychology major with other disciplines available in the Bachelor of Arts degree. This will allow you to expand your understanding of the human experience and broaden your career options.

Students with an excellent academic record may apply to transfer to the four-year Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) degree, which provides the academic requirement for eligibility for provisional registration by Psychology Board of Australia.

What you will study
The Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) will teach you the processes basic to human psychology. Subjects include biological and social bases of behaviour, cognition and perception, social and developmental psychology, personality, and applied psychology. You will also learn the fundamentals of psychological practice, including the history of psychology, statistical and quantitative methods, and psychological assessment.

Studying Sociology at UOW will prepare and enable you to understand, question and analyse human life and society, social processes, cultural and social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour. You will develop an understanding of our diverse and rapidly changing world and identify the roots of and solutions to social problems. In an increasingly dynamic world, where divisions and inequalities are becoming more prevalent, this discipline provides invaluable analytical, research and intellectual skills and an in-depth understanding of our diverse societies and cultures.

The Sociology program at UOW organises specific study areas thematically, allowing you to find your own path through the curriculum, and consolidate in areas of interest over the course of the degree.

What you will study
Specific areas of study include: power and stratification; employment, work futures, and social policy; globalisation, migration, and urban/family life; sexualities, genders and intersectionality; social movements, subcultures and networks; and bodies, biotechnology, emotions and affect.

In the Digital and Social Media major, you will learn skills in digital media production, content development, social media curation and project design through ideas and practice. These real-world practical skills are backed up with high-level critical and creative analysis of emergent media phenomena.

Students will graduate as digital change-makers, with future-facing career options in social media management, digital content analysis, online campaign design, digital innovation and creative entrepreneurship.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media enables you to expand your career options by combining the Digital and Social Media major with one of four other majors in the degree: Screen Media Production; Journalism; Visual Communication Design; or Marketing Communication and Advertising. This is an ideal degree if you are interested in more than one area of media and communications and want a flexible future career path.

What you will study
You will study digital and social media, with a focus on the process of media development. From day one you will use a wide variety of technologies and platforms to test your ideas in projects defined and driven by you.

Our unique approach to learning through project development means that you will rapidly become skilled in innovation, prototyping, testing and practice through creative media approaches to real-world problems. You will learn how to create work that meets the needs of users and clients, and how to use feedback to grow your project potential.

At the same time, you will study the ethical, social and technological changes that are shaping digital media careers in Australia and overseas.

In addition to the core subjects and a major in Digital and Social Media,  there is also the opportunity to complete another major from the below list.  This will increase your knowledge and employability in the media and communication industries.

Geographers help shape the future by understanding, explaining and predicting both human and physical environments. You will study the human and physical forces that shape the planet and the political, social and environmental issues that arise as a consequence of human interactions with the Earth. Never before have geography skills been so important: faced with anthropogenic climate change and predictions of rising seas, bushfires and flooding, geographers will help understand and plan for a sustainable, socially just and resilient future.

Equally, in an era of massive data of both physical and human processes, geographers have never been better positioned to support decision making and planning at all levels of government and business.

Your degree
The Geography program at UOW includes the opportunity to undertake practical laboratory and fieldwork, taking advantage of the local Illawarra environment including urban and heritage landscapes, coastal landscapes, rainforest escarpment and freshwater ecosystems.

You will develop the knowledge and skills to apply the latest technologies in spatial analysis and satellite imagery within the context of these environments. These skills are in demand across a broad range of sectors including government bodies, industry, and consultancies.

What you will study
You will learn skills in logical and critical thinking, creative problem-solving, practical research, organisation and project management, numeracy, statistical literacy, computer applications (including geographic information systems), and strong communication. You will apply these skills to problems in physical and human geography, studying the natural environment, its processes, and the interaction of these with human society and the way it shapes and is shaped by the natural world.

Your studies will include climate change, biogeography, coastal and fluvial environments, populations, urban and regional societies, spatial geography and environmental management.

On completion, high performing students considering further study or a career in research should consider the Bachelor of Science (Honours) program. This one year degree offers students a pathway to expanding their knowledge in geography and achieving their postgraduate research aspirations.

Studying a degree in science and business teaches you to constantly seek out knowledge, analyse it and apply it, opening up opportunities to enter a wide range of growing professions.

Double degrees aim to broaden your knowledge and skill base and improve career options in competitive, increasingly interactive fields. Studies in science allow you to research problems, interpret data and propose solutions. Studies in business will focus on how organisations operate in the wider commercial and economic environments. When combined, the skills and knowledge from these two fields can place you in a key position to work with the complex challenges we will face in the future.

Business people are a flexible and diverse group of professionals who think strategically and critically to solve complex problems. The strategic thinking and data analysis skills you will gain from studying business are significantly valuable when applied to the planning, running or reviewing scientific studies.

What you will study
The major areas of study in Science include: Ecology and Conservation Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Environment and Physical Geography.

You can choose one major from the Bachelor of Business: Accountancy, Business Law, Economics, Finance, Financial Planning, Human Resource Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Sport Marketing and Management, or Supply Chain Management.

The Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation combined with the Bachelor of Laws is an exciting and unique double degree combination. It will take you on a unique philosophical adventure through which you will engage with a carefully curated selection of some of the greatest intellectual and artistic masterpieces ever produced. It will also equip you with a comprehensive legal education.

Your UOW Law degree will provide a thorough grounding in Australian law, with a real-world focus on the essential practical skills and the social and ethical context in which the law operates.

This degree also offers thirty generous scholarship opportunities valued at up to $30,000 per annum across the full course of study, as well as an opportunity to engage in a bespoke scholarly experience.

What you will study
You will philosophically reflect on questions about art, literature, science and religion while also investigating such topics as the nature of selfhood, truth, reason and wisdom. You will discover how great ideas and art can shape us - our understanding of ourselves and the world - and how ideas can make a difference for good or ill. By undertaking this double degree you will also master the prescribed areas of knowledge needed for future admission to the legal profession. It will equip you with skills in legal research, interviewing, legal drafting, advocacy and negotiation.

You will develop informed and reasoned views about significant contemporary concerns, such as the value of democracy, benefiting from your acquired knowledge of the history of ideas. You will become acquainted with diverging perspectives from within various Western traditions of thought and art as well as under-represented voices and perspectives from outside of those traditions.

All students undertaking a Law degree are required to undertake a compulsory internship as part of their studies, so students can apply their legal knowledge to real-life situations. UOW is the only university in NSW to provide this experience to all its students.

Financial Planning is the design of specific financial outcomes that meet a client's unique needs and objectives, given their financial resources and risk profile. Its broad approach is to fulfil clients' total needs, incorporating investment planning, taxation, social services planning, retirement planning, risk planning and estate planning.

This degree
You will undertake a foundation year that covers all core disciplines of business, giving you a solid understanding of issues facing organisations today. From your second year, you will begin your Financial Planning major covering subjects from investment analysis, risk and insurance, to advanced financial planning.

You will also undertake a final-year capstone subject that lets you apply everything you have learned in collaboration with students from other disciplines. Plus, you have the option of applying for an internship to gain valuable experience whilst receiving credit towards your degree.

What you will study
You will investigate securities and the market they operate in as well as theories of the market and the equilibrium prices of securities. You will learn how to assess investments, and the method for identifying the best financial product for a client, with particular attention to their risk profile. You will learn the codes of conduct governing the financial planning industry and relevant regulatory frameworks, advising techniques, and how to build and maintain clients' investment portfolios.

You will utilise advanced technology at our Bloomberg terminals to examine real-time data and research analytics on every major financial market. Whilst analysing the trend of investments, you will also examine macroeconomic events to identify the change in behaviour and learn to provide recommendations for future clients.