Bachelor of Arts (Deans Scholars) in Geography and Urban Studies

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

This degree gives you the skills you need to become an in-demand computing professional. You will gain skills in a practice-based learning environment, be introduced to real-world project experience, and acquire a solid knowledge of ICT theory.

Western’s Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology will give you a strong understanding of several industry domains including networking, databases, systems analysis and design and programming. You will also gain relevant skills in web and mobile technologies, project management, professional communications, operating systems and human computer interaction. As well as the necessary mathematical and statistical skills to succeed as an ICT practitioner, you can choose from a broad range of specialisations including entertainment computing and social media analytics. You will also gain access to industry-leading facilities where you can bring your ideas to life and shape an unlimited future.

Mobile Computing

This major covers theories and technologies used for the development of distributed applications for hand-held mobile devices. Students completing this major will understand the advanced principles related to mobile hardware devices, data storage and transmission, and communication networks. In addition they will identify, analyse, and formulate solutions to real-world problems in the mobile domain. In devising these solutions students will also consider principles associated with user interface design, professional and ethical issues, in particular those relating to security and privacy of user data and user behaviour related to mobile devices and its applications.

This double degree program targets the wide application of information technology in business and commerce in Accounting.

This degree combines information technology with knowledge required by professional Accountants. It allows students to develop skills in application development, program design, systems analysis and design, networks, web-design, and the implementation of technology.

The Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program is designed for high achieving law students who wish to undertake an extended level of study and research. There is no direct entry into the Honours program. Entry is by application only following completion of at least 160 credit points of Law study and by meeting other specified criteria.The Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry) (Honours) program satisfies the academic degree requirements for admission to practice as an Australian lawyer. Students will engage in collaborative face-to-face problem and case-based learning, will be supported by online learning materials, and will participate in authentic assessment to develop knowledge and skills. The program provides students with a broad progressive legal education with a strong practical orientation to the law. Students develop skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, research, communication, collaboration, self-management, and ethical and professional awareness and judgement. Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in legal advocacy, negotiation, and legal technology and extend their professional and learning experiences through work integrated learning, clinical placement and international exchange engagements.

Tailor your studies to your specific goals by combining our Bachelor of Arts degree with the Bachelor of Creative Industries degree.

When you graduate after four years, you have two degrees, and the unique skills relevant to the contemporary employment environment.

The Arts component combines academic knowledge with practical real life training. It is designed to equip you with a broad range of skills and knowledge in research and critical enquiry, and is sufficiently flexible to cater to a range of career aspirations and personal interests.

In the Creative Industries component you will combine a core of entrepreneurship with major studies including culture and society, creative writing, design, enterprise innovation, journalism, literature, media arts, music performance and photo media.

Linguistics

Language is fundamental to the human experience. Through study of how language works, students make contact with fundamental philosophical, socio-cultural, and psychological questions about what it means to be human.

Linguistics prepares students with a foundation for many careers including primary and secondary teaching, policy analysis, communication, and social services in culturally diverse communities.

Linguistics students also gain the analytical tools of empirical science including the ability to break complex problems into components with tractable solutions and to evaluate theories on the basis of empirical facts. These skills prepare students for success in post-graduate studies and careers in research, analytics, business and law.

If you want to explore how the mind works, question why people behave the way they do and help others lead their best lives, this degree is the ideal choice. Western’s Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) will pave the way for a range of career options, including further study required to become a psychologist.

Psychology at Western combines evidence-based biological, cognitive, neurological, social, developmental, and personality theory with statistical expertise and practical experience.This program is strongly vocational, equipping you with the specialist psychological and research skills you will need to discover more about human behaviour and answer questions about things we don’t yet understand.

As part of your four-year degree, you will be taught by some of the most respected experts in the field and gain the opportunity to undertake local and international work placements.Additional study is needed to become a practising psychologist. This program gives you a thorough grounding in psychology and the academic degrees to take your ambition to the next level.

The Graduate Diploma program in public health is designed for health professionals who wish to extend and consolidate both practical and research skills for public health practice. For this program, students will study a wide range of evaluation processes and research methods relating to public health and policy analysis, economic evaluation, epidemiology and biostatistics. This program provides an entry point to the Master of Public Health for those who wish to continue their professional development with further studies.

Subjects of study include: A Global Perspective on Social Determinants of Health; Public Health, Policy and Society; Introduction to Epidemiology; and Introduction to Biostatistics.

You will additionally complete four electives from a wide range of fields of study including but not limited to Communicable Diseases, Health Workforce Planning, Building Organisational Capacity in Health Care and Surveillance and Disaster Planning.

We live in a world of screens ­– screens that need content. The Bachelor of Screen Media provides students with the tools and the know-how to make compelling, in-demand content crossing the spectrum of film, television, documentary, web series, video games and interactive experiences.

At Western, we’re pioneering a curriculum that prepares graduates to become the visual communicators of the future. Using our world-class facilities, you will learn to write, produce, direct and edit your own original content whilst also serving as collaborators on your classmates’ productions. You’ll work on campus in our TV studio, fully fitted with multi-cameras, green-screen and professional lighting. We’ll show you how to shape your content in the edit suites, and enhance your productions in the large Mac labs. You can also borrow equipment from the loan store to shoot content on location.

In your first year you’ll gain a strong foundation in different approaches and genres, and get hands-on experience creating short pieces. You’ll learn best-practice filmmaking, camera, editing, sound, be introduced to animation and visual effects, and build an understanding of the business of the industry. As you progress through the degree, you will develop skills in digital storytelling, and explore virtual, augmented and mixed reality. From Day 1, you will start building your portfolio with content created in class, so that by the time you graduate, you will have a rock-solid showcase of your work to impress potential employers.

In your second and third years, you’ll have the opportunity to  choose complementary subjects in either Journalism or Design, depending on your area of interest. If you’d like a future career creating short or long-form documentaries – insightful exposés of ex-world leaders or ‘tiger kings’, or highlighting the impact of climate change: choose the Journalism stream. Or if you’re more interested in creating interactive online experiences, apps and game design – choose the Design stream. Both streams complement the skills and knowledge you develop in your screen media subjects, further enhancing career opportunities.

This double degree program is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Social Sciences.

It will give you the skills and versatility to work across a range of academic and professional disciplines, including the opportunity to develop global perspectives and communication skills.

You need to include a Social Science Major, so you can design your own academic program within the Bachelor of Social Science program structure.

Cultural and Social Analysis

Cultural and Social Analysis is an interdisciplinary major developing knowledge, research skills and analytic capacities relevant to understanding and interpreting landscapes of cultural diversity and social difference in our contemporary world, both in terms of the broad contours, as well as specific micro-social environments. This major provides grounding in contemporary debates and methodologies in cultural studies and social theory, and draws on various disciplines including history, sociology, communications, and linguistics. Topics include popular culture, everyday urban life, cultural and social impacts of scientific theories and new technologies, multiculturalism, and contemporary spirituality. Study in this area is relevant for work involving commentary and analysis of contemporary social issues and cultural practices (e.g. journalism, teaching, activism) and fields concerned with designing, delivering and evaluating cultural and artistic productions, and education, communication, welfare or health services, in culturally diverse communities.

This double degree is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Business.

Study in the Bachelor of Arts component is designed to develop communication and personal skills, creativity and a capacity for independent thought, adaptability to new situations and problem-solving skills, attributes increasingly demanded by employers.

Indigenous Australian Studies

The Indigenous Australian Studies Major offers students the exciting opportunity to acquire key cultural competencies that will enable them to understand and work more effectively with Indigenous Australians in professions such as the arts, communications, media industries; education; government and non-government; policy; health; sciences; and community services.

The Indigenous Australian Studies Major addresses the cultural, historical, social and economic issues affecting Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians and relationships.

This double degree offers students the opportunity to tailor their studies to specific goals by combining our accredited Bachelor of Laws degree with Arts for advanced academic knowledge and practical, real-life training. The Bachelor of Arts is designed to develop communication and personal skills, creativity and a capacity for independent thought, adaptability to new situations and problem-solving skills, attributes increasingly demanded by employers.

The Bachelor of Arts offers students an opportunity to develop a depth of disciplinary expertise together with the breadth of vision afforded by cross-disciplinary approaches to the humanities. The Bachelor of Laws program satisfies the academic degree requirements for admission to practice as an Australian lawyer. Students will engage in collaborative face-to-face problem and case-based learning, will be supported by online learning materials, and will participate in authentic assessment to develop knowledge and skills.