Bachelor of Communication in Screen Media

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

This degree opens doors to entrepreneurship, start-up companies and new innovations that require business knowledge and cutting-edge information systems and technology skills.

Today, to implement technology, practising professionals need to not only have knowledge and skills in information and communications technology, but they also need to understand the context in which computer technology can best be selected, applied and implemented.

The business component of the double degree will allow students to gain knowledge in one of three core Business areas: Money, Markets or Management. 

Economics

The Economics major provides a broad pluralist perspective on fundamental aspects of relationships between individuals, firms, institutions and countries.

Students will learn how economies function and how public policy and the way organisations behave affect diverse social, economic and environmental problems. Students are introduced to a wide array of competing economic theories, so that they are critically informed about the ways in which they can transform the world. 

This program combines tourism, event management, social science, business and marketing subjects to prepare graduates for professional roles in tourism, events, and the visitor economy. Students can choose from a suite of majors, including: environmental management, event and festival management, heritage, marketing, place management, planning, sport and sustainability.

The program has been developed with industry to ensure students develop the skills and knowledge desired by employers. Students complete fieldwork, engage with industry and government stakeholders, and are provided with opportunities for international fieldtrips and placements. A final-year professional placement allows students to gain further industry experience and provides a stepping-stone into employment.

Place Management and Planning

This unique major combines subjects from tourism, heritage and planning to prepare students for careers in place management. Place managers use collaborative approaches to design and develop a wide diversity of spaces and places, including precincts, destinations, towns, cities, parks, and many more. In this major, students will develop the skills and knowledge to manage places sustainably in a variety of contexts. This includes the ability to balance competing community, cultural, ecological and economic interests. Students who complete the major will be well positioned to apply for a growing number of place management positions with government and consultancies.

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.

Cyber Security

The Cyber Security major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of information systems security. Today, the widespread use of networked systems means protecting these systems from various attacks is more important than ever. Cyber Security is an essential aspect of today’s information systems.

This major covers fundamental information security knowledge and security protocols from basic cryptography algorithms to their applications in computer systems and networked systems. Students will learn fundamental security concepts, practical implementation of the security application programs as well as ethical hacking techniques to protect cyber security.

Our fully accredited Bachelor of Creative Industries is unique in NSW. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies in Arts, Communication, Design and Music with programs in Business and Law.

Music

The Music major provides students from outside the Music program with a comprehensive introduction to current practice in the fields of music, performance and sound production for sound design, composition and performance.

Foundation level units examine the fundamentals of music performance, acoustics, stereo recording and mixing, MIDI systems and sequencing, sound synthesis, and composition utilising environmental sound.

Technical concepts are contextualised within a survey of electroacoustic music and sonic arts practice. Students will also examine studio techniques, new performance technologies, and composition and design for screen media.

Our Computer Science (Advanced) program is an elite degree aimed at transforming today’s brightest minds into tomorrow’s computing leaders.

Systems Programming

This major is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Computer Science and Bachelor of Computer Science Advanced.

This major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of programming. The focus is on programming at the level of system calls to the underlying operating system and many of the units use the industry standard language for systems programming, namely C/C++, as the vehicle of instruction.

There is a strong emphasis on the development of highly efficient and reliable code that can provide support services for higher level application oriented programs, as well as the development of programs suitable for systems administration and management.

Practical work utilises the Unix environment. This major is appropriate where a career in systems programming or systems administration is planned, or where the student wishes to develop advanced systems programming skills.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Computer Science.

Our fully accredited Bachelor of Creative Industries is unique in NSW. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies in Arts, Communication, Design and Music with programs in Business and Law.

Public Relations

The Public Relations major covers the skills and knowledge required in the profession of public relations, including event management, issues and crisis management and campaign development.

The major focuses on the role of the public relations practitioner or adviser and provides a theoretical framework of the industry. Students engage with both theory and practical projects and complete an internship placement.

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.

Graphic Design

The Graphic Design major provides students from outside the Design program with a comprehensive introduction to fundamental skills and knowledge in graphic design.

The major is delivered through a series of practice-based and theoretical units and you will study areas such as image design, contextual design studies, web design and branding.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to choose a practice-based specialisation from the areas of interactive design; digital design; illustration; and photomedia.

This double degree program is designed in recognition of the globalising nature of the information technology industry.

In the IT area, the program allows students to develop skills in application development, program design, systems analysis and design, networks, web-design, and the implementation of technology.

History and Political Thought

Since the revival of humanist thought in the Renaissance, universities have placed studies in history and political thought at the centre of exploring what it is to be human.

At the heart of the History and Political Thought major are four compulsory units, which introduce the student to the modern history of humanity (since 1500). Although Europe is very prominent in the major, you will be invited to compare its history to the histories of Asia, Africa and the Americas.

The major culminates in a capstone unit in students’ final semester, discussing historical theories and methods. A wide range of elective units covers European, American, Australian and Asian history and political thought, and includes thematic units which range widely over time and place.

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.

Heritage and Tourism

In a highly mobile world (migration, tourism, media and communications, travel and transport) and in contemporary life where the preservation of historical and natural environments present as one of the major challenges facing all societies, heritage has become a touchstone for social and cultural identity, our understanding of modernity, peace and development, our senses of citizenship, custodianship and community.

At the same time heritage places have become significant tourist destinations and so in a world of flows and networks, the heritage-tourism relationship is a critical one. In the 21st century it is impossible to disentangle the two.

This major introduces contemporary heritage issues and provides an in-depth understanding of tourism as a social phenomenon.

The Bachelor of Arts (Dean’s Scholars) degree is designed to develop your communication and personal skills, creativity, capacity for independent thought, adaptability to new situations, and problem-solving abilities.

Chinese

Social Anthropology is the study of humans and the cultures they create. The Anthropology major offers you the opportunity to examine social patterns and practices across cultures, to discover similarities and differences between cultures, and to understand the processes by which humans organise and create meaning.

Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts.