Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Thought

at Western Sydney University - Penrith Campus (Kingswood) Australia

You’re curious, enjoy telling stories, and you want to use media to share ideas about the things that get people talking.

Our Communication degree will give you the professional skills and knowledge to build the ‘go anywhere, do anything’ career you want. Major in Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations or Screen Media and develop job-ready skills in communication, digital media, media production, research, and innovation.

Advertising

The Advertising major gives students a thorough grounding in general principles of communication as well as practical skills in advertising. The major offers a balance of advertising theory and practice and focuses on real, project-based outcomes.

Areas of study include advertising strategy, advertising creative and art direction, client and account management, digital and social media contexts, advertising campaigns.

As the only Policing degree in metropolitan Sydney, we prepare you for an unlimited future in the Force.

This degree will give you the skills you need to enter into careers in policing, criminal and community justice organisations, corrective services, border protection, intelligence, security and fraud management, forensics, computer forensics, and more.

When you choose the Bachelor of Policing at Western, you gain access to a state-of-the-art research facility, as well as the opportunity to practice realistic crime scene investigation and collect evidence in the real world.

Our Policing degree gives you an advanced knowledge of modern policing theory and practice, including a broad understanding of the role of police in society. You also develop an appreciation of the diverse nature of Australian culture, enhance your analytical and problem-solving skills, and develop a client-focused approach to serving the community.

Designed in collaboration with NSW Police Force, this program partially fulfils the academic requirements to join their ranks. This means you gain a genuine competitive advantage if you decide you want to join the Force.

With a Bachelor of Social Science from Western, you will have the ability to help shape the world we live in. This degree expands your knowledge through theory, research and practical application and offers you a deep understanding of our complex, culturally diverse and dynamic world. You will gain access to industry-based projects and placements, local and international work experience and build the practical skills that will get you ready to apply your knowledge to the workforce.

Sociology

The major in Sociology provides students with a thorough training in the methods, theories and select leading areas of contemporary sociology. As well as units in which methods and theories are taught, through the social science core, students enrolled in the Sociology major will have opportunities to study a number of particular themes from a sociological perspective, including inequalities, deviance, identities, gender, religion, medicine and health care, ethnicity and migration, and the family, among other possibilities.

A Bachelor of Social Science (BSS) with a major in Sociology will prepare students for both employment and a research higher degree.

The specialist knowledge of engineering technologists is a key element in the practice of engineering. The engineering technologist’s focused learning and practical skills are highly utilised in industry and make a significant contribution to Australian engineering success and prosperity.

The Western Sydney region has experienced strong growth and the engineering industry requires engineering technologists in a range of specialisations to support industry.

Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing is continuously transforming as it integrates automation, analytics, intelligence, digitisation, and Internet of Things (IoT) into physical operations. In this major, you integrate techniques and methods to improve the sustainability and efficiency of manufacturing taking advantage of digitisation tools. You tackle complex problems, propose innovative solutions, and apply critical thinking to industry problems considering social, ethical and environmental factors. 

Graduate destinations are varied and include:
Digital Product Design Engineer, Digital Process Engineer, Additive Manufacturing Engineer, Digital Twins Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Specialist, Robotics Specialists, Advanced Sensors Specialists, Industry 4.0 Transformation Specialist, IIoT Specialist. 

Many future challenges exist at the nexus of environment, infrastructure and technology. Solutions to these will demand innovative engineering combined with applied science and business acumen. Engineers with a head for business will find many opportunities to leverage their highly developed analytical skills towards a host of technical and commercial challenges.

How 4 plus 3 makes 5
This outstanding double degree program combines a 4 year Bachelor of Engineering (honours) degree with the 3 year Bachelor of Business degree to yield a course of study that takes only 5 years to complete (in Full-time mode).The Engineering component of this program is offered at the Penrith and Parramatta City campuses, and the Business component is offered at the Parramatta City campus.

At Western Sydney University, we prepare our students to take on big challenges and succeed. The combined Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) / Bachelor of Business degree covers all major engineering and business domains. You can also experience many facets of engineering before deciding upon your major at the end of your first year.

Sustainability

Human society is facing ever increasing challenges from changing climate, expanding populations and industrial development. Traditional approaches to solve environmental problems needs rethinking and should consider circular economy, life cycle thinking, climate smartness, digitisation. In this Major, students assess various challenges in provision of water, food, infrastructure and energy then propose design solutions using holistic, futuristic and sustainable technologies and strategies. Through hands-on, real-life projects, students explore solutions that integrate technical, technological (IoT), social, cultural, geographical, regulatory and ethical factors. This major will benefit students aiming for careers such as Environmental Engineer/Scientist/Consultant, Natural Resources Manager, Waste Engineer/Manger/ Consultant, and Sustainability Engineer/ Manager/ Consultant.

With a Bachelor of Social Science from Western, you will have the ability to help shape the world we live in. This degree expands your knowledge through theory, research and practical application and offers you a deep understanding of our complex, culturally diverse and dynamic world. You will gain access to industry-based projects and placements, local and international work experience and build the practical skills that will get you ready to apply your knowledge to the workforce.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

This criminology major offers students the opportunity to study crime and criminal justice in a critical way that particularly stresses social and cultural definitions of criminality and the reactions to it.

Areas of focus include criminal justice institutions and practices; the development of criminology as a discipline and its various strands; forms and patterns of victimisation; crime prevention strategies and debates; aspects of juvenile justice; the evolution of prisons and different forms of punishment; law enforcement and surveillance; violence, gender and crime; cultural depictions of crime and contemporary debates in criminology.

With a Bachelor of Social Science from Western, you will have the ability to help shape the world we live in. This degree expands your knowledge through theory, research and practical application and offers you a deep understanding of our complex, culturally diverse and dynamic world. You will gain access to industry-based projects and placements, local and international work experience and build the practical skills that will get you ready to apply your knowledge to the workforce.

Anthropology 

Social Anthropology is the study of humans and the cultures they create. The major in Anthropology within the Bachelor of Social Science offers students 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.

Areas of focus include the development of anthropology as a discipline; globalisation and culture; power and politics; gender and sexuality; identity and belonging; ethnography and ethnographic methods; indigenous peoples and nation states. Specific attention is given to cultures of Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and to cross cultural interactions, at both global and local levels.

The major seeks to equip students with multi-cultural knowledge as well as to provide a thorough grounding in research methods and ethics with utility in a variety of professional and academic contexts.

The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) program is designed for students with interests in learning to address humanity’s issues and challenges through the development and deployment of technical solutions.

This program spans all major engineering domains and prioritises industry relevance via an emphasis on work integrated learning to ensure students are career-ready on graduation. In addition to becoming technical experts in their chosen field of specialisation, students are also challenged to become collaborative and innovative problem solvers with an appreciation for the importance of sustainability and global citizenship.

Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing is continuously transforming as it integrates automation, analytics, intelligence, digitisation, and Internet of Things (IoT) into physical operations. In this major, you integrate techniques and methods to improve the sustainability and efficiency of manufacturing taking advantage of digitisation tools. You tackle complex problems, propose innovative solutions, and apply critical thinking to industry problems considering social, ethical and environmental factors.

Graduate destinations are varied and include:
Digital Product Design Engineer, Digital Process Engineer, Additive Manufacturing Engineer, Digital Twins Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Specialist, Robotics Specialists, Advanced Sensors Specialists, Industry 4.0 Transformation Specialist, IIoT Specialist.

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.

If you’re creative, passionate and a problem solver, our enhanced Arts degree could be for you.

Philosophy

Philosophy has always asked the 'big questions' about our lives. These are questions, for example, about the limits of our knowledge, the best way that humans can live together, how we understand the world around us, and what is the good life.