Bachelor of Social Science

at University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus Australia

Information and systems security is becoming increasingly important for everyday life: we want technology to protect our digital information such as IDs, assets and data security, and to secure email and online privacy for individuals, homes, families and offices.

Employees with skills in information and systems security are in strong demand across all sectors: from banking to finance, insurance, retail, government and defence, all fields where there is sensitive data and information that is at risk of being hacked and breached via the internet.

This degree
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.

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 also 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 such as Microsoft, Apple, Oracle, SAP and Cisco.

What you will study
The Digital Systems Security major focuses on the theoretical and practical applications of information and digital security across a range of subjects: operating systems security such as physical security, file and data protection, heterogeneous computing, systems architecture, cryptography and its secure applications, and network and telecommunications security.

The Master of Management provides an opportunity for you to enhance your career opportunities by further developing theoretical and practical skills and knowledge in key management areas.

Graduates of the Master of Management will have examined organisational structures, led and implemented organisational change, managed projects and leveraged organisational competitive advantages in the changing global marketplace.

The Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation combined with the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics 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. You will learn to analyse and appreciate complex philosophical, economic and political issues that matter to the contemporary world.

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 studying this double degree you will also learn how to interpret systems of government and understand policy-making processes. You will be exposed to the political, ethical and economic perspectives needed to make a difference in contemporary society.

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.

The Master of Applied Finance (Investing) is for students interested in acquiring an advanced understanding of investment and portfolio management.

You will study the theory and practice of financial management and gain an understanding of the global financial system. Additionally, competing approaches to corporate governance and business ethics will be developed, and you will learn how to provide protection against portfolio, financial and corporate risks.

Students are provided with realistic stock market simulations and are introduced to modern portfolio theory and practice with a focus on optimal investment decision-making. You will experience the pressure of live markets and learn how to manage portfolios through a portfolio simulation that allows you to trade shares, options, bonds, managed funds, international stocks with realistic stock market simulations.

Combining a Bachelor of Communication and Media with a Bachelor of Arts degree places a strong emphasis on applied learning and offers a broad introduction to ways in which new media practices shape our everyday lives, both in the workplace and in our communities. It will equip you with critical and creative thinking skills and effective communication and problem solving skills, all of which are required for high achievement in a range of media or related careers.

A Bachelor of Arts degree is one of the most popular degrees at University. Students who are passionate and curious about humanity and society enjoy the breadth and flexibility of the Bachelor of Arts degree. This degree will allow you to hone your skills of analysis and interpretation, and your ability to synthesise complex ideas; skills that are essential to practical problem solving and highly valuable to a wide range of employers. Every real-world problem today has a cultural and social dimension that can be understood using the skills you will gain doing a Bachelor of Arts degree, whichever major you choose.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media degree offers students a strong foundation in the global communication and media industries. This degree has a focus on preparing students for global careers in digital and social media, visual communication design, journalism, screen media production, marketing, communication and advertising. Students will encounter key ideas in the study and practice of media and communications, and gain flexible and transferable skills that will prepare them for informed engagement with the changing world of global media culture.

What you will study
You will choose one major in the Bachelor of Arts degree; Archaeology and Ancient History, English Literatures, Environmental Humanities, French, History, Indigenous Studies, Japanese, Legal Studies, Mandarin (Non-Chinese Background Students), Mandarin (Character Background Students), Philosophy, Photography, Politics, International Relations, Sociology, Spanish, Creative Writing, or Writing and English Literatures. In addition to the arts major you will also choose a minor or a second major from the Bachelor of Arts offerings.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media offers five majors - Digital and Social Media, Visual Communication Design, Journalism, Screen Media Production and Marketing, Communication and Advertising. You will need to select one major to specialise in throughout the duration of your degree.

Combining Journalism with Arts places a strong emphasis on applied learning, and offers a broad introduction to ways in which new media practices shape our everyday lives, both in the workplace and in our communities. It will equip you with critical and innovative thinking skills, effective communication and creative writing skills, all of which are required for high achievement in a range of journalism careers.

Journalism and reporting is an evolving industry that encompasses a multitude of media including print, television, radio, web, and social media to inform, engage and entertain. Studying a Bachelor of Journalism degree alongside a Bachelor of Arts degree will teach you to gather, assess, create and present news and information to a wide range of audiences and also write, edit and publish a broad variety of written materials. The Bachelor of Journalism - Bachelor of Arts also allows you to gain foundational knowledge in many traditional areas of study including history, literature, languages and philosophy and the disciplines of social sciences, cultural studies, sociology and politics.

The Bachelor of Journalism has a prescribed set of core subjects, as well as the opportunity to use electives to complete a major or two minors from a multi-disciplinary list. You will choose one major in the Bachelor of Arts degree: Archaeology and Ancient History, English Literatures, Environmental Humanities, French, History, Indigenous Studies, Japanese, Legal Studies, Mandarin (Non-Chinese Background Students), Mandarin (Character Background Students), Philosophy, Photography, Politics, International Relations, Sociology, Spanish, Creative Writing, or Writing and English Literatures. In addition, you will choose a minor or another major from the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

International students with a recognised Bachelor degree in Nursing can accelerate their career progression by undertaking the Master of Nursing International at UOW.

The Master of Nursing International is a two-year degree that is designed to prepare nurses for professional roles in the health care system. The main objectives of the degree are to provide an academic avenue for professional development, knowledge and the application of evidence-based practice.

The course is designed to build upon the academic strengths of the School of Nursing, including primary health, mental health, aged and dementia care, clinical excellence and research principles and methods. These topics will facilitate an all-round development of health professionals to seamlessly transition into professional roles in the health care system.

The course is delivered via weekly online learning activities in each subject over the course of each semester. It also features intensive face-to-face workshops, which are delivered on-campus each semester.

Please note that there is no clinical placement component in the Master of Nursing International and this course does not lead to eligibility to apply for registration as a nurse in Australia.

In our increasingly connected and digital world, communicators with broad skills are in real demand.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media offers you a strong foundation in the national and international communication and media industry. With a focus on preparing you for global careers, the course places an emphasis on high-level skills in media production, communication research and independent project work.

This degree is designed for careers in digital and social media; visual communication design; journalism; screen media production; marketing; advertising; and public relations. You will be immersed in the study and practice of media and communication, and will gain flexible and transferable skills that will prepare you for the ever-changing world of global media culture.

What you will study
In addition to the core subjects in the Bachelor of Communication and Media, you must complete at least one major from the below list. There is also the opportunity to complete two majors which will increase your knowledge and employability in the media and communication industries.

• Digital and Social Media
• Screen Media Production
• Journalism
• Marketing Communication and Advertising
• Visual Communication Design

The study of Philosophy at UOW teaches you how to think, not what to think. As lovers of wisdom, philosophers are deeply, personally invested in their quest for truth and enlightenment. There are no questions that philosophers will not consider.  How should we live and treat others? Do our lives have meaning? Does science have all the answers?  In studying philosophy at UOW you will explore the most fundamental topics, ask the deepest questions and –rigorously and systematically– scrutinize the answers given by the best minds down the ages.

Studying for a UOW degree in Philosophy will train you in logic and argumentation. It will enlarge and enrich your conception of what is possible. You will acquire the intellectual discipline needed to challenge the assumptions that frame the way we think about the world and how we should behave in it. You will learn to bring philosophical considerations to bear on practical problems in order to make informed decisions about important issues such as:  social justice; free speech; global poverty; climate change, animal welfare; humane psychotherapy; education and expertise.

A philosophical education is valuable in just about any line of work. It develops your persuasive powers; critical thinking, problem solving abilities; and communication skills. A 2016 report by the Foundation for Young Australians reveals that these skills are in great demand today in professions that require people who can stand back and think with an open mind. Past UOW Philosophy graduates have found work in such diverse careers as: administration; art and design; business development; community and social services; consulting; education; entrepreneurship; healthcare; human resources; IT; legal; management; media; program and project research.

What you will study

Core subjects will teach you about: ethics, politics, mind, self, knowledge, science, and the relevance of philosophy to the wider world and the workplace. Elective areas of study include media; art and society; logic; the meaning of life; philosophy in film and literature; global and environmental ethics; bioethics; political philosophy; narrative psychology and selfhood; imagination and emotion; health and happiness; and Eastern philosophy.

The Master of Human Resource Management allows aspiring managers with a special interest in the ‘people side’ of organisations to acquire professional skills and knowledge in this area.

This specialised master’s program equips you with skills to make new opportunities and adapt quickly to changing conditions within the workplace. You will examine structures, systems, culture and leadership, including how to implement organisational change and how to leverage competitive advantage in the global marketplace. You will develop the knowledge and skills to recruit and select suitable staff, manage their performance at work, develop their skills, ensure their safety at work, and deal with legal aspects of the employment relationship.