Master of Philosophy in Arts

at University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus Australia

Huge increases in the volume of data available in science, industry, commerce and governments have led to a growing demand for professionals who can design, organise, manage and manipulate databases. These professionals also need the ability to analyse and extract useful and practical insights and information from data sets of differing size and complexity, and then communicate these findings to a range of audiences. These skills will become increasingly important in the workplaces of the future.

This degree is designed for students who wish to develop strong and rigorous mathematical, statistical and computing skills. The degree also involves the development of good communication and consulting skills which will allow graduates to successfully pursue careers across the wide range of data-driven industries.

A Data Science and Analytics (Honours) degree is available to candidates who have achieved a distinction average or better in the three-year Bachelor of Data Science and Analytics degree.

This degree
The Bachelor of Data Science and Analytics teaches highly transferable skills in problem solving, data analysis, statistics and variability, and statistical and mathematical modelling. There are opportunities for scholarships from corporate partners, plus summer scholarships and undergraduate research projects with academic staff. You will have access to programs offered by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) and inter-university courses via our Access Grid Room.

What you will study
In your first year you will study core subjects in mathematics, statistics, and computer science.
You will also study a range of subjects in big data mining and management, database performance, sample survey and experimental designs, linear algebra, and linear models. The degree includes industry guest lectures and industry-inspired projects that involve a series of related analyses.

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.

The Master of Applied Finance (Financial Services) is for students interested in acquiring an advanced understanding of financial institutions, bank management, and lending. If you are currently working in the Finance industry or a recent graduate, you will benefit from the specialized knowledge learned in this course.

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.

You will examine the legal framework establishing, controlling and regulating financial institutions and examine bank management theory, a bank's lending process and the securities associated with it.

The degree is targeted at students who have a bachelor degree in Business, Engineering, Maths or IT, if you do not have an academic background in these areas you should consider studying the Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance.

Students interested in a two-year Master of Applied Finance option should consider the Master of Applied Finance (Investing and Financial Services).

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.

Marketing is the activities, institutions and processes for creating, communicating and delivering products and services. This includes facilitating relationships to deliver value for consumers, clients and society. It's about everything from establishing who the customer is to developing a competitive advantage by effectively positioning products/services in the market. Marketing is essential for all organisations, even small business operators and not-for-profits.

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 major in Marketing and develop the skills and knowledge needed to plan, develop and execute integrated marketing and communications strategies.

Graduates take many different directions including advertising, digital and social media marketing, social change marketing and the development and of marketing new products. 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 study how consumers behave, how organisations find out about their markets and the customers in those markets, how to create effective marketing communications campaigns, and how organisations manage marketing successfully. You will have the opportunity to deepen your understanding in key areas of marketing, for example, how to create change for the better in society or learn about marketing's applications internationally.

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

A Bachelor of Business – Bachelor of Laws from UOW equips you with a comprehensive legal education: a world-class degree that provides a thorough grounding in the law, as well as a real-world focus on the essential practical skills and the social and ethical context in which the law operates.

Combining Law with Business prepares you for a range of careers, giving you the edge as you gain a legal perspective on contemporary and socially responsible business practice. It provides a program of study in commerce, business and administration and further develops analytical and interpersonal skills, and high levels of literacy and numeracy.

We believe that practical experience is a vital part of your legal training. We are the only law school in New South Wales that requires you to complete a legal internship, providing highly valued industry experience.

We are committed to social justice and providing a legal education that engages with the complexities of law's intersection with society.

Today’s business environment is dynamic and complex. The Bachelor of Business degree provides core skills across all business functions, as well as specialist knowledge in a chosen field. Throughout this degree you will have the opportunity to gain practical, real-world experience and make professional connections, including the opportunity to participate in the Business Internship program.

This degree

Double degrees are designed to broaden your knowledge and skills set, giving you a competitive advantage in the workforce. They also reduce the length and cost of study by combining two different degrees. This double degree delivers a practical and contextual legal education that prepares graduates not only for traditional careers in the legal profession but also for a wide range of careers in government, business and community organisations – as leaders, innovators and problem solvers.

On completion of this degree, you will be able to apply critical thinking, including the application of research methods to commercial issues in local, national and international contexts.

What you will study

The Bachelor of Business – Bachelor of Laws covers the prescribed areas of knowledge for future admission to the profession as well as including a choice of electives. Additionally, an integrated skills program equips graduates with experience in areas such as legal research, interviewing, legal drafting, advocacy and negotiation. Opportunities also exist to undertake subjects by way of an international exchange. You will select from a list of business majors including, Accountancy, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing and Public Relations.

The creative sector is one of the fastest-growing, most dynamic industries in the world. In the digital age, writing is becoming more and more central to the way we communicate with each other. The Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) teaches skills and strategies so your writing is strong and clear. It helps you express ideas in imaginative ways that will impact your readers. Creative writers work in a range of areas: poetry, editing, writing for multimedia, commercial and content writing, commercial theatre and performance, short stories and novels, or even in ways that combine or challenge these forms. Creative writers might write to entertain or to educate – but they’re always drawing on the human condition, exploring what it means to be human.

This course is designed to teach you to think about your story, image and scene. Creative writers draft and re-draft so their work is at its best, and this process is exciting.

What you will study
Core subjects will teach you the foundation for editing, writing across borders, genre and form, contemporary theory and research practice and you will explore social justice and children's literature. As well as your Creative Writing major, you must elect a minor or a second major from the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts. Creative writing pairs well with a major in English Literatures, Languages, Indigenous Studies or Philosophy.

Biomedical Engineering is a multi-disciplinary field that enables engineers to combine engineering principles with biological and medical sciences. Developments in biomedical engineering provide vital skills and knowledge to enable change to the national health system and improve people’s lives, for example, developments in imaging, instrumentation, robotics, scaffolding, materials engineering, computer science and prosthetics. Students will study areas related to mechanical, electrical, artificial intelligence (e.g. evolutionary computation, neural network, fuzzy logic, machine learning) and aspects of modern biomedical systems. Graduates will develop a solid understanding of critical issues involved in developing biomedical systems in a global economy and make significant technological contributions to biomedical systems, both in Australia and abroad.

This degree
You will study a common first year allowing you to learn more about engineering and its different fields before deciding which discipline to study. The common first year provides you with sound fundamentals in mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, computing, engineering science and communication, mechanics, materials and fluids. You then focus on your chosen major study from second year. Your degree includes a 12-week hands-on industry placement. You may gain credit for relevant work experience, either in Australia or overseas, by participating in our Professional Options Program.

Engineers work in a variety of industries, for example: construction, mining, resources, aeronautical, electronics, engineering management, telecommunications, power generation and distribution, renewable energy, aerospace, water resource management, robotics and manufacturing, railroad and shipbuilding.

What you will study
As an engineering student at UOW you will have access to fully-equipped laboratories and the latest computer-aided software that is used in modern industrial workplaces. Our lecturers encourage you to approach them and get involved in industry projects and learning opportunities so you get the most out of your university education.Our engineering students are trained through practical learning experiences including:

• Laboratory experiments
• Problem based learning
• Computer simulations
• Teamwork assignments
• Industrial case studies
• Project management
• Site visits to industry

After completing the common first year you will study specific subjects in the areas of:

Anatomy and Physiology, Biomedical Instrumentation and Design, Biomedical Physics, Sensors and Actuators, Biomechanical Basis for Human Movement, Mechanical Design of Biomedical Devices, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Artificial Organs and Implants, Ethics and Practices, among others.

The Visual Communication Design major allows you to develop skills in graphic design for both traditional and new media.
You will learn graphic design principles and practices, while working on client-driven design projects for print, online, mobile and emerging platforms.
You will graduate with flexible visual design skills, ready for new career opportunities that focus on communicating messages visually across a broad spectrum of contexts and media.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media enables you to expand your career options by combining the Visual Communication Design major with one of four other majors in the degree: Digital and Social Media; Journalism; Screen Media Production; 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 learn about typography, layout, photography, design thinking, vector-based imaging, animation and design for both online and mobile platforms. You will also learn the professional skills involved in working with clients, responding to briefs and developing visual strategy. Alongside these practical skills and experiences, you will study the ways in which emerging digital platforms are changing the context for visual communication design, both in Australia and internationally.