Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Social Science in History and Political Thought (Dual Degree)

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

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

Choose a study plan that aligns with your own interests. Find your passion and select from 27 majors. Discover opportunities for internships and overseas study.

Psychological Studies

The Psychological Studies major comprises units in the discipline of psychology that focus on the field of inquiry that uses scientific techniques and methods to understand and explain behaviour and experience.

Areas of study include: the brain and behaviour, learning, motivation and emotion, social psychology, lifespan development, perception, and cognitive processes. A Psychological Studies major does not meet APAC requirements for an accredited sequence in Psychology.

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.

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.

The Bachelor of Laws (Non-Graduate Entry) 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 Bachelor of Laws (Non-Graduate Entry) 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 also 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. Students are further supported to broaden their academic interest and to extend their career options by undertaking an additional year of non-law study in an academic area or areas of their own choice.

This program is designed to equip you with the required knowledge and skills for legal practice. You will graduate with the ability to analyse legal material and understand fundamental legal principles. You will also gain an understanding of the relationship between law and society and undertake specialised study into the Australian legal system.

Even if you are not seeking to practise as a lawyer, your learning will be enriched by exposure to the ethos and practice of law.

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.

Musicology

The Musicology major provides students from outside the Music program with an introduction to the history of Western classical music, and popular and classical musics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

It offers perspectives on modernism, postmodernism and post-postmodernism, and incorporates social, political and philosophical critiques of music.

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.

Child and Community

The Child and Community major provides a comprehensive introduction to a range of social sciences related areas and a strong grounding in contemporary issues facing children and their families from a critical perspective.

This major provides a good foundation for people interested in a career in the human services with a particular interest in children.

This double degree in Communications and International Studies encompasses a wide range of subjects including a core program of media studies.

Students in this double degree also have the opportunity to extend their combined studies through a semester studying abroad. In addition, students complete an internship in their Communications Major. The Bachelor of International Studies examines the relationships of societies, cultures, languages and systems of government within the international system. It will develop your capacity to analyse the historical development of relations among nation states and contemporary political, social and cultural issues, such as globalisation, transnationalism and migration.

Media Arts Production

The major in Media Arts Production is designed to provide students with production skills, complete with practical hands-on experience together with a theoretical foundation in the moving, visual media. 

This program is designed for high achieving law students in the Bachelor of Science/ Bachelor of Laws program who wish to undertake an extended level of study and research in Law.

In the Bachelor of Science, students will learn core concepts and skills investigating the natural world, proposing and testing ideas by experimentation and observation, quantifying and modelling processes, communicating findings, and thinking independently and critically. Students can enrol in this degree and select from a range of scientific disciplines with the option of expanding learning into other areas outside of science.

The Bachelor of Laws (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.

Forensic Science

This major provides students specialised expertise in forensic science including methods of forensic analysis, crime scene investigation, forensic photography, forensic investigation, crime and criminal justice and complex cases. Career opportunities include forensic scientists, crime scene investigators, private investigators and consultants, police officers, drug analysts, researchers and academics, and specialised forensic science practitioners. The main employers of forensic scientists are State and Federal police services, State and Commonwealth Government Health Departments and analytical chemistry laboratories. Graduates will be versatile with a wide skills base with (depending on their choice of electives) potential for employment in analytical chemistry and microbiology, quality control and assurance, biochemistry and molecular biology, scientific research, education and the chemical industry.

This double degree program will allow you to combine your interest and expertise in science with a sophisticated understanding of international issues and systems. This will equip you to work in globalised science-based professions and industries.

You can design your own academic program within the Bachelor of Science program structure, which must include a Science major. This can be combined with an International Studies major in International Relations and Asian Studies.

The Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of International Studies equips you to work in globalised science-based professions and industries. Our graduates have a solid grounding in a core science disciplines such as Biological Science, Chemistry or Mathematics.

Applied Physics

This major provides a deep knowledge of physics and its applications. While also developing a grounding in mathematics and strong computing knowledge, the physics major assures understanding of the concepts, tools and techniques of physics including the interfaces where physics contributes to other scientific disciplines, and the use of physics in wider intellectual and social contexts.

Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as a medical laboratory scientist, forensic scientist, in government and related industries, in scientific and technical management or can pursue a research or secondary teaching career.

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.

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

Choose a study plan that aligns with your own interests. Find your passion and select from 27 majors. Discover opportunities for internships and overseas study.

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 (since 1500) history of humanity. Although Europe is very prominent in the Major, the student 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.