Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Development Studies / Bachelor of Business (Dual Degree)

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

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.

Disability Studies

This major is designed to meet the increasing demand for specialist expertise in disability care, rights and services. Recent changes in global policy and social service frameworks have generated new labour markets in disability support, and this major meets the need for professionals with in-depth knowledge of contemporary disability issues.

Incorporating units from Social Sciences and Health Sciences, this major explores contemporary frameworks for disability studies. Students will explore inclusive practices and evaluate the impact of social policy on the rights of persons with disabilities.

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.

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 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.

Economy and Markets

A major in Economy and Markets prepares you to be an active participant in addressing the wide range of problems faced by governments, social organisations and the business community in the domestic and international economies. The world’s commercial and political systems affect the quality of life and standard of living of every single person on the planet. If you would like to play a part in the workings of these systems, and have an impact on their outcomes, a major in Economy and Markets is the ideal choice.

The major introduces you to the application of economic analysis to issues affecting both the business sector and a range of government institutions. You will learn how economies function and how public policy and the way organisations behave affects diverse social, economic and environmental problems.

You will be introduced to a wide array of competing economic theories, so that you are critically informed about the ways in which they can be used to transform the world. You can expect to develop your analytical and problem-solving skills, including the capacity to apply modern statistical techniques, and also to critically examine issues from multiple theoretical perspectives.

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.

Organisations and Work

A major in Organisations and Work provides you with the skills to initiate valued change and contribute in the complex field of management. The development of strategic knowledge provides strong analytical outcomes directed at understanding the impact managers have on organisational decision making.

This major also aims to instil values and attitudes that support leaders in judgements about balancing the pursuit of organisational objectives with creating opportunities for developing people’s capacities. 

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. You will work with organisations to design, develop, deploy and manage information systems through the application of computing technology.

This program will help you carry out a real-life project where you will need to demonstrate you can design and develop an information system that solves a community-based problem.

This degree is exclusively for high-achieving students, and will continually challenge you to do even better and build on your academic success. Students in the Advanced degree program are automatically enrolled in The Academy Opens in new window, which offers interdisciplinary leadership programs, professional development and local and international internship and engagement opportunities for students.

Big Data

This major covers theories and technologies of big data with applications to information systems. Students completing this major will possess and apply the technical skills for managing large volumes and varieties of data in the information systems context.

By connecting creative writing practice to ideas and creative work from the arts and sciences, the Master of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing offers you the opportunity to think across creative, critical and disciplinary categories, and to produce either works of scholarship or creative writing (or related creative work that crosses into other areas including music, art, performance and film).

The Writing and Research Centre at Western Sydney University offers a challenging, rigorous programwork and project-based Master’s degree, combining criticism and creative work and leading to a Master of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing.

The centre is unique in Australia in the way it combines scholarship, authorship and expertise in publishing. The centre includes some of Australia’s most celebrated writers (such as the novelists Gail Jones and Alexis Wright) and widely published literary scholars and critics with international reputations (such as Ivor Indyk, Hazel Smith, Chris Andrews, and Anthony Uhlmann).

Western Sydney University is ranked above world standard in both the study of literature and creative arts practice. The centre houses the highly decorated literary press Giramondo Publishing, and the pre-eminent literary review site in Australia, The Sydney Review of Books.

With outstanding resources, the University is able to offer multifaceted understanding of literature and writing. Hazel Smith is a world leader in the field of practice-led research and research-led practice, and this carries with it our philosophy of deepening the understanding of both critical and creative practice by linking critical and creative thinking.

In short, the centre is one of the best places in Australia to either become a writer or to think in a critical and scholarly way about writing.

This double degree program equips you with a degree in science, combined with a good understanding of basic business issues.

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 a Business major from a variety of disciplines.

This double degree program allows you to span both the commercial and scientific worlds in a way that a single degree cannot.

It permits you to multi-skill, and offers diverse career paths providing high marketability in multiple areas of expertise. 

As a graduate, you will be equipped to work as a scientist, with a good understanding of business principles and practices. Alternatively, as a Business graduate you will be well-prepared to work in science-based industries and institutions.

AgriFood

Immersed in an approach that integrates social, economic and environmental values, students will view plant and animal production from consumer contexts to explore personal and community perceptions about food sustainability. This innovative course merges topics of agriculture, food and health to empower you to design solutions for international development, community education and the urban–rural interface. This major provides hands-on experience, developing confidence and giving graduates an excellent foundation for careers in: teaching, research, biotechnology and industry. Throughout study, engagement with industry and community will inspire you to take action towards a regenerative and more environmentally sustainable AgriFood future. The flexibility of the course also enables students to combine their interest in AgriFood with other disciplines including animal science, data science, ecology, innovative foods, heath and business.

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.

Organisations and Work

The Organisations and Work major is designed for people interested in careers in organisational development, where there is emphasis on human resource management.

Graduates have knowledge of how leadership and management of people can support organisational objectives and create organisational opportunities.

That is, graduates develop commercial acumen and appreciate the competing interests around work, aware of trends locally and internationally. Throughout the major, students are challenged to develop and demonstrate communication, cultural, and analytic skills required to be innovative and responsible team-members and leaders.

This double degree program allows you to span both the legal and scientific worlds. This Bachelor of Science asks questions about how the natural world works and the impact of humans at its interface. It does so in a systematic, yet rigorously creative way based on inquiry and evidence. A Bachelor of Science will prepare you to take part in this process of inquiry, by both contributing to it and by using scientific knowledge to solve current problems in broad settings.

The Bachelor of Laws 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.

This major will help you understand nutrition, and the science behind food in the largest business sector in the world.

 Innovative Foods

A major in Innovative Foods will prepare you to be a leader in developing innovative, safe, healthy and sustainable foods. A solid foundation in the biological and chemical sciences, needed to underpin food science, will enable graduates from this program to be confident in the rapidly evolving food technology sector. Graduates can pursue opportunities in food formulation, food research and development, quality assurance, food plant management, food molecular biology, flavour chemistry, consumer relations, food quality assurance and teaching. The program is flexible and enables you to undertake units in human nutrition and health, food production, biotechnology, integrated management with industry and community links, with modern sensory and food processing facilities.

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.

 Animals Science

Interactions between people and animals are increasing due to our reliance on animals for companionship and food production. This major will enable you to develop a deep understanding of these issues, through studies of animal behaviour, animal health and welfare, animal nutrition, animal production, animal reproduction, and human-animal interactions. You will have access to diverse on-campus animal facilities including reptiles, native mammals, sheep, cattle and deer and off-campus organisations such as wildlife parks, zoos and farms. 

A variety of exciting career paths are available to graduates of this program, including international opportunities in the many fields of animal science. Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as an animal welfare officer, life scientist, quarantine officer, animal journalist or can progress into pursuing a research career, teaching career or working in government and related industries.