Bachelor of International Studies

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.

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.

Be constantly challenged and extended by your studies. Think about a career involving scientific research.

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.

Our fully accredited Bachelor of Creative Industries is unique in NSW. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies in Arts, Communication, Design and Music with programs in Business and Law.

Cultural and Social Analysis

Cultural and Social Analysis is an interdisciplinary major developing knowledge, research skills and analytic capacities relevant to understanding and interpreting landscapes of cultural diversity and social difference in our contemporary world, both in terms of the broad contours, as well as specific micro-social environments.

This major provides grounding in contemporary debates and methodologies in cultural studies and social theory, and draws on various disciplines including history, sociology, communications, and linguistics.

Topics include popular culture, everyday urban life, cultural and social impacts of scientific theories and new technologies, multiculturalism, and contemporary spirituality.

Study in this area is relevant for work involving commentary and analysis of contemporary social issues and cultural practices (e.g. journalism, teaching, activism) and fields concerned with designing, delivering and evaluating cultural and artistic productions, and education, communication, welfare or health services, in culturally diverse communities.

Become a skilled social worker with the ability to nurture people’s self-reliance and problem-solving abilities. If you have always cared about others, this degree gives you an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of individuals, families, groups and communities.

Through a mix of world-class research and theory, Western's Bachelor of Social Work gives you the valuable skills and knowledge you need to help people deal with personal and social problems, either directly or by planning and carrying out programs that will benefit groups or communities. It prepares you to enter the workforce in a range of sectors, including private or government agencies, welfare support organisations, community groups or in health. 

This double degree program is designed for students whose interests span the Arts and Sciences. Our graduates work across a range of academic and professional disciplines, including the opportunity to develop global perspectives.

Animal science

As interactions with animals increase, so too does our need to effectively manage these populations. Animal scientists use scientific principles to solve problems associated with our relationship with and the management of animals in a changing world.

In this major, you will develop a deep understanding of how we use animals for food, companionship and recreation by applying core principles ranging from nutrition and reproduction, through to behaviour and welfare. 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 management of wildlife, companion animals and livestock.

The flexibility of the major also enables students to combine their interest with other disciplines including animal science, ecology, zoology, innovative foods, heath and business. Throughout study, engagement with industry and community will inspire you to take action towards a regenerative and more environmentally sustainable AgriFood future.

This is a double degree program that targets the wide application of information technology in Business providing a well rounded education in two disciplines.

Management

The Management major equips you with the expert skills to create a career as a management specialist. You will be prepared to succeed in a range of roles in contemporary private, public, and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and abroad.

In this major you will develop strategic management knowledge to enable effective organisational decision making. The subjects in this major focus on organisational learning and development and behaviour, operations management, leadership and entrepreneurship, change and innovation, and policy.

This is a double degree program that targets the wide application of information technology in Business providing a well rounded education in two disciplines.

Human Resource Management

The Human Resource Management Major is designed for people who seek careers in human resource management and industrial relations.

Graduates’ careers focus on enhancing the value of human and social capital through supporting employee engagement for many different kinds of organisations, market-oriented and community-oriented organisations and many kinds of people.

The teaching philosophy is based on knowledge in action, a fusion of the Australia Human Resource Institute’s capabilities for HR professionals and the Western Sydney University Graduate Attributes designed to secure success. An aim of the program is to instil those values and attitudes that can support leaders in judgements about balancing the pursuit of organisational objectives with creating opportunities for developing people’s capacities and careers.

Our fully accredited Bachelor of Creative Industries is unique in NSW. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies in Arts, Communication, Design and Music with programs in Business and Law.

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing major provides students the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work. Students study with professional authors, editors and publishers from the Writing and Society Research Centre and staff from the School of Humanities and Communication Arts.

In addition, students have the opportunity to study contemporary approaches to language and literary studies, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and to read and examine a wide selection of modern and classic literatures. Career prospects include publishing, editing, teaching, writing and advertising.

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.

 Indigenous Australian Studies

What does it mean to live in Indigenous Australia? The Indigenous Australian Studies major offers you the exciting opportunity to acquire key cultural competencies that will enable you to understand and work more effectively with Indigenous Australians in professions such as the arts, communications, media, education, government and non-government, policy, health, sciences, and community services.

The Indigenous Australian Studies major addresses the cultural, historical, social and economic issues affecting Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and relationships.

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.

There is a wide choice of eleven majors in the Arts. When combined with high level of knowledge from the specific Business majors you will be ready for the workplace of the future.

Management

The Management major equips you with the expert skills to create a career as a management specialist. You will be prepared to succeed in a range of roles in contemporary private, public, and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and abroad. In this major you will develop strategic management knowledge to enable effective organisational decision making. The units in this major focus on organisational learning and development and behaviour, operations management, leadership and entrepreneurship, change and innovation, and policy. You can look forward to a range of careers in the broad and complex field of management.