Bachelor of Social Work

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

This is a broadly based, inter-disciplinary four-year double degree offering flexibility and choice within a wide range of offerings in the social sciences, as well as studies of International Relations and Asian Studies and an Asian language.

This degree seeks to equip you with all the interdisciplinary and specialist skills and knowledge that you will need on entering the workforce or on proceeding to advanced study.

Criminology

This criminology major offers students the opportunity to study crime and criminal justice in a critical way that particularly stresses social and cultural definitions of criminality and the reactions to it.

Areas of focus include criminal justice institutions and practices; the development of criminology as a discipline and its various strands; forms and patterns of victimisation; crime prevention strategies and debates; aspects of juvenile justice; the evolution of prisons and different forms of punishment; law enforcement and surveillance; violence, gender and crime; cultural depictions of crime and contemporary debates in criminology.

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.

International Relations

This major has been designed to meet the needs of Australian government, business and society, to engage the states and peoples of Asia at all levels in pursuit of national interests and as part of the globalisation process.

It provides you with the opportunity to study contemporary Asia, in addition to the rich and diverse histories, politics, cultures and languages of Asian countries, as well as the international issues affecting Australia’s interests and role in the region and in the world at large.

The major area also includes a range of units concerned with the United States and Europe as well as with Asia itself, and units in international relations covering other parts of the world. It seeks to produce graduates with a broad, liberal education, and with the skills to mediate between Australia and the world in general, and Asia in particular through political, economic, commercial, cultural, diplomatic and strategic links.

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.

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.

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.

Our Master of Science degree can be taken in a number of majors: Public Health Nutrition, Food Science, Greenhouse Horticulture or Agriculture. This program builds on your professional experience and/or prior degrees to develop advanced expertise and critical understanding in science and in these disciplines.

Agriculture

Increasing the sustainable production of food for a growing population, in an unpredictable and increasingly harsh environment, is a global priority. Agricultural systems that meet these social and environmental goals of sustainable development must be developed to ensure healthy lives. This Postgraduate major is designed for science graduates interested in agricultural careers in technological innovation, research and development, agricultural policy and senior management. It is expected that upon completion of the program students will have the cognitive, technical and critical thinking skills to analyse issues and articulate appropriate solutions in the ever-evolving field of agricultural science. A capstone subject involving either a research or professional industry project will allow students to integrate their knowledge and skills developed throughout the program.

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.

Japanese

Language majors will enable you to develop an appropriate level of proficiency in a second language, which may be used for professional purposes such as teaching, interpreting and translation, business or international relations.

If you are undertaking a language major in Japanese, you will be able to use the language in question according to its grammatical and pragmatic principles, communicate with native speakers appropriately in the spoken as well as the written mode, and demonstrate an understanding of the cultures and societies associated with the language.

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.

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.

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.

Biology

This major provides students with a broad knowledge base of biology from the molecular world to global ecosystem science with a focus on the sustainability of the natural world. The major allows students to use the learning beside a range of other diverse majors and is especially applicable to students who are considering teaching as a career. Students will have the opportunity to develop discipline knowledge alongside scientific laboratory and inquiry based skills. The major also includes developing strong communication and critical thinking skills, essential for the future role of biology graduates.

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.

International Business

The global economy is becoming increasingly important for organisations seeking out new opportunities to expand their customer base and develop partnerships. Managers who are well versed in the needs of doing business internationally and who can exploit these opportunities will therefore play an integral role in any such corporation. Building on a solid foundation in domestic business education, including global sustainability, international business strategy, managing in a global environment, and international marketing, this major equips graduates with the detailed knowledge of the international dimension of business and the necessary understanding of the workings of that market system.

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.

Music Performance

The Music Performance major provides students with the opportunity to develop their professional and creative potential in making and appreciating a range of different kinds of music.

Students will gain practical experience in performance as a soloist and in groups, and through improvising and collaborating.