Bachelor of Social Work

at Western Sydney University - Parramatta South Campus Australia

Western’s Bachelor of Nursing This program prepares graduates for eligibility to apply for registration throughout Australia as a registered nurse. The focus of the program is on inquiry-based learning, critical thinking and reflective practice in relation to the theory and practice of nursing in health and health breakdown across the lifespan. Using a primary health care framework, students study the application of physical and behavioural sciences to nursing; inquiry and evidence-based practice principles and utilisation within nursing; nursing care of individuals, families and groups from diverse backgrounds across the lifespan. The acquisition of nursing knowledge and skills occurs initially in campus-based simulated clinical practice settings and consolidation occurs as students undertake clinical placements in a variety of health care settings. Our program reflects contemporary practices in nursing, health and education, and responds to emerging trends.

With this degree, you will learn how to plan, develop and integrate applications and information systems into a global business environment.

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.

Health Informatics

Increasingly, healthcare information is being captured electronically and newer technology modes are being applied in many innovative ways to support efficient and effective clinical care. This major aims to promote understanding of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) concepts in healthcare including electronic healthcare records; healthcare data analysis; fundamentals of medicine concepts and disease classification; healthcare system interoperability and design.

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.

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.

Innovation and Change

This major explores the links between leadership and entrepreneurship in the context of dynamic domestic and global environments. The major introduces the concepts of change and innovation as they relate to organisational transformation of businesses. You will deal with conflicting viewpoints to understand the complexity of the organisational relationships involved in change and innovation.

To prepare you for management roles, the major examines the challenges associated with developing sustainable, innovative and creative organisations, and includes assessments that facilitate engagement with elements of organisational change and innovation.

The major develops an understanding of how to initiate a business venture, taking advantages of perceived opportunities and mobilising the required resources. To this end, different theories and perspectives on leadership and entrepreneurship are examined, and you will be encouraged to apply them to real-life situations as a way of preparing to be future leaders and entrepreneurs.

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.

Festivals and Events Management

This major combines social science, business and public relation subjects to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to organise and manage festivals and events. Students will learn about the social and cultural significance of festivals and events, and the roles and responsibilities of a variety of stakeholders. The major also explores the important role festivals and events play in tourism and visitor economies. Students who choose to complete the Visitor Economy Professional Placement subject will complete a work placement with a festival/event organiser, providing a stepping-stone to employment.

The Graduate Diploma in Aged Care Management will allow staff, particularly those in supervisory and management positions working in aged care, in public, private or charitable organisations to up-skill their management knowledge by exposing them to socio-political issues in aged care. It provides further training in organisational capacity and leadership in aged care practice.

This program equips graduates of this program to position themselves at the forefront of innovation in the organisation and delivery of quality aged care services. It provides an entry point to the Master of Health Science for those who wish to continue on their professional development journey with further studies.

The Graduate Diploma in Information and Communications Technology is designed for students from both computing and non-computing backgrounds, to enable you to have a pathway into higher studies in Information and Communications Technology and to support a career in ICT.

The Graduate Diploma offers you formal training in the theoretical aspects of ICT, creating a solid base to continue your progression in the ICT field.

The speed of change in ICT requires everyone to update their knowledge every few years. This Graduate Diploma program lays a proper foundation in ICT whereby you can gain knowledge and confidence to proceed to further studies and career advancement.

The program is also designed to enable inexperienced, non-ICT students to enter a career in ICT. You will benefit from the University's policies on recognition of prior learning by allowing a matching of an individual's professional experience against specific subjects that form part of the Graduate Diploma in ICT.

The University has a long history of providing well-designed degrees in ICT that are accredited at the professional level by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). We recognise and concentrate on the vital role that computer networks, including internet and web technologies, play in all areas of life. This is reflected in our research strengths in networking and web engineering. This program will prepare you to undertake further studies in these two vital areas.

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.

Digital Cultures

The Digital Cultures Major offers students the opportunity to learn about how cutting edge technology and digital practices are changing society.

By analysing new media, visual arts, and digital design and the effects that the use of these new technologies have on culture and society, students will gain the necessary skills to position themselves for careers in a wide variety of contexts that require understanding of technology or digital media and its impact.

Complementing these analytical skills, students will also gain practical skills in the creation of digital media and design.

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.

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 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.

AgriFood

Opportunities are rapidly emerging for you to lead a new AgriFood future. 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 degree merges topics of agriculture, food and health to empower you to design solutions for international development, community education and the urban–rural interface. The WSU AgriFood major is a hands-on experience, developing confidence and giving graduates an excellent foundation for careers in teaching, research, biotechnology and industry.

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.