Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Social Science in Child and Community (Dual Degree)

at Western Sydney University - Penrith Campus (Kingswood) Australia

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.

Heritage Tourism

In a highly mobile world (migration, tourism, media and communications, travel and transport) and in contemporary life where the preservation of historical and natural environments present as one of the major challenges facing all societies, heritage has become a touchstone for social and cultural identity, our understanding of modernity, peace and development, our senses of citizenship, custodianship and community. At the same time heritage places have become significant tourist destinations and so in a world of flows and networks, the heritage-tourism relationship is a critical one. In the 21st century it is impossible to disentangle the two.

This major introduces contemporary heritage issues and provides an in-depth understanding of tourism as a social phenomenon. It enables a critical examination of the relationship between heritage and tourism in number of settings within Australia (including Indigenous Australia) and internationally.

Graduates with a heritage and tourism major can contemplate careers within a diverse range of government, non-government organization and businesses that require understanding, insight and skills related to heritage and tourism.

Western offers a specialist Computer Science degrees to equip you with the skills you need to be career-ready by specialising in different applications of computer science and computer systems.

Technology Entrepreneurship

The Technology Entrepreneurship major is focused on guiding students through all stages of turning their innovative idea into a start-up company. In an entrepreneurial ecosystem, you will learn the knowledge and techniques for opportunity discovery, impact analysis, customer analysis, strategic team-building and leadership, the psychology and ethics of the start-up, funding modelling and financial analysis, growth and exit strategies.

We will be helping you with defining your idea, forming a team around it, building a prototype, developing a pitch for investors and running a start-up company.

The Master of Clinical Psychology develops competent clinical psychologists by combining advanced academic knowledge with real-life experience to suit a variety of career needs and interests.

The program provides thorough training in a range of mental health issues and equips you with the ability to implement effective evidence-based interventions that are tailored to clients' requirements.

Clinical psychologists offer psychological assessment and treatment for a wide range of mental health problems. This program is designed to provide you with training across a host of mental health issues and settings. It will equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to effectively meet the diverse needs of clients.

At Western, our mandate is to develop your understanding through programwork, a research project, and 1,000 hours of supervised experience in clinical and other appropriate settings.

You will also explore the inner workings of the human mind, be given the knowledge and skills you need to understand dysfunctional behaviour and psychopathology, and learn how to implement effective evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy.

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.

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 Engineering (Honours) program is designed for students with interests in learning to address humanity’s issues and challenges through the development and deployment of technical solutions.

This program spans all major engineering domains and prioritises industry relevance via an emphasis on work integrated learning to ensure students are career-ready on graduation. In addition to becoming technical experts in their chosen field of specialisation, students are also challenged to become collaborative and innovative problem solvers with an appreciation for the importance of sustainability and global citizenship.

Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing is continuously transforming as it integrates automation, analytics, intelligence, digitisation, and Internet of Things (IoT) into physical operations. In this major, you integrate techniques and methods to improve the sustainability and efficiency of manufacturing taking advantage of digitisation tools. You tackle complex problems, propose innovative solutions, and apply critical thinking to industry problems considering social, ethical and environmental factors.

Graduate destinations are varied and include:
Digital Product Design Engineer, Digital Process Engineer, Additive Manufacturing Engineer, Digital Twins Engineer, Systems Engineer, Automation Specialist, Robotics Specialists, Advanced Sensors Specialists, Industry 4.0 Transformation Specialist, IIoT Specialist.

The Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) program is designed for students with interests in learning to address humanity’s issues and challenges through the development and deployment of technical solutions.

This program spans all major engineering domains and prioritises industry relevance via an emphasis on work integrated learning to ensure students are career-ready on graduation. In addition to becoming technical experts in their chosen field of specialisation, students are also challenged to become collaborative and innovative problem solvers with an appreciation for the importance of sustainability and global citizenship.

Civil

Civil engineering covers the fields of structural design, geotechnical engineering and water engineering, together with infrastructure design and environmental engineering. Graduates may pursue career paths in the fields of design, construction and management of engineering structures and be associated with private industry, government departments, or in city, municipal or shire councils. These career paths may include engineering projects related to residential and commercial buildings, highways and airports, water supply and sewerage schemes.

Graduate destinations include:
Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Site Engineer, Water Engineer, Maintenance Engineer, Water Resources Engineer, Water Resource System Analyst, Hydrologist, Hydraulic Engineer, Water Treatment Operator, Subdivision Civil Approvals Engineer, Consulting Engineer, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Design Manager

Many future challenges exist at the nexus of environment, infrastructure and technology. Solutions to these will demand innovative engineering combined with applied science and business acumen. Engineers with a head for business will find many opportunities to leverage their highly developed analytical skills towards a host of technical and commercial challenges.

How 4 plus 3 makes 5
This outstanding double degree program combines a 4 year Bachelor of Engineering (honours) degree with the 3 year Bachelor of Business degree to yield a course of study that takes only 5 years to complete (in Full-time mode).The Engineering component of this program is offered at the Penrith and Parramatta City campuses, and the Business component is offered at the Parramatta City campus.

At Western Sydney University, we prepare our students to take on big challenges and succeed. The combined Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) / Bachelor of Business degree covers all major engineering and business domains. You can also experience many facets of engineering before deciding upon your major at the end of your first year.

Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing is continuously transforming as it integrates automation, analytics, intelligence, digitisation, and Internet of Things (IoT) into physical operations. In this major, you integrate techniques and methods to improve the sustainability and efficiency of manufacturing taking advantage of digitisation tools. You tackle complex problems, propose innovative solutions, and apply critical thinking to industry problems considering social, ethical and environmental factors.

The degree will develop the mindset, risk tolerance, creativity, passion, big thinking, team formation and leadership capabilities – the key distinct characteristics of high-impact entrepreneurs.

In an entrepreneurial ecosystem, you will learn the knowledge and techniques for opportunity discovery, impact analysis, customer analysis, strategic team-building and leadership, the psychology and ethics of the start-up, funding modelling and financial analysis, growth and exit strategies.

The Games Design and Simulation specialisation will convert your passion for playing games into deep knowledge of the science and art of problem solving through development and application of games and simulations.

This area of study includes gamification, games design, game-based learning, and psychology of gaming, serious games, games entrepreneurship, as well as broader modelling and simulation. It features two majors that are not available in any other Western University degree - Game Programming and Game Design.

Upon completion you will have developed an entrepreneurial mindset and will know how to apply this mindset to address a diverse range of problems through game and simulation-based solutions.

The program incorporates practical experience in every semester of study, placing students in entrepreneurial environments (incubators, technology parks, innovation centres) and enabling them through all the stages from creative ideation through the sustainable development of the idea into a lean start-up.

Game Programming

In this major you will gain skills in programming, data structures, video game development, artificial intelligence and more. 

The Bachelor of Music at Western takes an eclectic, modern and inclusive approach to music repertoire, performance, sound design, songwriting, composition and musicology.

The Bachelor of Music offers you the chance to significantly focus and develop your practical skills and theoretical knowledge beyond the scope of the Bachelor of Music degree.The program offers high-level training in music, music performance, composition, sound technologies, music theory, musicology, arranging music and music analysis.

The program is offered in well-equipped studios, and in a lecture/workshop/ tutorial environment. Skills in music performance, composition and sound technologies are augmented by intellectual, theoretical and contextual studies. Hands-on involvement from music academics will support you as you build toward the production of a major project.

You’re curious, enjoy telling stories, and you want to use media to share ideas about the things that get people talking.

Our Communication degree will give you the professional skills and knowledge to build the ‘go anywhere, do anything’ career you want. Major in Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations or Screen Media and develop job-ready skills in communication, digital media, media production, research, and innovation.

Advertising

The Advertising major gives students a thorough grounding in general principles of communication as well as practical skills in advertising. The major offers a balance of advertising theory and practice and focuses on real, project-based outcomes.

Areas of study include advertising strategy, advertising creative and art direction, client and account management, digital and social media contexts, advertising campaigns.