Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Social Science in Sociology (Dual Degree)

at Western Sydney University - Penrith Campus (Kingswood) 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.

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 Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian or 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.

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.

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.

Peace and Development Studies

The Peace and Development Studies major is concerned with methods for promoting peace, human rights and sustainability. It involves a critical analysis of inequalities of power and opportunity that lead to international and local conflict, social dislocation and environmental degradation.

Students will examine the structural causes of racist and gendered violence, environmental crises, forced migration, poverty, resource conflict, and inter-generational inequity. The inter-related network of solutions includes empowerment and self-determination, sustainable living, constructive development, peacemaking and peace building. These require understanding of the theories and method for identifying, measuring and resolving conflict and environmental degradation. The assumptions and failings of traditional development practice are critically assessed. Students will engage social theory within an interdisciplinary and applied framework, at local, national and international levels.

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. 

If you’re creative, passionate and a problem solver, our enhanced Arts degree could be for you.

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 Engineering

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

If you’re creative, passionate and a problem solver, our enhanced Arts degree could be for you.

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.

Cyber Security

The Cyber Security major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of information systems security. Today, the widespread use of networked systems means protecting these systems from various attacks is more important than ever. Cyber Security is an essential aspect of today’s information systems.

This major covers fundamental information security knowledge and security protocols from basic cryptography algorithms to their applications in computer systems and networked systems. Students will learn fundamental security concepts, practical implementation of the security application programs as well as ethical hacking techniques to protect cyber security.

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.

Geography and Urban Studies

Students in this major examine the geography of contemporary Australian cities and regions. Geography is the integrated study of people, places and environments. The cutting edge interests of today’s Geographers include post-colonialism, the emergence of global information economies, indigenous issues, class and cultural disparities, population movement, sexuality and space, and the global diffusion of popular culture.

Urban Studies is a newer discipline focused on social justice within the city, through its critical assessments of peoples’ access to scarce urban resources, such as housing, transport, education and employment. The political, economic, and cultural forces that shape cities and urban policy are the key concerns of the Urban Studies curriculum. These applied interests in urban well-being and city structure are the intellectual basis for the Urban Planning profession.

The Geography and Urban Studies major is a compulsory component of the University’s accredited Planning course.

If you’re creative, passionate and a problem solver, our enhanced Arts degree could be for you.