Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology

at Western Sydney University - Penrith Campus (Kingswood) Australia

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 specialist knowledge of engineering technologists is a key element in the practice of engineering. The engineering technologist’s focused learning and practical skills are highly utilised in industry and make a significant contribution to Australian engineering success and prosperity.

The Western Sydney region has experienced strong growth and the engineering industry requires engineering technologists in a range of specialisations to support industry.

Materials

Since the dawning of mankind an understanding of how materials can be obtained and used has been critical to successful human endeavour. Materials engineers are concerned with the highly technological and dynamic process of understanding, developing, and applying materials (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites) to a range of engineering problems. Students will develop skills necessary to synthesise relevant information so that they can be effective decision makers in a materials context. These skills will serve them well in varied career opportunities associated with biomedical devices, nanotechnology, advanced manufacturing, opto-electronics, energy, aerospace, and sustainable construction. 

Graduate destinations include:
Materials engineering technologist, Materials selection technologist, High temperature applications technologist, Extreme environments technologist, Materials processing technologist, metallurgical and related process engineering.

Our Computer Science (Advanced) program is an elite degree aimed at transforming today’s brightest minds into tomorrow’s computing leaders.

 Networked Systems

This major is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Computer Science and Bachelor of Computer Science Advanced.

This major aims to develop graduates with sound skills in the discipline of networked computer systems.

Recent advances in computer and telecommunications networked systems, particularly those based on TCP/IP, have increased the importance of network technologies in the discipline of computer science.

This major covers a wide range of topics including computer communication network concepts and protocols, multimedia systems, Internet standards and technologies, network security, wireless and mobile computing, and distributed systems.

The candidates are also introduced to some of the relevant current key research issues of the field.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Computer Science.

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.

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.

Economics

The Economics major provides a broad pluralist perspective on fundamental aspects of relationships between individuals, firms, institutions and countries. Students will learn how economies function and how public policy and the way organisations behave affect diverse social, economic and environmental problems. Students are introduced to a wide array of competing economic theories, so that they are critically informed about the ways in which they can transform the world. A major in Economics prepares students to be active participants in addressing the wide range of problems faced by governments, social organisations and the business community in the domestic and international economies. Students who study economics can expect to develop their analytical and problem solving skills and to be intellectually challenged, whether they view the discipline as providing specific vocational skills or as an area of academic and intellectual interest to them. An Economics major is very highly regarded in the business world and opens up a very large range of career prospects in general business, finance and the public sector.

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.

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 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.

Electrical

The Electrical Engineering major includes core subjects from all branches of electrical engineering. Electrical Engineering program is one of the flagships of Western’s engineering whose core subjects such as Electrical Fundamentals, Power Electronics, Engineering Electromagnetics form the foundation for other programs such as Software Engineering and Biomedical Engineering program. Because of the vibrant and diverse offerings of Western’s engineering, its graduates will work in the fields of electronic components, computers, electro-magnetics, power generation and distribution systems, power and control in public utilities, telecommunications, manufacturing, and electrical systems.

Graduate destinations include:
Designers, data loggers, programmers, consultants, system engineers, data communications specialists, wireless communications engineers, and integrated circuit designers.

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.

Anthropology

Social Anthropology is the study of humans and the cultures they create.

The major in Anthropology within the Bachelor of Social Science offers students the opportunity to examine social patterns and practices across cultures, to discover similarities and differences between cultures, and to understand the processes by which humans organise and create meaning.

Areas of focus include the development of anthropology as a discipline; globalisation and culture; power and politics; gender and sexuality; identity and belonging; ethnography and ethnographic methods; indigenous peoples and nation states. Specific attention is given to cultures of Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and to cross cultural interactions, at both global and local levels.

The major seeks to equip students with multi-cultural knowledge as well as to provide a thorough grounding in research methods and ethics with utility in a variety of professional and academic contexts.

The specialist knowledge of engineering technologists is a key element in the practice of engineering. The engineering technologist’s focused learning and practical skills are highly utilised in industry and make a significant contribution to Australian engineering success and prosperity.

The Western Sydney region has experienced strong growth and the engineering industry requires engineering technologists in a range of specialisations to support industry.

Robotics and Mechatronic

Robotics and Mechatronic engineering combines electrical, computing and mechanical engineering and is at the forefront in designing smart machines and systems, such as pilotless spacecraft, car cruise control, automated factories and medical telerobotics. Students explore intelligent mechanical systems and automation through an extensive and integrated hands-on laboratory program, as well as work-integrated industry projects. Students learn in-depth knowledge about the design and construction of these systems to integrate, evaluate and address their performance. The multidisciplinary skills students develop are sought after by leading edge industries, including aerospace and biomedical engineering.

Graduate destinations include:
Robotic and autonomous systems technologist, Autonomous equipment technologist, Electronics design technologist, Instrumentation technologist, Automation technologist, Control systems technologist.

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.

Construction

Construction Engineering consists of core subjects in structural engineering, project management and construction technologies. Graduates will work in the fields of construction, structural design, and project management. Career opportunities include those in the private or public sector on projects covering highways, airports, and residential & commercial buildings.

Graduate destinations include:
Construction Engineer, Structural Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Site Engineer, Subdivision Civil Approvals Engineer, Consulting Engineer, Project Engineer, Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Design Manager.