This program applies to students who commenced in 2015 or later.

The Bachelor of Social Science (Advanced) degree is a broadly based, inter-disciplinary three year program offering flexibility and choice within a range of offerings in the social sciences. The degree is available to high-performing students and is comprised of an eight subject social science core, an eight subject social science major, four subjects of advanced study and four electives or an optional international placement. The majors and minors available within the social sciences include: Anthropology, Child and Community, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Geography and Urban Studies, Heritage and Tourism, Peace and Development Studies and Sociology. The advanced subjects that students undertake will complement these areas of study by encouraging students to develop leadership skills, by extending their capacity for critical and creative thinking, and by providing work experience in relevant fields. Students will also be encouraged to develop greater intercultural awareness and understanding through the option of an international placement and will benefit from being mentored by academics in relevant disciplines. The degree allows students to pursue studies in the social sciences that accord with their personal and occupational interests. It seeks to equip students with the interdisciplinary and specialist skills and knowledge, and real world experience that a new graduate would need in order to be competitive in the workforce or to undertake postgraduate study in the social sciences and related disciplines.

Study Mode

Three years full-time or six years part-time.

Location

Location

Campus	Attendance	Mode	Advice
Liverpool Campus	Full Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova
Liverpool Campus	Part Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road	Full Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova
Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road	Part Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova
Penrith Campus	Full Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova
Penrith Campus	Part Time	Internal	Irena Veljanova

Admission

• Assumed knowledge: two units of HSC English.
• Recommended studies: HSC English Standard, or equivalent.
• ATAR of at least 90.

Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and holders of permanent resident visas must be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).  Use the links below to apply via UAC or Western Sydney University.  Applications made directly to Western Sydney do not have an application fee.

Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local and International applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to the University should also use the information provided on the UAC website.

http://www.uac.edu.au/
https://westernsydney.uac.edu.au/ws/

Overseas qualifications must be deemed by the Australian Education International - National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to be equivalent to Australian qualifications in order to be considered by UAC and Western Sydney University.

Special Requirements Prerequisites

Students who opt to enrol in SSIP as alternate core/electives are required to complete a Working with Children Check and obtain medical clearance for HUMN 3101 Social Sciences International Placement (II): Placement subject.

Program Structure

Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 240 credit points with no less than 60 credit points at Level 3.

Recommended Sequence

Students must maintain an average GPA of 5 throughout their degree.

Start-year intake

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Autumn session		Credit Points
CULT 1017	Understanding Society	10
BEHV 1021	The Individual in Society	10
Select one major subject		10
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
HUMN 1060	Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies	10
HUMN 1041	People, Place and Social Difference	10
Select one core advanced subject from the list below		10
Select one major subject		10
	Credit Points	40
Year 2
Autumn session
HUMN 2066	Investigating and Communicating Social Problems	10
Select one major subject		10
Select two core advanced subjects from the list below		20
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
CULT 2005	Ethics in the Social Sciences	10
Select one core advanced subject from the list below		10
Select one major subject		10
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Year 3
Autumn session
CULT 3001	Applied Social Research	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Spring session
CULT 3007	Contemporary Social Issues and Professional Practice	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective or Social Sciences International Placement subjects		10
	Credit Points	40
	Total Credit Points	240

Social Sciences International Placement Subjects

Those students who undertake the Social Sciences International Placement in Year 3 would be exempted from completing CULT 3007 Contemporary Social Issues and Professional Practice and three electives. The program structure would be varied as follows:

Plan of Study Grid

Year 3
Autumn session		Credit Points
CULT 3001	Applied Social Research	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
2H session
HUMN 3100	Social Sciences International Placement (1): Preparation for Placement	10
HUMN 3101	Social Sciences International Placement (II): Placement	20
	Credit Points	30
Summer A session
HUMN 3102	Social Sciences International Placement (III): Post-placement Reflections	10
	Credit Points	10
	Total Credit Points	80

Mid-year intake

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Spring session		Credit Points
HUMN 1060	Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies	10
HUMN 1041	People, Place and Social Difference	10
Select one major subject		10
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Autumn session
CULT 1017	Understanding Society	10
BEHV 1021	The Individual in Society	10
Select one major subject		10
Select one core advanced subject from the list below		10
	Credit Points	40
Year 2
Spring session
CULT 2005	Ethics in the Social Sciences	10
Select one core advanced subject from the list below		10
Select one major subject		10
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Autumn session
HUMN 2066	Investigating and Communicating Social Problems	10
Select one major subject		10
Select two core advanced subjects from the list below		20
	Credit Points	40
Year 3
Spring session
CULT 3007	Contemporary Social Issues and Professional Practice	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
Autumn session
CULT 3001	Applied Social Research	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective or Social Sciences International Placement subjects		10
	Credit Points	40
	Total Credit Points	240

Social Sciences International Placement Subjects

Those students who undertake the Social Sciences International Placement in Year 3 would be exempted from completing CULT 3007 Contemporary Social Issues and Professional Practice and two electives. The program structure would be varied as follows:

Plan of Study Grid

Year 3
2H session		Credit Points
HUMN 3100	Social Sciences International Placement (1): Preparation for Placement	10
HUMN 3101	Social Sciences International Placement (II): Placement	20
	Credit Points	30
Summer A session
HUMN 3102	Social Sciences International Placement (III): Post-placement Reflections	10
	Credit Points	10
Autumn session
CULT 3001	Applied Social Research	10
Select two major subjects		20
Select one elective		10
	Credit Points	40
	Total Credit Points	80

Majors

Students must select one of the following Majors.

Elective Minors 

Core Advanced Subjects - Applied Leadership, Minor

 Please note: Applied Leadership, Minor (0178) has been replaced by Creative Leadership, Minor (0286) from 2022. Continuing students enrolled in 0178 are able to remain in and successfully complete the subject requirements of this minor.

Subject List

Subject	Title	Credit Points
DESN 2016	Creativity, Design Thinking and Visualisation	10
CULT 3011	Ethical Leadership	10
BEHV 2019	Citizenship and Community Engagement	10
BUSM 1044	Leadership in Complexity	10

Students who intend to take up an International Placement would follow a variation of this program.

Subject List

Subject	Title	Credit Points
HUMN 3100	Social Sciences International Placement (1): Preparation for Placement	10
HUMN 3101	Social Sciences International Placement (II): Placement	20
HUMN 3102	Social Sciences International Placement (III): Post-placement Reflections	10

Equivalent Core Subjects

The core subjects listed below count towards completion of this program for students who passed these subjects in 2020 or earlier.

CULT 1020 Working with Communities, replaced by HUMN 1060 Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies
HUMN 2049 Social Research Methods, replaced by HUMN 2066 Investigating and Communicating Social Problems

Equivalent Alternate Subject

The alternate subject listed below counts towards completion of this program for students who passed this subject in 2018 or earlier.

HUMN 3073 Social Sciences International Placement

Equivalent Core Advanced Subject - Applied Leadership, Minor

The advanced subject from the Applied Leadership, Minor  listed below counts towards completion of this minor for students who passed this subject in 2021 or earlier.

DESN 2002 - Creativity, Innovation and Design Thinking, replaced by DESN 2016 Creativity, Design Thinking and Visualisation
BUSM 1016 - Leadership in a Complex World, replaced by BUSM 1044 Leadership in Complexity
BEHV 2007 - Internship and Community Engagement, replaced by BEHV 2019 Citizenship and Community Engagement

Minor elective spaces

Elective subjects may be used toward obtaining an additional approved minor (40 credit points).  Western Sydney University offers minors in a range of areas including Sustainability and Indigenous Studies.

Global Sustainability Minor 
Indigenous Australian Studies Minor

Western Sydney University also offers the following innovative transdisciplinary minors which we encourage those students who have elective space to consider.

Equitable Technologies
Urban Evolution
Migration and Global Change  
Personal Innovation    
Innovating, Creating and Problem Solving 
Eco-Socially Conscious Design and Manufacturing
Water for Life 
Climate Justice
Global Workplaces
Innovating For Humans 
Creative Living for Cultural Wellbeing  
Ideate.Strategise.Innovate.
Humanising Data

Search for majors and minors

Students can apply for an elective minor via MySR.

MyStudentRecords (MySR)

Students in Advanced programs may use elective subjects toward obtaining an additional approved minor in Critical Thinking.