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Bachelor of Social Science

N056  026394G



Duration

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Fee*
 
*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

Discontinued: This course has no new intake. This information is provided for continuing students

This course information is for students who commenced prior to 2010.

Students who are planning to commence in 2010, please refer to the new Bachelor of Social Science  course information.

This course is focused on the scientific study of individuals, groups, and human societies. You will learn how social relationships and institutions shape individuals, and in turn, how they have the capacity to shape these social institutions. Students undertake a major study in Politics, Psychology or Sociology. This may be combined with Australian Studies, Cultural Studies, Electronic Society, Italian Studies, Japanese Studies, Literature, Media Studies, or Philosophy and Cultural Inquiry and Business.

The course is oriented towards the practical application of knowledge of society, such as counselling and policy evaluation. It nurtures the capacity for life-long independent learning by developing skills of research, analysis, project management and effective communication that prepare students for a wide range of professional employment or for further study. It equips students to work in a wide range of areas, such as counselling, policy analysis and development, research, administration and media.

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The Bachelor of Social Science is a three year full-time or six year part-time course requiring the successful completion of 24 units of study (300 credit points), of which 19 units of study must be Arts or Social Science units of study. Included in these 19 units of study must be at least one Social Science major (see list below). All units of study in the degree are normally worth 12.5 credit points. A full-time load consists of eight units of study per year (four per semester) and four units of study per year (two per semester) for a part-time load. Students are required to complete a selection of majors, minors and electives. Please note that international students holding visas can only be offered the full-time program.

Careers in the Curriculum 
In addition to the above, students must complete a compulsory unit of study HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum to be awarded the degree. Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is an innovative unit designed to assist Swinburne students to enhance their employability and career prospects. It is usually undertaken in the second year of your course and is compulsory for all undergraduate students who commence their course from 2007 onwards. Students studying CIC will not incur a HECS or fee debt for the unit as the cost will be met by the university as part of an initiative to enhance students' career skills.
 
Final Year Experience - Major Projects
As part of the Swinburne Model for Professional Learning, all incoming undergraduates from 2007 will undertake 25 credit points of
professionally focused final year major projects within their programs of study. Entry with advanced standing may require alternate study sequences to be undertaken.

Major
A major is an approved grouping of eight units of study in an area of study. It consists of two Stage 1 units of study (eg: HAH100) and six post-Stage 1 units of study. At least three units of study must be taken at Stage 3 (eg: HAH310). The remaining post-Stage 1 units of study may be taken at Stage 2 or 3. Students wishing to undertake a Psychology major are required to complete 10 units of study (refer to the relevant area of study section) plus HMA103 Statistics and Research Methods A.

Minor 
A minor is an approved grouping of five units of study in an area of study. It normally consists of one unit of study at Stage 1 and four post-Stage 1 units of study, at least one of which is normally at Stage 3. Students wishing to undertake a Japanese or Psychology minor are required to complete six units of study, plus HMA103 Statistics and Research Methods A for psychology (refer to relevant area of study section).

Elective
An elective is a unit of study that is not taken as part of a major or minor. Students may include one of the three-subject Electives Plus Sequences as part of their elective choice (see below).

Students must choose one of the following options:

Option 1 
  • Major 1
  • Major 2
  • Eight Electives     

Option 2

  • Major 1
  • Major 2
  • Minor 1
  • Three Electives
Option 3
  • Major 1
  • Minor 1
  • Minor 2
  • Six Electives
Note:  At least one major MUST be Social Science specific. In addition students must complete a minimum of 19 Arts and Social Sciences units of study, regardless of which of the above options they choose.

Course requirements and restrictions
The following course requirements and restrictions apply:
  • a maximum of ten Stage 1 units of study can be completed in the degree
  • students must complete a minimum of six Stage 3 units of study
  • compulsory unit HAC0001 must be completed
  • a unit of study can only be counted once as part of a major, minor or elective
  • students are not permitted to enrol in units of study where they have completed other units of study that are deemed to be equivalent, e.g. dual coded units of study such as HAH210/HAH310
  • equivalent units of study cannot be used for credit at a level other than that which the student has enrolled, e.g. if a student has enrolled in a unit of study coded as a Stage 2 unit of study (HAH210), it cannot be counted as a Stage 3 unit of study
  • students are permitted to include one non-Social Science or non-Arts minor as part of their course structure. If so, no further non-Social Science or non-Arts units of study will be counted towards the degree
  • students must complete a minimum of 19 Arts or Social Science units of study
  • the maximum number of units of study that may be completed for the degree course is 26
  • Students may only receive credit for one of: HMA103, HMA104, HMA105, HMB110, HMB111 and HMS102
Prerequisites/Corequisites
Students must ensure they have met prerequisite/corequisite requirements listed for each subject before enrolling.

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To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Social Science degree, students must complete at least one major chosen from Social Science. Students may choose a second major from Arts and Social Sciences or minor(s) from Arts, Social Science or Business.

Social Science majors/minors
Students may choose a second major or minors from the Social Science or Arts.

Arts majors/minors
Students may choose a minor from Business.

Business Discipline area minors:

#Not all units/minors are available in 2009.

Note: Students should choose a Business minor carefully as only five non-Arts and non-Social Science units of study count towards the degree.
 
Electives Plus Sequences
Electives Plus sequences provide Swinburne degree students with options to broaden their career skills and strengthen their employability by selecting from units of study outside their degree discipline.
 
Students undertaking this course can choose to study Electives Plus sequences of up to three units from one of the following themes:
Electives Plus sequences are available in all Swinburne degree programs subject to timetabling constraints, with the exception of double degree programs, specialist double major degrees, and where entry has been approved with advanced standing.

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Swinburne offers International Exchange Programs as well as other Education Abroad Programs to help internationalise your degree. International Exchange is an academic program allowing you to study at a Swinburne Partner Institution for one or two semesters during your degree. Swinburne's Partner Institutions offer many relevant subjects as well as a secure base to explore a different culture. Your studies whilst on exchange can be credited towards your Swinburne degree, provided they are relevant and approved by Swinburne. For further information visit the Swinburne Abroad website.

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This course equips graduates for careers in areas such as policy analysis and development, research, community development, administration and human services management. With further studies, students with appropriate majors can obtain qualifications to become psychologists, librarians, teachers, personnel officers, social workers or sociologists.

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The three-year undergraduate sequence in Psychology at Swinburne is accredited by the Australian Psychological Society.

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Apply for this course by following the step-by-step process on our How to Apply page.

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Satisfactory completion of the Swinburne English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Level 2 program with a teacher's recommendation for the required level of study; or obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.0 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; or, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 550 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); or a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 68 with no band less than 18.

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

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To assess whether you are eligible for entry to Swinburne visit http://www.international.swinburne.edu/courses/requirements/index.html

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Enquire online: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/international/enquiry

Email: international@swinburne.edu.au

Phone:
+613 8676 7002 (outside Australia)
Freecall 1800 897 973 (within Australia)

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Visit our Meet Us page to see when we are visiting your home country (or here in Australia)

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A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

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