Bachelor of Social Science (BSSC) - BSocSc

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 909291; Distance education: 909295

CRICOS code (International applicants): 059206K

Contact us

In this section:

• Behavioural science major
• Peace studies major
• Community engagement and transformation major
• Law and politics major
• Sustainable Environments major

Behavioural science major

This major is designed to develop an in depth understanding of human behaviour and experience.

Career opportunities

With a Behavioural Science major in your degree, you will be trained to undertake research and analyse data across diverse social and cultural issues. In addition, you will be able to work in the human services, welfare, counselling, health policy, health promotion and related fields.

Peace studies major

Formal peace studies involve examining alternate non-violent ways of reducing inappropriate conflict and the various means of assisting communities to develop peacefully. By mastering non-violent principles, skills and strategies, we are better equipped to manage conflicts in such a way that change can be achieved by non-violent and equitable means. Australia’s involvement internationally in areas of conflict has been considerable and is ongoing.

Career opportunities

People seeking to work in fields, such as government, not-for-profit and non-government advisory and project positions, community development and related fields would be trained and equipped with the appropriate skills and experience. The United Nations, and humanitarian aid and relief organisations, such as World Vision, Austcare and Community Aid Abroad, are some examples where people with an understanding and background in peace studies are needed and employment opportunities exist.

Community engagement and transformation major

This major focuses on providing students with an understanding of how human cultural systems can impact upon relationships between various social and political institutions (for example, public and private sector organisations, media organisations and states), and upon various processes of change (for example, globalisation). The major also looks at the impact of human social and cultural structures/ processes/relations on a range of human problems including inequality, illness, poverty, the environment, issues of power and control, violence and war.

Career opportunities

Successful graduates will pursue careers in government departments at all levels – local, state and federal – as well as private not-for-profit organisations who specialise in community relations, community engagement, community research and communities undergoing processes of change. Graduates will also be employable in relief agencies serving communities in crisis or following crisis and disruption.

Law and politics major

This major considers the legal and political framework within which the public sector operates. It will discuss some legal aspects of how government bodies operate, as well as the human rights dimension. Students will gain a basic understanding of different political philosophies and ideas, and how these might impact on how a public sector body works.

Career opportunities

This major will be of interest to those contemplating a career in public sector organisations, including government departments and statutory bodies, as well as within peak representative and lobby organisations. It will be of interest to those interested in a political career as well as those interested in learning more about how public organisations work, and the legal framework in which they operate.

Sustainable Environments major

This major focuses on providing students with an understanding of key processes within natural systems and the human impact on those systems and the ways in which that human impact is considered in contemporary politics and culture. Students will learn about management strategies and practices that could contribute to sustaining or enhancing the intrinsic and extrinsic values in those natural systems.

Career opportunities

Successful graduates will pursue careers in government departments at all levels – local, state and federal – as well as private not-for-profit organisations that specialise in environmental management, analysis or activism.

Program aims

Social scientists study people groups of people and interactions between people. The Bachelor of Social Science program is intended for those who want to work with people - in the public sector, NGO's etc - to deliver community welfare and social justice. This requires a blend of critical appraisal and consultative skills in tasks including community consultation and policy analysis, skills which are useful in a changing labour market and which help students to make more sense of their lives.

The program aims to produce graduates who will have:

• a broad understanding of people, society and human services within society

• a specialist interest in the characteristics and needs of a particular service area (such as education, the legal system or peace studies)

• some practical experience at appraising and evaluating human services and/or introducing innovations and improvements.

Graduates should obtain job satisfaction through working with people from across society: applying their problem solving skills to produce sustainable improvements in the targeting, delivery and outcomes of human services in society.

Program objectives

On completion of the Bachelor of Social Science program, graduates will:

• have developed a sound understanding of society, people and systems within society, and methods for evaluating society

• have developed a specialist understanding of a selected aspect of society via the designated majors

• be able to apply their knowledge and skills in an interdisciplinary context to address society’s problems

• have acquired communication, numeracy, and research skills appropriate to the field

• be able to demonstrate knowledge of the key theories in social science.

Admission requirements

Admission to the Bachelor of Social Science programme normally requires completion of Queensland Year 12 or equivalent with a satisfactory achievement in English.

International applicants must have met the University's English language requirements or have completed the University's ELICOS/EAP program.

How to apply

Domestic students

Application for undergraduate programs may be made through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). The same procedure applies whether you plan to study on-campus or by distance education.

If you completed Year 12 at a Queensland secondary school you will be assessed for entry on the basis of your Overall Position (OP) or equivalent score. Year 12 students from other states or territories are considered for entry on the basis of their UAI, ENTER or TER and the subject prerequisites indicated. Other applicants will be based on their overall Rank.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to USQ International for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a student contribution amount, which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called HECS-HELP.

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Program structure

The program comprises 24 units as follows:

• 12 units of core courses (listed below)

• one 8 unit major chosen from

  1. Behavioural Science Major

  2. Peace Studies Major

  3. Community Engagement and Transformation Major

  4. Law and Politics Major

  5. Sustainable Environments Major

  
  

and either

• one 4 unit minor chosen from

1. Psychology Minor

2. Law Minor

3. Anthropology

4. History Minor

5. International Relations Minor

6. Geographical Systems Minor

7. Indigenous Studies Minor

8. Community Welfare and Development

9. Education Minor

10. Sustainable Environments Minor

or

• 4 electives

At least 4 units of the 24 courses must be selected from level 3 courses.

Students may replace up to 3 course units in the BSSC degree with other courses, as long as (1) the students concerned have the agreement of the Program Coordinator, (2) the other courses are broadly social-scientific in nature and (3) the inclusion or exclusion of courses does not substantially detract from the objectives of a major. Students may be required to demonstrate that criteria 2 and 3 have been fulfilled.

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 9 years to complete this program.

Core courses

* Note: students may replace STA2300 Data Analysis with any level 3 course. This would not count towards the limit of 3 course units that may be substituted (see under Program Structure, above).

Major studies objectives

Behavioural Science major

The behavioural sciences provide an understanding of human behaviour in relation to individual agency within social, cultural, group, and organisational contexts. It informs the social scientist of ways to understand, evaluate and change behaviour associated with many aspects of social issues and community engagement. Graduates with a behavioural science major are employed in the public, private and community sectors where effectiveness requires particular knowledge of human behaviour and relationships factors. While this degree does not contain all of the components required for progression into a career as a psychologist, students who wish to complete an accredited major in Psychology and be eligible to progress to an Honours degree in Psychology, can apply to transfer to the Bachelor of Sciences degree.

Peace Studies major

The world is a place where conflict, instability and violence persist. Many are now seeking to change this through peace keeping (strategies to de-escalate violence), peace making (resolving disputes), and peace building (positive personal skills for peaceful communication and living). As a result of global processes such as the end of the cold war, decolonisation and self-determination, communities are at a stage of disintegration, development and reconstruction with a need globally both to prevent ongoing conflicts and rebuild societies. Peace education is about empowering people with skills, attitudes and knowledge to build and maintain human relationships at all levels of society, from the individual to the world community, in a manner that: reinterprets the traditional meaning of conflict, sustains human development by seeking positive and fairer societies, engages indigenous reconciliation, and promotes harmony and understanding to eliminate racial, ethnic and gender violence, economic inequality, and environmental degradation. Formal peace studies involve examining alternative, non-violent ways of reducing inappropriate conflict and the various means of assisting communities to develop peacefully. By mastering non-violent principles, skills and strategies, we are better equipped to manage conflicts in such a way that change can be achieved by non-violent and equitable means.

When choosing the six courses, students may follow one of the strands below based on employment opportunities and graduate attributes or they can choose courses from each. Strand A approaches Peace Studies from a peace keeping aspect. Strand B approaches peace studies from a peace building aspect. In choosing courses, students should be aware of pre-requisite requirements, semesters of offer, and the need for minimum number of 3000 level courses.

Strand C (General Study): Students may select any combination of the listed courses providing pre-requisites are met.

Community Engagement and Transformation major

This major aims to give students an understanding of how human cultural systems can impact upon relationships between various social and political institutions (for example public and private sector organisations, media organisations and states), and upon various process of change (for example globalisation). The major also looks at the impact of human social and cultural structures/processes/relations on a range of human problems including inequality, illness, poverty, the environment, issues of power and control, violence and war.

Law and Politics major

Sustainable Environments major

Social scientists are increasingly called upon to contribute significantly to aspects of environment and resource management and in the conservation of the Earth’s biodiversity, notably through social research, community engagement and policy development. Resource management requires the integration of social, environmental and economic concepts within an interdisciplinary planning and policy framework. In particular, the emergence of adaptive management as a central paradigm for sustainable resource management requires a greater understanding of the human dimensions of the decision processes involved. It also requires a capacity to handle complexity and uncertainty and the application of different approaches to governance and community engagement.

The Sustainable Environments major aims to provide social science graduates with an understanding of human impacts on natural systems, ecological and economic considerations in resource management, the role of values in conservation and the contribution of social science to better understand, protect and manage the natural and modified world around us.

This major is initially only fully available in ONC mode

Minor studies

Psychology/minor

Law minor

Anthropology minor

History minor

International Relations minor

Public Relations minor

Geographical Information Systems minor

Education minor

Indigenous Studies minor

Sustainable Environments minor

Community Welfare and Development minor/minor

* This minor is available on-campus at Fraser Coast and externally at Toowoomba

Elective courses

Students may select up to four elective courses (4 units) from any faculty in the university (subject to pre-requisites) but preferably from majors and minors within this program.

IT requirements

All students studying this program are required to have access to the Internet and to have a computer capable of running the latest versions of Internet web browsers such as Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer.

To achieve this level of capacity, the recommended minimum standards for Windows and Macintosh systems are outlined at http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm.

Residential schools

Some courses in this program will have compulsory residential schools. Please consult course specifications for details.

Exit points

Students who have completed a set number of courses may exit the program with one of the following awards:

• Diploma of Arts: CMS1000 plus seven courses from the program

• Diploma in Community Welfare and Development: CMS1000, PSY1010, CDS1000 , CDS1001, CDS2000, CDS2001, PRL2002 plus, in addition, EDC2200

• Diploma of General Studies: completed CMS1000 plus six courses from the program plus, in addition, CSC1402 Foundation Computing .

Exemptions

Students may be granted credit for relevant tertiary studies successfully completed in the last 10 years or for work experience and job training deemed equivalent in objectives, standards, and content; see Regulation 5.5.5. at http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm.

Other information

Please note that all recommended enrolment patterns are subject to approval.

In this section:

• Behavioural Science major - recommended enrolment pattern
• Peace Studies major *- recommended enrolment pattern
• Bachelor of Social Science - Community Engagement and Transformation major
• Bachelor of Social Science - Law and Politics major
• Bachelor of Social Science - Sustainable Environments major

Behavioural Science major - recommended enrolment pattern

Peace Studies major *- recommended enrolment pattern

Students may then take courses in Strand A Peace Keeping (strategies to de-escalate violence) or Strand B Peace Building (positive personal skills for peaceful communication and living) as set out below or select any courses from the Peace Major group providing the core requirements of the program and major are met as set out in Strand C General Study below .

Students must take the program core courses POL2000, CMS2012, PSY2010 , PRL2002, STA2300, (or another level 3 course),SOC3000 and the major core courses SOC1001 andKNL2001 .

Bachelor of Social Science - Community Engagement and Transformation major

Bachelor of Social Science - Law and Politics major

Bachelor of Social Science - Sustainable Environments major