Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Business

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Western Sydney University Penrith

Program Overview

If you're someone who’s curious about culture, ideas and human stories—while also eager to master the fundamentals of business and management—our Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Business is made for you. You’ll combine a rich Arts degree (say in English, Cultural and Social Analysis, or International Relations) with a strong Business major (such as Marketing, Human Resource Management or Applied Finance), so you learn to think creatively and act strategically.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1
In your first year, you’ll start by laying a solid foundation. You might study units like Communication and Culture, Introduction to Business Management, and Markets and Organisations. Here you’ll become confident at reading complex social issues, begin to understand how business works in the real world, and make strong connections between your Arts and Business studies.

Year 2
In year two, you step up. Perhaps you’ll dive into Globalisation and Change from your Arts strand, and from your Business side, Human Resource Management Fundamentals or Marketing Principles. This is the stage where you start specialising: you discover how to apply creative thinking to business challenges and how human, cultural or societal issues link into economic and organisational decision-making.

Year 3
By the third year you’re deepening both sides. You could choose an Arts unit like Peace and Development Studies, alongside a Business unit like Applied Finance: Investment Markets. You’ll engage in more sophisticated tasks—researching, working on real-world case studies, perhaps collaborating with industry or community partners. You’ll really see how your dual focus gives you a distinctive voice and toolkit.

Year 4
In the final year everything comes together. Think of taking an Arts capstone such as Urban Studies or Cultural Analysis along with a Business capstone like Strategic Management and Innovation. This year is all about pulling things together: you’ll demonstrate how your understanding of people, culture and meaning can sharpen your business thinking—and how business insights can enrich your creative, critical or social outlook. You'll leave ready to step confidently into a range of workplaces.

Focus Areas:
Arts & Business integration, Communication and critical thinking, Leadership for the future, Global perspectives.

Learning Outcomes:
You’ll graduate with the ability to analyse cultural and business systems, communicate confidently across contexts, craft creative solutions, lead ethically, and adapt to the future of work.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):
The Business side of the degree is professionally strong—through the School of Business’s AACSB accreditation you know the business major is recognised for quality and relevance. That means your business credentials are meaningful in the workplace and with professional bodies.

Reputation (Employability Rankings):
Western Sydney University consistently ranks in the top 2% of universities globally and appears in strong positions in the QS and Times Higher Education rankings. This means when you walk into an interview, your degree has international recognition and signals that you’ve learned in a high-quality, globally-aware environment.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Business at Western Sydney University — it’s a program built to help you do more than just sit in lectures. You’ll combine the imaginative, critical-thinking strength of the Arts with the practical, strategic know-how of Business, so when you graduate you’re not only knowledgeable but truly career-ready. With a wide choice of majors, assignments and research in the Arts, plus business units accredited by industry bodies and taught by an AACSB-accredited school, you’ll learn not only theory but get to apply it in real-world contexts.

Here are the real experiential learning opportunities you’ll engage in through this degree:

Choosing from a broad range of Arts majors and minors (e.g., Creative Writing, Indigenous Australian Studies, Music Performance, International Relations) so you can align your personal passion with professional relevance.
Selecting a Business major such as Applied Finance, Economics, Human Resource Management, International Business, Marketing, Management or Sport Management — each designed to prepare you for professional employment in your specialist area.
Developing core skills highly valued by employers — communication, adaptability, independent thinking, problem-solving — through Arts subjects that encourage you to engage with cultural, social and global issues.
Building business knowledge via real-world relevant coursework in strategy, markets, innovation and global business environments within the Business component.
Graduating with two qualifications (a BA and a BBus) over four years full-time (or part-time option) — meaning you’ll have breadth and depth, and the business major will appear on your testamur.
Having the opportunity to study one semester overseas, gaining global experience and advanced standing for your Arts majors — giving you an international dimension to your studies.
Choosing your Arts major and Business major so you can tailor the double-degree to your ambition — e.g., combining Arts in Linguistics or Music with Business in Marketing or Sports Management depending on your career goals.

Progression & Future Opportunities

When you complete this degree, you’ll leave with a strong combination of creative and analytical skills that employers value highly.

You’ll be well-positioned for roles such as:

Marketing coordinator or brand assistant
Human resources officer or talent development specialist
Management or operations officer in public or private organisations
Communications or media specialist working in business settings

Here’s what this means for you:

The university’s Careers & Employability team offers one-on-one career advice, job-search support, workshops and access to an online job hub—so you’re not doing the job-hunt part alone.
There are dedicated programs for building real-world experience, like the “Career Activate”, “Graduate Recruitment Accelerator” and “Vacation & Internship Program Accelerator” that help you develop hands-on skills and connect with industry while you study.
The School of Business is AACSB-accredited, which is a mark of quality in business education and gives your credentials added credibility.
The Arts side encourages you to develop communication, creativity, independent thinking and adaptability, and when paired with business knowledge you’re preparing for the future workplace, not just a job today.

Further Academic Progression:
If you find that you love what you’re doing and want to deepen or specialise your knowledge, you could progress to postgraduate study—such as a Master of Business (with a specialisation in management, marketing or human resources), a Master of Arts (in one of the disciplines from the BA majors), or even a research-degree pathway. Western Sydney University offers postgraduate programs which build on your undergraduate foundations and let you focus in on a specific field, lead projects, or even move into teaching and research roles in the future.