Bachelor of Communication / Bachelor of Business

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Western Sydney University Penrith

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Communication / Bachelor of Business at Western Sydney University offers a unique blend of creative communication skills and strategic business insight. It’s perfect for students who want to tell compelling stories while being comfortable navigating the business world, and who want to learn to both craft messages and make smart organisational decisions.

Curriculum Structure:
Year 1: In your first year, you’ll build your foundation with units like Introduction to Communication, Fundamentals of Business, and Media and Society. You’ll begin exploring how media shapes culture and how organisations operate — gaining confidence in both fields.
Year 2: In the second year you dive deeper: for example with Advertising Strategy, Organisational Behaviour, and Digital Media Production. You’ll start creating real-world media content and understanding how business teams work, and you’ll experience how communication connects to commercial goals.
Year 3: The third year invites more challenge: you might study Public Relations Campaigns, Marketing Management, and Business Analysis and Decision Making. Here, you’ll combine creative projects with business case-studies, thinking both as a communicator and a strategist.
Year 4: In the final year you’ll cap it off with a major project or work-integrated learning unit, such as Internship in Communication and Business or Capstone: Strategic Media & Business Integration. You’ll bring together your skills, collaborate in teams, and deliver a portfolio or solution that reflects your readiness for the professional world.

Focus Areas: Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing, Applied Finance, Human Resource Management
Learning Outcomes: Graduates will think critically, communicate persuasively, operate strategically in business contexts, and adapt dynamically to industry-changes.
Professional Alignment (Accreditation): This double degree is professionally accredited — the business school holds AACSB accreditation, the communication component is recognised by bodies like the PRIA and MFA, and majors such as Marketing or Human Resource Management meet industry membership requirements, so you’re equipped for recognised professional pathways.
Reputation (Employability Rankings): Western Sydney University is ranked in the top 2 % of universities globally, and features in the QS and Times Higher Education listings — which speaks to its strong teaching quality, industry connections and graduate employability.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

If you’re looking to build not just knowledge but real career-ready skills, the Bachelor of Communication / Bachelor of Business at Western Sydney University is a fantastic fit. This double degree is designed for people who want to dive into media, communication and business practice — meaning you’ll be creating actual work, teaming with others and facing real problems just like professionals do. It’s hands-on: you’ll be working in internship-style settings, collaborating in teams, solving authentic business and media challenges — not just sitting through lectures. Here’s how the program weaves experiential learning into your journey:

A capstone subject in engaged learning where you tackle real-world business issues and generate real-world business solutions through self-directed, team-based and problem-based learning.
An opportunity to apply your skills in a workplace setting via an internship or engaging work-integrated learning experience.
Practical, project-based outcomes in the Communication major options—like in Advertising where you will work on campaigns, creative direction, and client/account management in digital and social media contexts.
In the Public Relations major, you engage with event management, issues and crisis management and campaign development — including an internship placement.
The program gives you complementary business foundations and lets you choose majors such as Marketing, Management, Human Resource Management, International Business or Applied Finance — all of which are practiced through applied-context teaching, analytics, strategy and team work.
Free access to the Adobe Creative Cloud for all students (since Western is an Adobe Creative Campus) so you can build your digital production, video-editing, graphic design skills as part of your communication/creative work.
Accredited major options (for instance, Marketing prepares you for membership of the Australian Marketing Institute, Human Resource Management is aligned with the Australian Human Resources Institute) meaning your applied work aligns with professional standards.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Bachelor of Communication / Bachelor of Business at Western Sydney University is a powerful combination that prepares you for a dynamic future in both media and business. Graduates of this program are equipped to step into roles that blend storytelling, strategy and commercial awareness — typical job paths include media buying and research, advertising account management, production management, human resources management and even roles in brand- or communications-driven finance.

Here’s what this means for you:

You’ll benefit from Western’s prioritisation of work-integrated learning — the program explicitly includes an internship or workplace learning experience so you are ready for real-world business issues and generating solutions.
It’s professionally accredited: The communication component is accredited by industry bodies such as the Public Relations Institute of Australia and the Media Federation of Australia, and the business school is accredited by the AACSB. That gives the qualification strong standing from day one.
You’ll gain access to creative and digital tools: Western is an “Adobe Creative Campus,” meaning you get complimentary access to the Adobe Creative Cloud apps — a great asset when you’re working on real communication or advertising projects.
Through the combined business and communication syllabus you’ll not only develop creative, media and digital skills but also business fundamentals (innovation, leadership, markets, finance or marketing depending on your major) — giving you a broader platform than a single-discipline degree.
On the long term, this degree gives you a flexible foundation: whether you end up in advertising, public relations, finance, human resources, marketing, management or international business you’ll have both the communication savvy and business toolkit.
Because of the accreditation and breadth, your qualification has value globally, not just in one niche.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing this double degree you could certainly continue your studies if you wish. For instance, you might move into a postgraduate degree in business, communication, marketing or even a specialised master in international business or strategic communication. Western offers graduate programs where your combined business + communication background gives you a strong platform to build on. If you find you’re passionate about research, you could also explore honours or a postgraduate research degree in a related discipline.