Social Science
Social Science is the scientific study of human society and social relationships. Social scientists use a variety of research methods to investigate human behaviour – from why people fall in love, to why people commit crimes.
Find out moreWhy ECU?
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Ranked best in Australia ECU received the top undergraduate teaching quality ranking of all public universities in Australia in the 2019 QILT (Quality Indicators for Teaching & Learning) survey.
We're also the top-ranked Australian public university for skills development and overall educational experience (based on two-year aggregated results).
Arts and Humanities disciplines ranked among the best in Australia in the survey:
- Humanities, Culture & Social Sciences – Australia's top university for teaching quality and skills development and top in Western Australia for overall education experience, teaching quality and learning resources.
- Creative Arts – ranked #2 in Australia for teaching quality, skills development and quality of educational experience.
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THE Young University Rankings ECU has been ranked in the world's top 150 universities under 50 years old in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Rankings.
Young universities are measured on their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
These are the same performance indicators as measured in the overall THE World University Rankings.
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Specialised Social Science majors We are the only university in Western Australia to offer specialised majors in Children and Family Studies and Human Services within a Social Science program.
This gives our Social Science graduates a broader range of career options.
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Good Universities Guide In the 2020 Good Universities Guide, ECU graduates have given us a 5-star rating for:
- Teaching quality
- Skills development
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Median salary (based on the starting salary for new domestic graduates under age 25, and in their first full-time job.)
The 5-star rating for teaching quality has now been achieved for 13 straight years. We're the only public university in Australia to have achieved such a consistently high endorsement.
Read more about the Good Universities Guide.
Courses
Study world ready
You can study many of our undergraduate Psychology, Social Science, Youth Work and Counselling courses online, allowing you to balance work and/or family responsibilities with being a student.
Download a guide
If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.
Become World Ready
Experience Social Science at ECU.
Reduce your expenses
Scholarships recognise those whose life journey may have been challenging, as well as students who've shown outstanding academic excellence and endeavour.
A scholarship can help you realise your ambitions by paying for fees, text books and living expenses.
Explore your options
Lecturer Lekkie Hopkins and students discuss Social Science at ECU, including majors in Children and Family Studies, Community Work and Human Services.
Student
stories
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"I wanted more from my job, to be more involved with children and families who are disadvantaged"
Joyce NederpelBachelor of Social Science graduate I worked in childcare for many years and had worked my way up to management. I wanted more from my job, and wanted to be more involved with children and families who are disadvantaged. I attended the 2014 Open Day and spoke to Dr Anna Targowska who pointed me in the right direction in terms of the course I needed to do.
As a student, I never had a bad experience with any lecturer; they were always happy to help, listen and challenge my thinking.
And I didn't know how valuable the networking would be and how many opportunities it would open up. It was so much more than studying further to get a job.
I went to Camp Kulin as camp counsellor, then did my second placement at Foundations Care which opened up a whole new world for me. This was the dream job, the job I have always wanted. It was incredible to learn from and watch my supervisor. I was extremely lucky! I was then offered a job and stayed on at Foundations Care as a case worker, starting my new journey.