Urban design as a field of activity is concerned with the four-dimensional form and functioning of the public realm. It is both a process and a product and is often regarded as the integrative force that straddles and connects the more traditional built environment disciplines: urban design aims to reunite the partnership between planning and design to help improve the quality and sustainability of the built environment. This course provides an introduction to urban design theory and practice. It is designed to equip students with the skills they need to appreciate and critique urban design, and to engage in the design process. Particular skills to be developed include site context analysis, computer-based design and presentation, and the formulation of robust planning and urban design controls.

Interior Architecture at UNSW is positioned as a research-led creative practice which focuses on the design and agency of the inhabited interiors of the built environment, from the scale of the room to the scale of the city, from permanent to temporary spaces.

Our agenda is to imagine, debate and test the contemporary interior as a key agent in the production of the built environment. We consider the interior as a dynamic and open-ended conceptual space through which the human scale and experiences inherent in the private and public spaces of our urban environments can be interrogated and projected. Through a focus on material and spatial assembly, agency and affect, we foster an agile and critical approach to design enquiry, underpinned by an informed appreciation of the environmental, cultural and historic contexts of interior architecture and design. We value an expansive approach in the speculation and projection of the contemporary interior, underpinned by rigour and creative risk taking.

Our goal is to produce industry leaders with the ethical, collaborative and creative skills that will allow them to effectively respond to the multi-disciplinary, global demands inherent in the reshaping of our future interiorscapes.

Accounting is concerned with the provision of information for the management of economic resources and activities by means of measurement, communication and interpretation of financial data; with the development of information systems; and with the financial accountability and governance of enterprises. By economic resources, we mean both tangible and intangible resources. Accounting information is increasingly used to manage intangible resources such as an organisation’s knowledge base, its supplier/customer relationships, its brands etc. 

Accounting concepts lie at the heart of economic exchange, whether conducted in physical or electronic markets. It enables students to comprehend many of the fundamental principles, processes and outcomes of business, thereby equipping students for a wide range of careers (from chartered accounting, management consulting, provision of financial services to general management). Students of Accounting end up not just as accountants but as entrepreneurs, entertainment promoters, treasurers, chief financial officers, etc.

Financial Technology (FinTech) is a rapidly growing field in finance where technology is used to enhance and reimagine financial services and sometimes results in disruptive changes. The most well-known examples are payment systems (PayPal, WeChat, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency), portfolio management and Robo-advice (US, Europe, Australia), peer-to-peer lending (US, China, India and elsewhere), high-frequency trading (global), and decentralized finance (of which Bitcoin and cryptocurrency form the foundation). Established financial services firms (BigTech) and entrepreneurs (FinTech) both demand talent in this space as FinTech products are by nature scalable and have potential for huge impact in a financial services business.

Co-developed with financial services industry experts, this major introduces students to finance theory, financial products, markets, and institutions, then explores how big data and other technologies allow FinTech start-ups to cause consumers to shift away from traditional finance – fundamentally changing the way money is raised, transferred, stored, loaned, and invested around the world. In addition to a conceptual understanding of finance theory, financial markets, and financial services firms, students will experience FinTech courses via the Integrated Learning Laboratory (iLab). They will be able to gain personal access to financial market data platforms, handle financial market and unstructured data, learn how financial products work via the Python programming language, trade using the leading stock trading platform used by brokerage firms, and interact with practitioners.

Marketing is responsible for the creation, communication, delivery and capture of value. The beneficiaries of marketing are businesses and consumers. For businesses, marketing is important because it is a key driver of growth through marketing processes and planning, the use of marketing research, an understanding of consumers and customers, market segmentation, positioning and product differentiation, new product development, branding, distribution and pricing. Marketing knowledge is critical for effective customer-oriented decision-making. For consumers, marketing ensures the creation of valuable solutions that help to improve quality of life and facilitates the necessary exchange between businesses and customers to make such solutions accessible. An understanding of marketing is essential for any business student.