Undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty
Bachelor of Environmental Science/Bachelor of Biological Sciences (SZESBS) – Melbourne (Bundoora)
This double degree program is being phased out. No new enrolments will be permitted from 2008.
From 2008, students who wish to study Environmental Science may do under the Science double degree program. Interested students should consult the Course Adviser for full details.
Environmental science is an area of great importance to the community. Government funding for research and problem solving (e.g., salinity, water resources) is being increased. The breadth of science required in such studies is considerable and the double degree structure will permit students to gain a background in all areas related to environmental problems, both the physical and biological.
Course structure
This double degree is of four and a half years’ full-time or equivalent part-time duration and requires the completion of 540 credit points overall. Students may complete this double degree in four years as part of an accelerated study program.
The environmental science component considers issues related to the earth, to water and to the air. Thus, subjects are taken which cover the earth’s surface, air chemistry, pollution, greenhouse and ozone depletion. Water chemistry and studies of soils lead to subjects on ground water, contaminant transfer, salinity, and hydrology. The biological sciences subjects cover the basics of botany, genetics, and zoology, which then lead to specialisations in human biology, microbiology, and biochemistry with the possibility of specialisation in ecology.
Career opportunities
Depending on the choice of subjects, graduates can expect to find career opportunities in areas such as hydrology, land conservation, pollution control, salination, clean production, ground water contamination, soil reclamation, radiation control, forestry, and conservation. These may be pursued under the auspices of various organisations, for example: government agencies, environmental consultancies, oil companies, mining companies, chemical manufacturing companies, food and pharmaceutical industries, forensic science laboratories, hospitals and research laboratories.
First year (135 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Calculus and Number Systems | MAT1CNS | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-1 | Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms | BIO1OF | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-1 | Physics for Life Sciences A | PHY1LSA | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-1 | Processes that Shape the Earth | GEO1PRO | 15 | |
|
Choose one first-semester chemistry subject: Students who have passed VCE Chemistry, units 3 and 4 or equivalent, must choose CHEIGEN. |
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| TE-SEM-1 | Basic Chemistry | CHE1BAS | 15 | |
| or | ||||
| TE-SEM-1 | General Principles of Chemistry | CHE1GEN | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Applications of Chemistry | CHE1APL | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Calculus and Linear Algebra | MAT1CLA | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Earth Structure, Resources and History of Life | GEO1ERS | 15 | |
| TE-SEM-2 | Physics for Life Sciences B | PHY1LSB | 15 | |
Second year (135 credit points)
For admission to second year, students would normally be expected to have completed the subjects prescribed for first year. Students wishing to transfer to this course are required to have completed subjects in chemistry, geology, mathematics, and physics with a C average.
Core subjects (65 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Animal Diversity, Ecology and Behaviour | BIO1AD | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | Statistics for Life Sciences | STA2LS | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution | BIO1GEN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Plant Science | BIO1PS | 15 |
Environmental Science electives (70 credit points)
Students must include a minimum of three subjects from the list below. The remaining credit points can be selected from those subjects not already taken or from any other second year level science subjects. Enrolment in subjects not listed below must be approved by the course adviser.
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Land and Soil Management | AGR2ILM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Water Flow and Chemistry | GEO2EGW | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Chemistry of Water Quality | CHE2CWQ | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Imaging and Materials Characterisation | PHY2IMC | 10 |
Third year (140 credit points)
Core subject (10 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Environmental Enquiry A1 | ENV2ESA | 5 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Environmental Enquiry B1 | ENV2ESB | 5 |
Environmental Science electives (40 credit points)
Students must select subjects to the value of 40 credit points from those listed below.
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Advanced Environmental Analytical Chemistry A2 | CHE3EAA | 10 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Water Resource Management | ENV3WRM | 10 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Advanced Environmental Analytical Chemistry B2 | CHE3EAB | 5 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Land and Soil Management | AGR3LSM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Landscape and Climate Change | GEO3EGL | 10 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Remote Sensing and GIS | GEO3EGR | 10 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change | PHY3GRE | 10 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Remote Sensing | PHY3REM | 10 |
Biological Science electives (80 credit points)
Students choose subjects to the value of 80 credit points from the following list. It is highly recommended that students complete a full year of study in at least two biological science disciplines in order to ensure flexibility of subject choice at third year.
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Australian Fauna and Ecology | ZOO2AFE | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A | BCH2BMA | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human and Molecular Genetics | GEN2HMG | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introductory Microbiology | MIC2IM | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Issues in Conservation | CBE2IC | 20 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Plant Molecular Biology, Physiology and Nutrition | BOT2MPN | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Animal Physiology | ZOO2APH | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Australian Ecology and Systematics | BOT2AES | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology B | BCH2BMB | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics | GEN2EEG | 20 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Medical and Veterinary Microbiology | MIC2MVM | 20 |
Elective (10 credit points)
| Subject name | Credit Points |
|---|---|
| Second or third year level elective from any department subject to meeting prerequisite requirements | 10 |
Fourth year (130 credit points)
Core subject (10 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | Environmental Research | ENV3ENV | 10 |
Environmental Science electives (30 credit points)
Students must select 30 credit points of third year level environmental science electives from those listed above.
Biological Science electives (60 credit points)
Students must select subjects to the value of 60 credit points from those listed below. All subjects are worth 30 credit points.
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Advanced Medical and Veterinary Microbiology | MIC3AMM | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Applications in Conservation | CBE3AC | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 3A | BCH3BMA | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Field and Environmental Botany | BOT3FEB | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human and Molecular Genetics | GEN3HMG | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Zoology A | ZOO3EPA | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics | GEN3EEG | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ecology, Systematics and Evolution | BOT3ESE | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Advanced Microbiology | MIC3AM | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 3B | BCH3BMB | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Plant Biotechnology | BOT3PB | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Zoology B | ZOO3EPB | 30 |
Electives (30 credit points)
Students choose third year level subjects from any department subject to meeting the prerequisite requirements for those subjects.
Key: 1 Linked subjects, normally taken in the one academic year.
2 Linked subjects, recommended to be taken in the one academic year.
Honours
Students who satisfy the requirements for Honours entry are eligible for the Honours programs offered by the departments involved. Those students who wish to undertake cross-disciplinary coursework will be permitted to do so with the permission of the course adviser. The possibility of supervision across the disciplines also exists. All Environmental Science Honours programs must be approved by the Honours coordinator in the particular discipline and the Environmental Science Course Adviser.
For a full description of subjects, including the subject name, subject code, credit points, campus/location, subject coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites and readings, students should access the Subject Database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.