Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2010

Undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty

Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Biosciences (SBANS) – Melbourne (Bundoora)

The course is designed to attract students who wish to focus on animal issues, including health and welfare, ecology and behaviour, genetics and biotechnology in a professional degree course. The degree will produce graduates who can obtain employment in animal research, agricultural industries, animal care and welfare, biotechnology industries and the animal health industry. In addition, an animal science degree should allow a student with suitable grades to be eligible for entry into a veterinary science degree. The provision of electives allows a choice of at least five areas of interest within the course, including:

  • animal biotechnology
  • animal ecology
  • animal genetics
  • animal health
  • animal physiology.

Course structure

The course is three years full-time or equivalent part-time study and requires the completion of 360 credit points. In all years, students may follow their particular interests by combining optional subjects with their core subjects.

Students should select elective subjects carefully to make sure that prerequisites for later year subjects are met.

First year (120 credit points)

Please note: Veterinary Science at The University of Melbourne will change to a 4 year postgraduate option from 2011. Entry into the new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine will require completion of a 3 year biological science degree with the following pre-requisites. Two subjects of first year Biology and Chemsitry and 1 subject of first year Phyiscs if not completed in year 12. As a result these students should take BIO1PS as their elective in second semester. In second year 1 subject of Biochemsitry & Molecular Biology and 1 subject of Introductory Animal Health are also required.

Core subjects (105 credit points)

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Animal Diversity, Ecology and Behaviour BIO1AD 15
TE-SEM-1 Animal Systems AGR1ANS 15
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
TE-SEM-2 Applications of Chemistry CHE1APL 15
TE-SEM-2 Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution BIO1GEN 15
TE-SEM-2 Physics for Life Sciences B PHY1LSB 15

Choose one first-semester chemistry subject. Students who have passed VCE Chemistry, Units 3 and 4 or equivalent, must choose CHE1GEN.

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Basic Chemistry CHE1BAS 15
or
TE-SEM-1 General Principles of Chemistry CHE1GEN 15

Elective (15 credit points)

Any first year level subject for which pre-requisites have been obtained. The following subjects are recommended:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-2 Statistics for Life Sciences STA1LS 15
TE-SEM-2 Mathematical Applications in Biology MAT1MAB 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant Science BIO1PS 15
or another second-semester subject approved by the course adviser 15
Second year (120 credit points)

Students who pass ZOO2APH will be eligible for entry to both third year zoology subjects ZOO3EPA and ZOO3EPB.

Please note: Those students who want to be eligible for entry to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne should take BCH2BMA and AGR3ANH.

Core subjects (100 credit points)

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Australian Fauna and Ecology ZOO2AFE 20
TE-SEM-2 Animal Nutrition AGR3ANN 20
TE-SEM-2 Animal Physiology ZOO2APH 20

Choose one of the following two subjects:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Human and Molecular Genetics GEN2HMG 20
or
TE-SEM-1 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology A BCH2BMA 20

Choose one of the following two subjects:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Animal Health AGR3ANH 20
or
TE-SEM-1 Introductory Microbiology MIC2IM 20

Elective (20 credit points)

Any second year level subject for which pre-requisites have been obtained. The following subjects are recommended: BCH2BMB, GEN2EEG, MIC2MVM.

Third year (120 credit points)

Core subjects (60 credit points)

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Zoology A ZOO3EPA 30
TE-SEM-2 Animals and Mankind AGR3ANM 30

Electives (60 credit points)

Any third year level subjects for which pre-requisites have been obtained. The following subjects are recommended: BCH3BMA, BCH3BMB, GEN3HMG, GEN3EEG, MIC3AMM, MIC3AM, ZOO3EPB.

Honours

Students who achieve an average mark of 65% or more in 60 credit points of relevant subjects and a minimum average of 60% across all third year subjects are eligible for entry to an Honours year. This may be undertaken in any of the departments, which teach core subjects in the degree, depending on the subjects taken in third year. The Honours program will be that of the host department or a combination of studies from different departments to allow cross-discipline specialisations. Cross-discipline studies must conform to the faculty guidelines for Honours studies and will be jointly supervised by each of the departments involved.

For a full description of these 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.