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Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences

Course code/s: Albury-Wodonga (SBAGW)

Only the first year of this degree is offered on the Albury-Wodonga campus. Students transfer to the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus to complete the remainder of the degree.

This course was previously titled Bachelor of Agricultural Science (SVASW).

This course provides a basic understanding of the relationships between soils, plants, animals, economics, and the environment. It is about the science that underpins plant and animal production and not a training to become a farmer.  The learning occurs through the prism of sustainable land management, and with the consideration for animal welfare.  The course therefore addresses the challenge of how we can increase food production under a changing climate, and to do so sustainably and profitably into the long term.

The course concentrates on the sciences concerned with soil productivity, plant, and animal production and on agribusiness and marketing. These include soil science, plant and animal nutrition, physiology and biochemistry, plant and animal health, pest ecology and management, climate change, agribusiness, statistics and the integrating case studies on agricultural production and its impact on the environment and on the well being of animals. The optional Honours year in Melbourne provides a training and an understanding in research methodology.

The applied science and agribusiness studies, which are the foundations of the Bachelor of Agricultural Science, have a highly successful record in leading to a wide variety of careers in agricultural, industrial research and commercial organisations for career advice see http://www.csu.edu.au/special/acda/careers. Professional recognition would apply for graduates, as they are eligible to become members of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology.

Industry experience

An essential requirement of the degree is twelve weeks of approved industry experience, taken during the vacations.

Course structure

The course requires the completion of 360 credit points over three years of full-time or equivalent part-time study. This is a fixed content course, apart from the elective in the first year.

First year (120 credit points)

Teaching period	Subject name	Subject code	Credit Points
TE-SEM-1	Animal Diversity, Ecology and Behaviour	BIO1AD	15
TE-SEM-1	Chemistry Foundations	CHE1CHF	15
TE-SEM-1	Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms	BIO1OF	15
TE-SEM-1	Processes that Shape the Earth	GEO1PRO	15
TE-SEM-2	Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution	BIO1GEN	15
TE-SEM-2	Plant Science	BIO1PS	15
TE-SEM-2	Critical Thinking with Statistics	STA1CTS	15
TE-SEM-2	First year level elective		15