Global Utilities

La Trobe University
University Handbook 2013

Bachelor of Bioscience

Course code/s: Melbourne (SBBIO)

Students enrolled at the Melbourne campus can complete the first year of all majors on that campus and then choose to transfer to the Albury-Wodonga campus for years 2 and 3 to complete their degree with a major in Freshwater Ecology, or remain at Melbourne in major in Biochemistry, Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology or Zoology.

This new three year degree is designed for students who want to pursue a career in biology. The Bachelor of Bioscience offers the flexibility of choice from a range of specialisations within the discipline of biology and prepares graduates to address some of today’s big issues such as protecting native forests and grasslands, discovering new medicinal cures or sustainable agricultural practises; or mapping the genome of endangered species.

The degree includes foundation studies in the first year to prepare you for study in biological science. It also introduces you to a wide range of discipline areas in biology. In years two and three you will specialise in your area of interest, allowing you to graduate with up to two majors. You can choose from specialised or broad majors depending on your interests and the set of skills you want to develop for your career.

What skills will I develop?

As a bioscience student you will have the opportunity to attend a full range of practical classes to support lectures, and participate in a range of field trips. Students can study biological communities in the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary on-site at the University's Melbourne campus as well as field trips to locations across Victoria. Students can acquire field survey techniques including sampling in different habitats and identification of animal and plant species as well as practical and laboratory skills that prepare you to work in a laboratory science such as microbiology, cell and molecular biology, biotechnology or medical science.

Course structure

The course is of three years full-time or equivalent part-time duration and requires the completion of 360 credit points. The Bachelor of Bioscience is designed to be flexible, allowing you to specialise in several areas of biology, or combine your biology subjects with other science subjects. The Bachelor of Bioscience offers majors in discrete disciplines as well as broader multidisciplinary areas such as Ecology and Molecular Biology. Options include:

  • Biochemistry
  • Botany
  • Ecology
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Zoology
  • Freshwater ecology

The Freshwater Ecology major is offered exclusively on the Albury-Wodonga campus (to capitalise on the close association with the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, a CSIRO-La Trobe University collaborative venture).  Students enrolled at the Melbourne campus can complete a Freshwater Ecology major by transferring to Albury-Wodonga for years 2 and 3. Students enrolled at the Albury-Wodonga campus can complete the first year of all majors on that campus and then choose to transfer to the Melbourne campus for years 2 and 3 to complete their degree with a major in Biochemistry, Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology or Zoology, or remain at Albury-Wodonga to major in Freshwater Ecology.

First year (120 credit points)
Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Animal Evolution and Diversity BIO1AD 15
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
TE-SEM-2 Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution BIO1GEN 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant Science BIO1PS 15
TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 Choose a first year level subject from the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering   15
TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 Choose two first year level subjects   30
  Choose one first-semester chemistry subject. Students who have passed VCE Chemistry, Units 3 and 4 or equivalent, must choose CHE1GEN.    
TE-SEM-1 Chemistry Foundations CHE1CHF 15
TE-SEM-1 General Principles of Chemistry CHE1GEN 15

Recommended subjects

Please note: some subject combinations are not possible because of timetable clashes. Other subjects have prerequisite requirements; these requirements are listed in the full subject descriptions on the Web Database (see www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public) and should be checked carefully. All subjects are worth 15 credit points.

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Calculus and Number Systems MAT1CNS 15
TE-SEM-1 Culture and Globalisation: An Introduction to Anthropology ANT1CAG 15
TE-SEM-1 Discovering Archaeology ARC1DAR 15
TE-SEM-1 Discrete Mathematics MAT1DM 15
TE-SEM-1 Great Philosophical Ideas PHI1GPI 15
TE-SEM-1 Information Technology Fundamentals CSE1ITF 15
TE-SEM-1 Object-Oriented Programming Fundamentals CSE1OOF 15
TE-SEM-1 Introductory Electronics ELE1IEL 15
TE-SEM-1 Physics for Life Sciences A PHY1LSA 15
TE-SEM-1 Principles of Physics A2 PHY1SCA 15
TE-SEM-1 Processes that Shape the Earth GEO1PRO 15
TE-SEM-1 Experimental Foundations of Psychological Science PSY1EFP 15
TE-SEM-1 Self and Community: Introduction to Sociology SOC1SAC 15
TE-SEM-1 Data Based Critical Thinking STA1DCT 15
TE-SEM-2 Applications of Chemistry1 CHE1APL 15
TE-SEM-2 Astronomy and Space: The infinite Frontier PHY1AST 15
TE-SEM-2 Australia and Beyond: Introduction to Sociology SOC1AAB 15
TE-SEM-2 Basic Electronic Circuits ELE1CCT 15
TE-SEM-2 Biology and Philosophy PHI1BAP 15
TE-SEM-2 Calculus and Linear Algebra MAT1CLA 15
TE-SEM-2 Dawn of Humanity ARC1DOH 15
TE-SEM-2 Earth Structure, Resources and History of Life GEO1ERS 15
TE-SEM-2 Our Global Village: Introduction to Anthropology ANT1FET 15
TE-SEM-2 Intermediate Object-Oriented Programming CSE1IOO 15
TE-SEM-2 Mathematical Applications in Biology MAT1MAB 15
TE-SEM-2 Philosophical Problems PHI1PPR 15
TE-SEM-2 Physics for Life Sciences B PHY1LSB 15
TE-SEM-2 Principles of Physics B2 PHY1SCB 15
TE-SEM-2 Clinical Foundations of Psychological Science PSY1CFP 15
TE-SEM-2 Statistical Science STA1SS 15
TE-SEM-2 Statistics for Life Sciences STA1LS 15
TE-SEM-2 Statistics for Psychology STA1PSY 15
TE-SEM-2 The Archaeology of Ancient Civilisations ARC1AAC 15

Key: 1 In order to proceed to second year biochemistry or soil science, students must take CHE1CHF.

2 Linked subjects, normally taken in the one academic year.

Second year (120 credit points)

The second year consists of:

  • 60 credit points of biology (from the core subjects listed below) and
  • 30 credit points from other subjects or further biology subjects
  • 30 credit points from any subjects offered by the university for which pre-requisites have been met.
Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
  Students must choose subjects to the value of 60 credit points from the list below. Unless a clearly defined three-year program of study has been organised, 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 the third year level.    
TE-SEM-1 Australian Fauna and Ecology ZOO2FE 15
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BCH2IBM 15
TE-SEM-1 Molecular and Human Genetics GEN2MHG 15
TE-SEM-1 Introductory Microbiology MIC2MI 15
TE-SEM-1 Inner Life of Plants BOT2ILP 15
TE-SEM-1 Practice of Science BIO2POS 15
TE-SEM-2 Animal Physiology ZOO2AP 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant  Diversity and Ecology BOT2PDE 15
TE-SEM-2 Metabolic Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH2MBC 15
TE-SEM-2 Ecological Genetics and Evolution GEN2EGE 15
TE-SEM-2 Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC2MMV 15
  30 credit points of second year level subjects selected from Science, Technology and Engineering. This includes subjects from the above core subjects list.    
  30 credit points of second year level subjects selected from any department in the university.    
Third year (120 credit points)

The third year consists of:

  • 60 credit points of biology chosen from subjects offered by departments in the biological sciences (see core subjects below) and
  • 60 credit points from other subjects or additional biology subjects, if no more than 60 credit points are taken from any one biological science discipline area. All subjects are worth 30 credit points.
Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
  Students must choose subjects to the value of 60 credit points from the list below    
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC3AMM 30
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 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 Plant Evolution, Ecology and Conservation BOT3EEC 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Microbiology MIC3AM 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH3BMB 30
TE-SEM-2 Plant Biotechnology BOT3PB 30
TE-SEM-2 Zoology B ZOO3EPB 30
TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 Choose additional third year level subjects   60

Programs of study

The Bachelor of Bioscience offers majors in discrete disciplines as well as broader multidisciplinary areas such as Ecology and Molecular Biology. Options include:

  • Biochemistry
  • Botany
  • Ecology
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Zoology
  • Freshwater ecology * Only available to the Albury Wodonga campus. See handbook entry for Bachelor of Bioscience (course code: Albury-Wodonga SBBIOW) for more details.
Biochemistry Major

To study in the area of biochemistry, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
TE-SEM-2 Applications of Chemistry CHE1APL 15
  Choose one first-semester chemistry subject. Students who have passed VCE Chemistry, Units 3 and 4 or equivalent, must choose CHE1GEN.    
TE-SEM-1 Chemistry Foundations CHE1CHF 15
TE-SEM-1 General Principles of Chemistry CHE1GEN 15
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BCH2IBM 15
TE-SEM-2 Metabolic Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH2MBC 15
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BCH3BMA 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH3BMB 30
Botany Major

To study in the area of botany, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant Science BIO1PS 15
TE-SEM-1 Inner Life of Plants BOT2ILP 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant  Diversity and Ecology BOT2PDE 15
TE-SEM-1 Field and Environmental Botany BOT3FEB 30
  And at least one of:    
TE-SEM-1 Plant Evolution, Ecology and Conservation BOT3EEC 30
TE-SEM-1 Plant Biotechnology BOT3PB 30
Ecology Major

To study in the area of ecology, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Animal Evolution and Diversity BIO1AD 15
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
  Recommended elective: STA1DCT, STA1LS, STA1CTS or MAT1MAB    
  Choose at least 30 credit points from the following second year level subjects    
TE-SEM-1 Applied Biostatistics STA2ABS 15
TE-SEM-1 Australian Fauna and Ecology ZOO2FE 15
TE-SEM-1 Issues in Conservation WCB2IC 15
TE-SEM-1 Practice of Science BIO2POS 15
TE-SEM-2 Introduction to Land and Soil Management AGR2ILS 15
TE-SEM-2 Plant  Diversity and Ecology BOT2PDE 15
TE-SEM-2 Ecological Genetics and Evolution GEN2EGE 15
  Choose third year level subjects to the value of at least 60 credit points. Note: 60 credit points of subjects from a single discipline at third year will be awarded a major in that discipline (e.g. ZOO3EPA and ZOO3EPB = Zoology major). The Ecology major will be awarded to combinations of subjects from different disciplines (e.g. ZOO3EPA and GEN3EEG)    
TE-SEM-1 Applications in Conservation WCB3AC 30
TE-SEM-1 Field and Environmental Botany BOT3FEB 30
TE-SEM-1 Zoology A ZOO3EPA 30
TE-SEM-2 Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics GEN3EEG 30
TE-SEM-2 Plant Evolution, Ecology and Conservation BOT3EEC 30
TE-SEM-2 Zoology B ZOO3EPB 30
Genetics Major

To study in the area of genetics, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-2 Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution BIO1GEN 15
TE-SEM-1 Molecular and Human Genetics GEN2MHG 15
TE-SEM-2 Ecological Genetics and Evolution GEN2EGE 15
TE-SEM-1 Human and Molecular Genetics GEN3HMG 30
TE-SEM-2 Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics GEN3EEG 30
Microbiology Major

To study in the area of microbiology, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
TE-SEM-1 Introductory Microbiology MIC2MI 15
TE-SEM-2 Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC2MMV 15
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC3AMM 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Microbiology MIC3AM 30
Molecular Biology Major

To study in the area of molecular biology, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
  Choose one first-semester chemistry subject. Students who have passed VCE Chemistry, Units 3 and 4 or equivalent, must choose CHE1GEN.    
TE-SEM-1 Chemistry Foundations CHE1CHF 15
TE-SEM-1 General Principles of Chemistry CHE1GEN 15
  Recommended elective: CHE1APL    
  Choose at least 30 credit points from the following second year level subjects    
TE-SEM-1 Fundamentals of Chemistry A CHE2FCA 15
TE-SEM-1 Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BCH2IBM 15
TE-SEM-1 Molecular and Human Genetics GEN2MHG 15
TE-SEM-1 Introductory Microbiology MIC2MI 15
TE-SEM-1 Inner Life of Plants BOT2ILP 15
TE-SEM-1 Practice of Science BIO2POS 15
TE-SEM-2 Animal Physiology ZOO2AP 15
TE-SEM-2 Fundamentals of Chemistry B CHE2FCB 15
TE-SEM-2 Topics in Infectious Disease MIC2ID 15
TE-SEM-2 Metabolic Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH2MBC 15
TE-SEM-2 Ecological Genetics and Evolution GEN2EGE 15
TE-SEM-2 Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC2MMV 15
  Choose third year level subjects to the value of at least 60 credit points. Note: 60 credit points of subjects from a single discipline at third year will be awarded a major in that discipline (e.g. BCH3BMA and BCH3BMB = Biochemistry major). The Molecular Biology major will be awarded to combinations of subjects from different disciplines (e.g. BCH3BMA and BOT3PB)    
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Chemistry A CHE3ADA 30
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Medical and Veterinary Microbiology MIC3AMM 30
TE-SEM-1 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BCH3BMA 30
TE-SEM-1 Human and Molecular Genetics GEN3HMG 30
TE-SEM-1 Zoology A ZOO3EPA 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Chemistry B CHE3ADB 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Microbiology MIC3AM 30
TE-SEM-2 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry and Cell Biology BCH3BMB 30
TE-SEM-2 Plant Biotechnology BOT3PB 30
TE-SEM-2 Zoology B ZOO3EPB 30
Zoology Major

To study in the area of zoology, students enrol in:

Teaching period Subject name Subject code Credit Points
TE-SEM-1 Animal Evolution and Diversity BIO1AD 15
TE-SEM-1 Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms BIO1OF 15
  Recommended elective: STA1DCT, STA1LS, STA1CTS or MAT1MAB    
  Choose second year level subjects to the value of 30 credit points    
TE-SEM-1 Practice of Science BIO2POS 15
  And at least one of:    
TE-SEM-1 Australian Fauna and Ecology ZOO2FE 15
TE-SEM-2 Animal Physiology ZOO2AP 15
  Third year level subjects to the value of 60 credit points    
TE-SEM-1 Zoology A ZOO3EPA 30
TE-SEM-2 Zoology B ZOO3EPB 30

Bachelor of Bioscience (Honours)

Honours degree students are selected based on their performance in the final year of the pass degree course. Students must obtain a minimum average of 60% across all of their third year subjects and obtain at least 65% in subjects germane to the Honours discipline to the value of 60 credit points. Some departments may set higher entrance standards than these. An Honours year may be taken in any of the departments contributing to the pass degree course for which they have the appropriate prerequisites.

Please note: Some of these subjects may not be offered in the current year. For a full description of subjects, including the subject name, subject code, credit points, campus/location, teaching period and availability, subject coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites and readings, please click on the appropriate Subject Code or refer to the Subject Database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.