P3O Bachelor of Science

Overview 2020

Entry Requirements: See entry requirements

Duration: Minimum 3 Years, up to a maximum of 7 Years
Duration
Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

Location

Entry Requirements: See entry requirements

Duration: Minimum 3 Years
Entry requirements

Location

There's some really interesting people here at the University, studying some interesting stuff. They're very passionate about what they do and it comes across in lectures and classes. It makes a huge difference when you see someone else who is enthused; it really inspires and encourages you.

Laura van Galen, Bachelor of Science graduate

Due to the circumstances around COVID-19, you will begin your semester 2 studies online in 2020. However, when Government guidelines change, on-campus studies will be reintroduced.

If you enjoy pursuing your curiosity and understanding the world around you, consider yourself an innovator, and are passionate about shaping the world from our living laboratory, our Bachelor of Science provides a gateway to an exciting world of rewarding careers.

The University of Tasmania’s science degree provides you with a foundation of core skills in science, analysis, and rational thinking. You have options to focus your study in one or more scientific disciplines and learn the methods to apply your skills and knowledge to the practical needs of industry, business, and government in both scientific and non-scientific roles.

In choosing a Bachelor of Science you can:

Build a degree that is tailored specifically to your own needs: select your major and minor subjects from 17 different disciplinary areas.
Try new subjects without the pressure of long-term commitment and discover potential new areas of interest.
Learn through hands-on practical experience including laboratory work, field trips, field-based units and research projects.
Enjoy being mentored by highly qualified staff, many of whom are national and world leaders in their field.

Our curriculum offers flexibility and choice in how your degree is structured. We provide a wealth of practical experience, access to world class facilities and an opportunity to immerse yourself in a local and interconnected scientific community.

Course objectives

Our exciting degree structure is built to prepare you for your future career, no matter where your path takes you.

In addition to a deep understanding of a scientific discipline of your choice (or two if you choose to study two majors), you will acquire core knowledge and skills in research, analysis, and data handling. You will develop professional soft skills such as time and project management, team work skills, and preparing and presenting reports. This core knowledge is designed so that no matter what scientific discipline you focus on, you will be able to apply your skills and knowledge across a range of industries around the world.

The degree is also focused on delivering genuine practical experience, with options for field trips, research projects, industry engagement, work integrated learning, and even international study opportunities. We prepare you to hit the ground running when you graduate by giving you a study experience directly related to where you may find a career.

You will be able to apply the scientific method in a range of disciplines, identify problems, gather evidence, and form and communicate your conclusions based on research and experience. This is why the Bachelor of Science is one of the most sought after degrees by employers—our graduates are prepared for anything.

Learning outcomes

Articulate the methods of science and explain why current scientific knowledge is both contestable and testable by further inquiry.
Explain the role and relevance of science in society.
Demonstrate well‐developed knowledge in at least one disciplinary area.
Demonstrate knowledge in at least one other disciplinary area.
Gather, synthesise and critically evaluate information from a range of sources.
Design and plan an investigation, evaluating creative solutions where appropriate.
Select and apply creative, practical and/or theoretical techniques or tools in order to conduct an investigation.
Accurately collect, record, interpret and draw conclusions from scientific data.
Communicate scientific results, information, or arguments, to a range of audiences, for a range of purposes, and using a variety of modes.
Sustain independent, self‐directed, globally‐relevant learning.
Work effectively, responsibly, respectfully and safely in an individual or team context.
Demonstrate knowledge of the regulatory frameworks relevant to their disciplinary area and personally practise ethical conduct.

Practical experience

Our new degree is built with practical experience in mind. We offer field trips, specialist facilities and laboratories, work integrated learning, industry experience, international travel, and more. When you study with us, your learning experience extends well beyond the classroom.

Immerse yourself in our globally unique facilities

The University of Tasmania is the only University in the world to directly control a continental-scale array of world-class radio telescopes. Our researchers, your lecturers, use these in both national and international collaborations including with SpaceX and NASA. Depending on your area of study, even as an undergraduate you can have direct access as part of your studies, literally driving them yourself as you test theories and explore the Universe.

Practical experience through specialist laboratories

Several specialist labs operate on-campus that have direct links to industry, delivering real-world practical experience and networking opportunities. The Molecular Genetics Laboratory has contributed to a range of projects in conjunction with CRC Forestry, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, Australian Antarctic Division, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

Our world class research is your educational advantage

Our teaching staff bring their cutting-edge, globally connected research to your laboratories and classrooms. You benefit from their amazing work, as our well above world-class research rankings in disciplines including analytical and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, ecology, environmental sciences and management, evolutionary biology, geology, geophysics, genetics, oceanography, plant biology, zoology, agriculture, fisheries science and horticulture, and neurosciences help deliver you a cutting edge science education.

When you study with us, you’re learning from some of the best in the world. People who are helping solve global health problems and locating missing star clusters, in the same environment where they conduct their world-class research.

Tasmania is literally a living laboratory

The University of Tasmania has with six diverse ecosystems all within 30 minutes of the Sandy Bay campus, and the world’s second largest temperate rainforest only an hour away. We’re the gateway to Antarctica and, as the birthplace of the green movement, celebrate our biodiversity and environmental sustainability. Your proximity to a wide range of pristine, diverse environments, and the researchers who travel from around the world to work in them, give you unparalleled practical field experience while you study, plus it makes Tasmania an amazing place to live!

Study overseas at one of our partner institutions

Our international exchange program offers opportunities to study at universities around the world, and it counts towards your degree. Exchange can allow you to have an affordable educational and cultural experience in a foreign country for a semester, or a full year. To facilitate this, we offer a range of scholarships and financial assistance. You may also be eligible for OS-HELP Loans or scholarship funding to assist with their airfares, accommodation and other expenses.

Find out more about Student Exchange.

Work placement

Students in the Bachelor of Science have many exciting opportunities to participate in work placement. The University of Tasmania has consistently maintained a strong relationship with industries such as agriculture, earth science, and forestry, among others. Through this, many of our students are able to turn practical experience into work experience.

You may also be able to gain practical experience in industry via the Dean's Summer Research Scholarship.

Career outcomes

"The best thing about studying science is that I could follow a passion and change direction as I went, and in doing so I actually opened up even more career options for myself. Studying science doesn’t confine you to a particular career, you could even do something not related to your field of study, using the skills you pick up in research, analysis and communication."

Bun Fu Yu, Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours graduate

The modern economy relies heavily on skilled individuals in the fields of science, engineering and technology. As a result, a science degree is one of the most sought-after degrees at university and among the most respected by employers.

The Bachelor of Science is one of the most flexible degrees at the University of Tasmania, giving you opportunities to focus on one area of study, or select several areas across both scientific and non-scientific disciplines. As a result, your career options are many and varied.

If you're not sure where your degree might take you, don't worry! Many students start studying a science degree by following a passion, not knowing exactly where they will end up. During your studies, you will meet other students, academics and visiting lecturers, all of whom may spark an idea of where your particular science degree could take you.

Career Opportunities with Science

While science career options are wide and varied, they typically fall into three main categories:

Specialist knowledge (e.g., geologist, marine biologist, IT systems developer).
Careers where a broad understanding of science is essential (e.g., science teacher, journalism, policy advisor).
Careers using generic skills obtained during your degree (e.g., public relations, business manager, marketing, government and local councils).

At the University of Tasmania, in addition to specialised scientific knowledge and skills, our focus is on giving you the practical and professional skills that are highly sought after by all employers – creative problem-solving, working in a team environment and flexibility of thinking. We teach you how to think, not what to think.

A career in science can be in any industry on earth. It will come to where your passion takes you.

Postgraduate study

If you successfully complete this course, you may be also be eligible to apply for a range of other postgraduate courses including Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas and Masters by coursework and research. Filter the course list by Postgraduate to view the current courses available.

Professional Recognition

You can speak to a course advisor about the majors or units you need to complete in the Bachelor of Science to be eligible for individual professional memberships.

Course structure

A Bachelor of Science normally takes three years to finish and requires the successful completion of 24 units.

The flexibility of this degree allows for many structure options; however, a typical, single major degree will be made up of the following components:

Discipline major (eight units)
Discipline minor (four units)
Core (compulsory for all students) (four units)
Electives (Degree and Student Electives) (eight units) comprising:
- Degree electives (two, paired, first-year science units from a selection)
- Student electives (six units of your choice from anywhere in the University
You can further diversify and improve your career options by using your student electives to complete a double science major, or experience another field of study from another College, like Arts or Business.

Core Units - compulsory for all students

Compulsory Units

Year 1

KMA153

Location	Study period	Attendance options		Available to
Hobart	Semester 1
Hobart	Semester 2
Launceston	Semester 1
Launceston	Semester 2
Cradle Coast	Semester 1

Location	Study period	Attendance options		Available to
Hobart	Spring school (late)
Launceston	Spring school (late)
Cradle Coast	Spring school (late)

Bachelor of Science (P3O)

Overview 2020

Entry Requirements

Duration

Duration

Location

Entry Requirements

Duration

Location

Immerse yourself in our globally unique facilities

Practical experience through specialist laboratories

Our world class research is your educational advantage

Tasmania is literally a living laboratory

Study overseas at one of our partner institutions

Career outcomes

Career Opportunities with Science

Postgraduate study

Professional Recognition

Course structure

Compulsory Units

Data Handling and Statistics 1

The Sciences and Society

Entrepreneurship

Effective Speaking

Data Handling and Statistics 2

Year 1

Biology of Animals

Cell Biology, Genetics and Evolution

Year 2

General Microbiology

Data Analysis and Presentation

Seafood Safety and Quality Control

Year 3

Aquatic Animal Feeds and Nutrition

Aquatic Animal Health

Aquatic Animal Physiology and Behaviour

Aquatic Molecular Biology

Ecosystem Assessment for Policy Design

Marine Protected Area Management

Topics In Marine Environmental Studies

Year 1

Chemistry 1A Hobart

Chemistry 1B Hobart

Chemistry 1A

Chemistry 1B

Biology of Animals

Biology of Plants

Cell Biology, Genetics and Evolution

Year 2

Biochemistry: Metabolism & Nutrition

Molecular Biology in Health & Disease

Year 3

Molecular Biology and Protein Biochemistry

Techniques in Molecular Biology and Protein Biochemistry

Advanced Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Research Project in Health and Disease

Year 1

Chemistry 1A Hobart

Chemistry 1B Hobart

Chemistry 1A

Chemistry 1B

Year 2

Organic and Inorganic Chemistry

Physical and Analytical Chemistry

Year 3

Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry

Catalysis and Sustainable Reaction Processes

Structure and Materials

Advanced Analytical Techniques

Year 1

Programming Fundamentals

Programming

Year 2

ICT Project Management and Modelling

Data Structures and Algorithms

Software Design and Development

Year 3

ICT Project A

ICT Project B

ICT System Acquisition and Integration