- Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.
However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.
Bachelor of Science (Conservation Biology)
The course information on this page is for new students commencing their degree in 2016 only.
Students should follow the rules and requirements for the year that they commenced their course. The online course information for years prior to 2016 are available from the Archives link in the menu.
Students should also review current subject availabilities via the Subject Descriptions link in the menu.
Conservation Biology is the study of the Earth's biodiversity with the aim of being able to manage and protect species and ecosystems.
At UOW, this degree provides the knowledge and skills to understand and develop strategies to minimise the impact of humans on their environment.
You will focus on biology, developing skills in evolutionary physiology, conservation biology and ecology of both marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
At the completion of the degree, students may enrol in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree, if the required academic standard is achieved, and pending approval of the Head of School. See separate entry for the Bachelor of Science (Honours).
Major Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this major students will be able to:
- Exercise critical thinking and judgement in applying conservation concepts and knowledge of biological systems to inform the implementation and development of policies for conservation.
- Use their knowledge of the biology of organisms to develop appropriate management policies or research questions.
- Demonstrate skills in analysing, interpreting and synthesising data, methodologies and other information.
- Demonstrate rudimentary research skills in investigating problems in conservation biology.
- Exercise critical thinking and independent problem solving in experimental design.
- Communicate knowledge and ideas clearly and coherently to others in both written and spoken form.
- Apply knowledge and skills of conservation biology to solving current problems in either a professional context or in research.
Course Structure
The Bachelor of Science (Conservation Biology) requires the successful completion of 144 credit points of subjects from the table below.
| Subject Code | Subject Name | Credit Points | Session(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | |||
| Autumn | |||
| BIOL104 | Evolution, Biodiversity and Environment | 6 | Autumn |
| BIOL105 | Functional Biology of Animals and Plants | 6 | Autumn |
| EESC105 | Introductory Geospatial Analysis | 6 | Autumn, Spring |
| Plus ONE of the following two subjects: | |||
| Note: Students who have achieved a mark of 65% or more in NSW HSC Chemistry or equivalent must select CHEM101 and CHEM102. All other students must select CHEM104 and CHEM105. | |||
| CHEM101 | Chemistry IA: Introductory Physical and General Chemistry | 6 | Autumn |
| CHEM104 | Foundation Chemistry: Properties of Matter | 6 | Autumn |
| Spring | |||
| BIOL103 | Molecules, Cells and Organisms | 6 | Spring |
| SCIE103 | Climate Change | 6 | Spring |
| STAT252 | Statistics For the Natural Sciences | 6 | Spring |
| Plus ONE of the following two subjects: | |||
| CHEM102 | Chemistry 1B: Structure and Reactivity of Molecules for Life | 6 | Spring |
| CHEM105 | Foundation Chemistry: Reactions and Structures | 6 | Spring |
| Year 2 | |||
| Autumn | |||
| BIOL240 | Biodiversity of Marine and Freshwater Organisms | 6 | Autumn |
| BIOL251 | Principles of Ecology | 6 | Autumn |
| MATH151 | General Mathematics 1A* | 6 | Autumn |
| *MATH151 must be completed by any student who has not completed NSW HSC Mathematics or equivalent at Band 4 or higher. | |||
| Spring | |||
| BIOL241 | Biodiversity of Terrestrial Organisms | 6 | Spring |
| BIOL252 | Evolution and Behaviour | 6 | Spring |
| EESC207 | Advanced Geospatial Analysis | 6 | Spring |
| Plus subjects from the following list to give a total of 48 credit points for Year 2 | |||
| EESC203 | Biogeography and Environmental Change | 6 | Autumn |
| MARE200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 6 | Autumn |
| EESC202 | Shaping Earth's Surface | 6 | Spring |
| Students wishing to specialise in Conservation Genetics should select subjects from the following list; | |||
| BIOL213 | Principles of Biochemistry | 6 | Autumn |
| BIOL215 | Introductory Genetics | 6 | Spring |
| Year 3 | |||
| BIOL362 | Ecophysiology | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| BIOL361 | Marine and Terrestrial Populations | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| BIOL365 | Marine and Terrestrial Ecology | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| Plus 30 credit points of subjects from the following list: | |||
| EESC332 | Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Palaeoenvironments | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| STAT335 | Sample Surveys and Experimental Design | 6 | Autumn |
| EESC331 | Changing Global Environments | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| LAW 381 | Law for Environmental Managers | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
| MARE360 | Fisheries and Aquaculture | 6 | Not available in 2017 |
Honours
See separate entry for the Bachelor of Science (Honours).
Credit Arrangements
Credit and articulation arrangements are available from the Course Finder. Refer to UOW's credit arrangements for information on how to apply for credit.
Other Information
Further information is available at:
UOW Course Finder
Email: smah-students@uow.edu.au