2018 Undergraduate Courses
  • 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 Environmental Science (Honours) | 2018

Testamur Title of Degree:

Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours)

Abbreviation:

BEnvSc(Hons)

UOW Course Code:

1880

CRICOS Code:

085261J

Total Credit Points:

192

Duration:

4 years full-time or part-time equivalent

Home Faculty:

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health

Intake Session(s):

Autumn

Delivery Mode:

On-campus (Face-to-face)

Delivery Campus / UAC Code:

Wollongong / 757612

Overview

Environmental Science is the study of the interaction of the living and non-living elements of the environment and how humans impact on these elements. Environmental scientists assess, research and manage resources, together with a wide range of environmental issues.

The Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) degree integrates material from a wide variety of disciplines relevant to the environment and its management - these include engineering, management, law, science and technology studies and philosophy. You will be equipped to understand the ethical, social, economic and political aspects of environmental issues as well as to be able to work with engineers, lawyers and other professionals.

In the first and second years of the degree you will learn the basic "building blocks" of science in the form of introductory biology, chemistry, geography, geology and physics, as well as incorporating the 'language' of science through introductory mathematics and statistics.

In the third and fourth years, you will specialise in one of the following four majors:

  • Earth Sciences
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Land Resources
  • Life Sciences

An Honours research report with an external organisation is a major component of the fourth year.

Those who do not qualify for direct entry to the degree may gain admission via the Bachelor of Science, subject to satisfactory performance in the first year and approval of the Course Co-ordinator and the Head of Students.

Entry Requirements and Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the Course Finder.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes are statements of learning achievement that are expressed in terms of what the learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do upon completion of a course. Students graduating from this course will be able to demonstrate:

CLO Description
1 Demonstrate broad and coherent knowledge and understanding of the trends, processes and impacts that shape the Earth and its environment including local, national, global, cultural, Indigenous and spatial perspectives.
2 Critically evaluate information and data to assess scientific methods and frameworks in the environmental sciences and environmental management.
3 Develop hypotheses and experiments to test against evidence-based scientific facts, laws, principles and evidence.
4 Identify and articulate real world problems derived from the environmental sciences and environmental management.
5 Apply knowledge and appropriate techniques, including those associated with fieldwork, to evaluate possible solutions to real world problems and defend choice of solution against alternatives.
6 Locate, synthesise and evaluate data, information, results and literature pertaining to the environmental sciences using appropriate methods, measurements, tools and technologies to produce an applied research project in a specific area of environmental sciences and/or environmental management.
7 Communicate environmental science perspectives and knowledge effectively to a range of audiences using appropriate technologies and communication skills
8 Demonstrate ethical, professional, public and personal conduct and capacity to reflect on and direct own learning and practice and participate constructively in decision-making within the context of environmental sciences and environmental management.

Course Structure

To qualify for award of the degree, the Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), a candidate must accrue an aggregate of at least 192 credit points, as set out below.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • Students who have not completed HSC Mathematics at Band 4 or higher (or equivalent) are required to complete a mathematics subject (MATH151 or equivalent) normally in the first year.
  • Students may only count 60 credit points of 100-level subjects towards the degree.
  • Students must have a grade of Pass (not Pass Supplementary) or higher in 300-level core subjects which form part of a Science major.

Progression Requirements

Satisfactory performance must be achieved [normally a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 70% or greater in EESC320 plus 3 strand/discipline related 300-level subjects] for entry into the fourth year of the Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) course. Students with a WAM below 70% in the relevant 300-level subjects may only progress into the fourth year of the Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) with the approval of the Environmental Science Coordinator.

Students who do not gain entry into the fourth year of the Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) course will normally be required to transfer into the Bachelor of Science (Environment) course. 

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Year 1
Autumn
BIOL104 Evolution, Biodiversity and Environment 6 Autumn
EESC101 Planet Earth 6 Autumn
EESC103 Earth's Dynamic Surface 6 Autumn
Please select ONE subject from the following list:
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 selectCHEM105.
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
EESC102 Earth's Interconnected Spheres 6 Spring
EESC105 Introductory Geospatial Analysis 6 Autumn, Spring
Please select ONE subject from the following list:
CHEM102 Chemistry 1B: Structure and Reactivity of Molecules for Life 6 Spring
CHEM105 Foundation Chemistry: Reactions and Structures 6 Spring
Summer
Students who wish to complete the Environmental Chemistry strand in Third Year and are enrolling inCHEM105, must also enrol in CHEM106.
CHEM106 Foundation Chemistry: Properties and Reactivity of Matter 6 Summer 2018/2019
Year 2
Autumn
BIOL251 Principles of Ecology 6 Autumn
PHYS233 Introduction to Environmental Physics 6 Autumn
EESC207 Advanced Geospatial Analysis 6 Autumn, Spring
Select ONE subject from the following list:
For students wishing to take the Life Sciences strand in Year 3;
BIOL105 Functional Biology of Animals and Plants 6 Autumn
For students wishing to take the Earth Sciences, Environmental Chemistry or Land Resources strands in Year 3;
EESC203 Biogeography and Environmental Change 6 Autumn
Spring
CHEM214 Analytical and Environmental Chemistry 6 Spring
EESC202 Shaping Earth's Surface 6 Spring
PHIL256 Environmental Philosophy: Animals, Nature and Ethics 6 Spring
STAT252 Statistics For the Natural Sciences 6 Spring
Year 3 
Please select ONE of the following four majors:
Land Resources
EESC320 Capstone:Earth and Environmental Sciences 6 Spring
EESC323 Fluvial Geomorphology and Sedimentology 6 Autumn
STS 302 Climate Change Policy, Possible Futures 6 Autumn
GEOG222 Society and Environment: Resources, Challenges, Futures 6 Spring
EESC322 Coastal Environments: Process and Management 6 Spring
LAW 381 Law for Environmental Managers 6 Spring
Plus TWO subjects from the following list:
EESC209 G-cubed: Geochemistry, Geochronology, Geophysics 6 Spring
EESC331 Changing Global Environments 6 Spring
EESC332 Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Palaeoenvironments 6 Autumn
GEOG337 Environmental and Heritage Management 6 Spring
Earth Sciences
EESC320 Capstone:Earth and Environmental Sciences 6Spring
EESC201 Earth's Inferno 6 Autumn
EESC321 Plate Tectonics, Macrotopography and Earth History 6 Autumn
STS 302 Climate Change Policy, Possible Futures 6 Autumn
LAW 381 Law for Environmental Managers 6 Spring
EESC326 Resources and Environments 6 Spring
EESC250 Field Geology 6 Summer 2018/2019
Plus ONE subject from the following list:
EESC209 G-cubed: Geochemistry, Geochronology, Geophysics 6 Spring
EESC332 Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Palaeoenvironments 6 Autumn
Life Sciences
EESC320 Capstone:Earth and Environmental Sciences 6Spring
BIOL240 Biodiversity of Marine and Freshwater Organisms 6 Autumn
BIOL361 Conservation Biology 6 Autumn
STS 302 Climate Change Policy, Possible Futures 6 Autumn
BIOL252 Evolution and Behaviour 6 Spring
BIOL241 Biodiversity of Terrestrial Organisms 6 Spring
BIOL365 Marine and Terrestrial Ecology 6 Spring
LAW 381 Law for Environmental Managers 6 Spring
Environmental Chemistry
EESC320 Capstone:Earth and Environmental Sciences 6Spring
CHEM211 Inorganic Chemistry II 6 Autumn
CHEM212 Organic Chemistry II 6 Autumn
CHEM337 Environmental Chemistry 6 Autumn
STS 302 Climate Change Policy, Possible Futures 6 Autumn
CHEM213 Molecular Structure, Reactivity and Change 6 Spring
LAW 381 Law for Environmental Managers 6 Spring
Plus ONE subject from the following list:
CHEM370 Modern Inorganic and Bio-inorganic Chemistry 6 Spring
CHEM360 Organic Synthesis III 6 Spring
Year 4
ENVI402 Research Report 36 Annual, Autumn, Spring. First offered in 2019
ENVE383 Environmental Engineering Autumn 
MGNT208 Introduction to Management for Professionals A 6 Autumn

Please click the subject codes in the above table for information on sessions of offer for each subject at different locations. For information regarding timetables, tutorials, and classes please the visit the Timetables and Classes page.

Honours

The degree of Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) is awarded for performance in third and fourth year subjects, based on a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) formula in accordance with Method 3 in the General Course Rules Section 8.

Professional Recognition/Accreditation

Graduates are eligible for full membership of the Environment Institute of Australia & New Zealand and other relevant professional bodies depending on their disciplinary orientation.

Other Information

For further information please email: smah-students@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 13 February, 2018