Bachelor of Environmental Science

Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:

Recent secondary education:

Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent and

Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or

Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points

or

Higher education study

Complete or partly complete a recognized higher education program at a recognized higher education institution

or

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Complete an award from a registered training organization at Certificate IV or above

or

Work and life experience

Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past

English language requirements:

IELTS score of 6.0; TOEFL iBT score of 60 with Reading and Writing not less than 18; TOEFL paper-based test (PBT) score of 550 with TWE of 4.5; Cambridge CAE/CPE score of 169; Pearson's test of English (Academic) (PTE) score of 50 with Reading and Writing communicative scores not less than 50; CELUSA score of AE4.

Course Details

If you have genuine concern for the environment and a commitment to sustainability, a degree in Environmental Science can help to launch your career.

In this degree you will address today’s scientific issues and explore how humans interact with the environment, how we can manage it best, and how we can better influence positive attitudes.

You will do hands-on field work in the natural environment as you learn biology, soil science, ecology, conservation, chemistry and geology. Field work can range from exploring the campus to visiting Hallett Cove, Robe, the Flinders Ranges or even Fiji.

What you'll learn

Your learning will cover ecology, geography, earth science, soil science, environmental quality, ecotourism and social sciences. To develop strong skills in an area that interests you, you will study a major in Ecology and Conservation or Environmental Quality and Earth Sciences. All students will also obtain minors in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Community Engagement.

Through Project LIVE, we’ll provide you with access to cutting-edge digital imagery from your own local environments and further afield, along with tools to process and evaluate this data to critically assess its meaning. From aerial imagery of erosion patterns along the South Australian coastline and ancient landforms in central Australia, to infra-red surveys of vegetation health in Barossa Valley vineyards and satellite monitoring of ice sheet stability in Antarctica, this imagery will give you hands on experience in data creation and manipulation and help you become familiar with the latest digital imaging, mapping and spatial analysis techniques.

Your career

Employment prospects for environmental scientists is expected to increase by 11.3 percent by May 2023.

Careers to consider:

ranger: managing natural values (making sure the natural environment and cultural sites are protected); managing visitor services (helping visitors to enjoy and understand parks and reserves); extensive planning, researching, strategic thinking and people management to effectively balance conservation and recreational values of parks and reserves
environmental adviser (construction): offering environmental support to construction sites; ensuring compliance with environmental regulations; helping to achieve environmental targets (e.g. sending zero waste to landfill); liaising with site teams, the client, stakeholders and other environmental teams
land management officer: engaging with land managers to continuously improve management of their land and water through a whole of landscape approach to natural resources management; contributing to the operational management of parks and reserves; delivering on-ground works, community events, activities and minor projects
sustainability officer: setting sustainability policies, goals and objectives; reducing a company's carbon footprint in compliance with government environmental regulations; developing partnerships (e.g. with government agencies and the community) to deliver environmental sustainability projects