Diploma in Urban and Regional Environments

at La Trobe University - Bendigo Campus Australia

Build tomorrow’s world.

The world's population is set to grow by more than 40 per cent between now and the end of the century.* With an extra 3 billion more humans to feed, shelter and nurture, there's an urgent need for experienced planning professionals who can create sustainable and liveable communities for all. With the Australian Government forecasting strong future job growth for urban and regional planners, there's never been a better time to advance your career in this important field.**

If you've always wanted to help shape the world around you – or you're already working in planning and would like to advance your career – La Trobe's accredited Master of Planning offers a unique opportunity to excel in this high-demand field. Develop advanced knowledge of complex planning processes and learn how to create sustainable towns, cities and regions.

Explore the big issues in planning. How do we ensure communities have equitable access to housing, food, transport, education and healthcare? Can we make our communities safer and more resilient? And how can we ensure communities are meaningfully consulted about changes that affect them?

In this comprehensive planning degree, you'll examine the latest social, economic and environmental trends and explore the latest research on planning best practice. You'll learn how to design innovative solutions to existing and emerging problems, and understand how to transform key policies for urban, regional and rural communities in Australia and overseas.

Pursue your area of interest and gain high-level skills when you choose a specialisation, such as community planning, and urban and regional planning. You'll graduate with your specialisation on your academic transcript, so future employers can recognise your expertise.

In this multidisciplinary degree, you'll also choose from a wide range of electives so you can explore the subjects that interest you most. Passionate about politics, advocacy, public health or transport? Explore complementary subjects from La Trobe's international relations, civil engineering and public health departments, and develop the expertise you need for your dream career.

Develop your professional portfolio, expand your networks and build your experience while you study. In this highly practical degree, you'll have the opportunity to work on live projects for local councils and government agencies, and directly shape policies that affect real-life decisions. You'll complete a research thesis as part of your studies, which means you could study a PhD once you've successfully completed your Master's.

Learn from award-winning professional planners who have extensive industry experience and up-to-date knowledge of best practice. The Master of Planning is accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), making it easier for employers to recognise your advanced skills and knowledge.

If you're keen to graduate faster, it may be possible to complete your degree in just 1 to 1.5 years (equivalent full-time study) if you've completed previous study or have experience in a related field.

Graduate ready to shape a better future your community, with a degree recognised by industry.

You'll learn:

    Professional planning practice
        Develop planning skills for working in a diverse range of urban, regional and rural environments.
    Planning policy and law
        Learn how to interpret and apply planning policies and frameworks. Understand how to promote sustainability and social equity.
    Sustainable development principles
        Understand key development principles and learn how to create sustainable towns and cities.
    Spatial planning
        Learn how to create liveable, designed environments. Create innovative solutions that balance economic considerations with cultural aspirations.

If you're passionate about making a positive difference, La Trobe's Bachelor of Health Sciences will give you the skills and confidence to build a rewarding career in this diverse field. Whether you want to work with individual people or whole populations, you'll have the opportunity to fine-tune your skills and get the real-world experience that'll set you apart

Look at health from every angle. While we often measure health through the body, we can also examine the way our minds, our society and our environment – not to mention our political structures – affect the health of every individual, family and community. You'll learn how to use data as a powerful tool to improve the health of everyday people and develop the research skills to make a real impact.

Delve deeper into subjects you're fascinated in, with the option to take up to two majors if you want to develop broad expertise and keep your career options open. You'll also have the option to study an open access major or minor from across the university to gain extra skills and explore your passions.

Gain deep knowledge of the most impactful areas of the health sciences and build a meaningful career. Through your studies, you can aspire to make positive differences at local, national and international levels. You'll learn the skills employers are searching for. Hone your abilities in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, research, leadership and teamwork, then use them to address the biggest issues in health and wellbeing.

You'll graduate ready to make a positive impact on health policy and practice – for both current and future generations.

You'll learn:

Professional scientific thinking

• Learn how science contributes new knowledge and finds solutions to problems in our society.

Lab and fieldwork skills

• Learn how to collect data and use specialist technical skills to develop new findings in the laboratory and in the field.

Problem-solving

• Learn to develop solutions to complex scientific problems.

Collaboration

• Collaborate and work effectively in teams to solve problems and achieve shared goals.

Professional conduct

• Learn about ethical conduct when working as a scientific professional and how to promote and communicate your professional identity to potential employers and peers.

Communicating as a professional scientist

• Gain experience communicating to a range of audiences, both in written and verbal formats.

Health, wellbeing and performance

Develop skills to facilitate improved mental health and wellbeing in sport and broader community settings. With a focus on positive psychology, communication and counselling skills, and principles of effective performance, you’ll develop the skills you’ll need to promote wellbeing and performance with individuals and small groups.

Information technology (IT) has become a fundamental part of almost every industry. Fast-track the career you want with a degree accredited by the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

La Trobe's Master of Information Technology allows you to ride the IT wave and set yourself up for a successful tech career.

This degree builds your technical expertise and gives you a strong, industry-standard IT skill set. It's also flexible – you'll have the opportunity to specialise in one of several booming areas, including software engineering, cloud analytics, digital media, networking, artificial intelligence, digital health or cybersecurity.

Your degree is designed to ensure the skills you build are well-suited to future industry needs. Your teachers are IT professionals who'll share industry insights and make sure you graduate ready to work.

Shape your degree to fit your personal and professional goals with a range of electives. Build expertise in areas that interest you, such as app development, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, Internet of Things (IoT), user experience design, cybersecurity and more.

Supplement your skills with free certifications through our partnership with Microsoft. Administered via on-campus exams, these certifications give you practical skills you can apply in a wide range of industries and workplaces.

From day one, hands-on experience is top priority. Our state-of-the-art on-campus CISCO labs offer a wide range of networking capabilities – and they're available to you 24/7. We're also home to the Centre for Technology Infusion and the La Trobe Cyber Security Research Hub.

An industry development project or work-based placement will cement your learning and prepare you to launch your career. Alternatively, if you have a research career in your sights, you can pursue an applied research project or an industry-based thesis.

Growing minds need guidance and inspiration. As the bridge between childhood and adult life, teachers offer a unique opportunity to help shape our next generation of thinkers, doers and dreamers. And with young people growing up in a rapidly changing world, we need educators who understand the challenges they face and are skilled to guide them to become their best selves.

If you're passionate about helping young people to flourish, La Trobe's accredited Bachelor of Education offers your best path to a rewarding career in teaching. Carefully designed by expert teachers and leaders in the learning sciences, our Bachelor of Education will give you the skills, experience and confidence to make a difference from your first day as a qualified teacher.

Take your time and find out what area of teaching you'd like to specialise in. You won't have to decide what you'll teach – secondary, primary, or early childhood and primary – until the end of your first year. Then, you'll dive deep into your area of specialisation and develop unique and comprehensive skills.

Offered at every La Trobe campus in Victoria, our Bachelor of Education is extremely flexible. Learn in blended mode (online, in schools, in community and on campus), making it easier to balance study and life commitments.

You'll seamlessly integrate theory and practice through a careful blend of learning experiences. Learn the most up-to-date and proven approaches to teaching, then put them into practice. You'll spend at least 80 days in schools and education centres, learning how to manage classrooms, design class plans and guide students.

Learn from currently practising teachers and get valuable knowledge that no textbook (or YouTube video) can give you. Study in a supportive learning environment, mentored by our experienced and dedicated teaching staff. You'll also learn from leading researchers who are changing the way people learn to read.

Become a strong, independent learner and develop your identity as a teacher. At La Trobe, you'll gain a thorough understanding of the important ethical and technical requirements for being a teacher. You'll graduate classroom ready, equipped to become the best teacher you can be.

If you decide to pursue primary or secondary teaching, you'll develop discipline specialisations that you'll take straight into the classroom when you graduate. But no matter which path you choose, you'll learn alongside students working across all age groups, so you'll constantly learn about all stages of a child's education journey.

We are embedded within communities. This means you'll be connected to the communities you serve and have strong professional networks. And with campuses across metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria, we collaborate with a huge range of communities.

You'll build classroom skills in challenging and diverse placements. Learn how to be an adaptable teacher and discover how to design learning environments that meet the needs of a wide range of students inclusive of race, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. You'll focus on Indigenous knowledge and learn how to meet the needs of diverse individuals and communities.

Be prepared to teach in any school. At La Trobe, you'll learn the most up-to-date skills needed for the modern classroom. Graduate feeling completely prepared and confident from the first day you step into the classroom.

Secondary

Growing minds need guidance, support and inspiration. As the bridge between childhood and adult life, secondary teaching offers a unique opportunity to help shape our next generation of leaders.? 

If you are looking to build a rewarding career in secondary school teaching, this major offers a perfect opportunity to get the skills, experience and confidence you need to make a real difference in the classroom.?? 

Focus on secondary school children, aged 12 to 18, and develop two curriculum specialisations that you’ll take straight into the classroom when you graduate. Choose from electives in science, languages, arts, psychology, physical education and many more. You’ll learn proven approaches while gaining an in-depth understanding of child psychology and how this important age group learns.? 

Learn to plan and provide lessons, understand how to engage with a diverse range of learners, discover how to provide assessments, and get practise engaging with parents, other teachers and the school community.?? 

With extensive practical experience woven into the course, you’ll graduate ready to make a real and lasting difference for our next generation.

The modern business world is changing at breakneck speed. Ongoing digital and operational disruption present unique challenges – as well as opportunities. We need new leaders who are agile, entrepreneurial and, above all, able to innovate under the toughest of conditions.

Develop solid foundations in modern business with La Trobe's Bachelor of Business. Prepare to thrive in a digitally disrupted world with this highly flexible degree and start building your dream career in business.

You'll explore multiple business disciplines in your first year and develop foundational knowledge and enterprise skills in areas such as management, organisational structures, data analytics and ethical business practices.

You'll choose from a wide range of majors, minors and optional second majors. You can also pair your major with complementary study from another discipline.

No matter how you specialise, you'll get hands-on experience and learn the latest digital skills while developing essential leadership, communication and critical-thinking skills.

You'll develop your professional business skills as you work in diverse teams, present business strategies and use the software that's essential in modern business.

You'll graduate with the perfect blend of business fundamentals and technical expertise so you can change the business world.

Marketing

In today’s digital landscape, marketing is a high-demand skillset across a range of industries. La Trobe’s major in Marketing provides you with specialised knowledge of marketing in a digital era.  The major equips you with the essential knowledge and skills such as understanding consumer behaviour, brand management, product innovation and marketing in the digital space. You will focus on the latest practice and future trends in marketing. The key attributes that a major in marketing develop are communication, creative thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, ethical responsibility, leadership, and teamwork. Graduates will gain internationally transferrable skills and be ready for career in businesses that demand innovative marketing expertise.

To create an optimal legal system, we need to understand human behaviour and what clients need. More than ever, employers are searching for experienced professionals with expertise in law and psychology who can create innovative solutions to our most pressing legal challenges.

In La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Psychological Science, you'll build an adaptable skillset that combines skills-based legal training with expertise in psychological teaching, preparing you for a rewarding career.

As you study law, you can tailor your degree to your personal career aspirations with a wide range of elective subjects and opportunities for hands-on professional experience. We combine outstanding legal training with a progressive approach that prepares you for employment. You'll build legal expertise in key areas of law and develop skills that are highly valued by all employers, like advocacy, negotiation, and dispute resolution.

In your accredited psychological science degree, you'll enjoy the full benefits of having access to academics who are experts in their fields. Explore the environmental factors that affect our mental health and understand how community members cope with mental and physical disorders. Thanks to our electives and specialised minors, you'll be able to further ensure your study meets your specific career goals.

With access to real-world placement opportunities in both law and psychology, you'll also have opportunities put your knowledge into practice – whether it's working at a community legal centre, law firms and government agencies, or undertaking a psychology-related field placement.

From conservation to exploration, there’s a rewarding future waiting for you in the great outdoors. Turn your passion for the natural world into a career connecting with your community and the world around you.

La Trobe's Bachelor of Outdoor and Sustainability Education takes you beyond the classroom. Get hands-on outdoor experience and build a deeper understanding of sustainability and environmental education.

Enjoy opportunities to build and enrich your outdoor adventuring skills while you explore nature. You could spend more than 70 days on field trips* and extended outdoor journeys while building a vital understanding of research on climate change and experiential learning. From bushwalking to kayaking, you'll prepare to lead groups while they explore outdoor environments and you develop your skill in outdoor learning.

You'll also be ready to help foster respect and appreciation for the world around you. Explore the social and scientific aspects of sustainability, including Indigenous understandings of our environment, and learn how to manage and teach outdoor education programs.

Whether you want to guide adventures or educate the community, we'll help you be ready for your future. You'll develop the skills and confidence to lead, teach and communicate in any situation.

Outdoor education

Explore the relationship between humans and the natural world through outdoor experiences. Become an outdoor education expert with skills in outdoor leadership, safety management, natural and cultural history, environmental interpretation and sustainability.

La Trobe's Bachelor of Biomedical Science is ideal for students interested in human biology and allows you to tailor the degree toward your career interests. Combining the fields of biology and medical science, you'll open doors to careers across high-demand sectors including education, healthcare, media and research.

In your first year, develop fundamental knowledge in areas across chemistry, bioscience and health, with an additional focus on psychology and how to work with individuals in health and human services settings.

In your second year, build on these foundations with advanced topics in biomedical sciences that underpin your knowledge across chemistry, metabolic biochemistry, pharmacology and the growing need for expertise in immunology.

In your third and final year, deepen your expertise across topics including applied immunology, cancer research, response to infectious disease, and cardiovascular and neurological systems. You can also choose to put your learning into practice with an elective placement. Previous students have undertaken internships with Thermo Fisher Scientific, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Hexima and AdAlta. High-performing students may also have the opportunity to secure a vacation scholarship – a hands-on experience in a research laboratory.

Get personalised advice from our supportive staff who can help you align your degree with your career aspirations. With further study, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science can serve as a pathway into a highly sought-after career in physiotherapy, speech pathology, medicine or dentistry.

You'll learn:

• Molecular and cell biology - Understand the function of biological systems at the molecular and cellular levels, and how they relate to medical research and biotechnology.
• Human physiology - Gain insight into how the systems of the body work, including the cardiovascular and neurological systems, and how the regulation of these impact our health outcomes.
• Infectious and non-infectious disease - Discover how infectious diseases, like viruses, and non-infectious diseases, like cancers, are caused. Explore the latest understanding of how to prevent, diagnose and treat different types of disease.
• Clinical biochemistry and haematology - Delve into some of the most common areas of clinical pathology – from examining and analysing blood, to investigating biochemical components such as enzymes, hormones and proteins. Learn how to affect positive change across clinical pathology environments.

Learning outcomes

• Demonstrate theoretical and technical knowledge in biomedical science that enables scientific rigour in the conduct and evaluation of scientific practice
• Analyse, evaluate and apply scientific information from experiments, reports and peer-reviewed journals
• Communicate biomedical knowledge and ideas to others effectively and professionally in written and oral reports
• Apply biomedical knowledge, technical skills and professional judgement to develop evidence based solutions to complex biomedical, scientific and technical problems
• Undertake self-directed learning to maintain appropriate professional knowledge and skill in biomedical science
• Work independently and in teams to undertake professional projects and scientific tasks

More than ever, employers are searching for professionals with advanced STEM skills.* With job growth expected in this area* – including in areas that don’t even exist yet – there’s no better time to build the scientific skills you need to create a successful, interesting and satisfying career.

La Trobe's Bachelor of Science offers you foundational skills in science and the freedom to delve into your passions. Whether it's protecting endangered animals, developing new ways to treat disease or fighting climate change, you'll be ready to pursue your dream journey in science by tailoring your degree with a mix of majors and minors.

As you learn from leading academics and researchers, you'll take a deep dive into science – not only scientific concepts, but also how scientists think, work and share their findings.

Build skills in problem-solving, communication and collaboration – all highly sought after by employers – then use these skills to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Personalise your learning so you can spend time focusing on the areas that really interest you. Choose from majors in a range of fields, including botany, statistics, microbiology, genetics, data science and more, and learn from academics who are leaders in their fields.

You'll have opportunities to put theory into practice through work placements with our industry partners. Previous students have undertaken placements with CSIRO, Bayer Crop Science and various State and Federal Government departments.

Physics

Want to explore a discipline that will let you unlock the secrets of the small and invisible? Study physics at La Trobe alongside excellent research teams in exciting laboratories. You’ll become part of our proud history of materials and optical physics and join a collegial and warm environment.

If you're passionate about making a positive difference, La Trobe's Bachelor of Health Sciences will give you the skills and confidence to build a rewarding career in this diverse field. Whether you want to work with individual people or whole populations, you'll have the opportunity to fine-tune your skills and get the real-world experience that'll set you apart

Look at health from every angle. While we often measure health through the body, we can also examine the way our minds, our society and our environment – not to mention our political structures – affect the health of every individual, family and community. You'll learn how to use data as a powerful tool to improve the health of everyday people and develop the research skills to make a real impact.

Delve deeper into subjects you're fascinated in, with the option to take up to two majors if you want to develop broad expertise and keep your career options open. You'll also have the option to study an open access major or minor from across the university to gain extra skills and explore your passions.

Gain deep knowledge of the most impactful areas of the health sciences and build a meaningful career. Through your studies, you can aspire to make positive differences at local, national and international levels. You'll learn the skills employers are searching for. Hone your abilities in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, research, leadership and teamwork, then use them to address the biggest issues in health and wellbeing.

You'll graduate ready to make a positive impact on health policy and practice – for both current and future generations.

Rehabilitation Counselling

Help people recovering from injuries or living with mental health conditions or disabilities improve their quality of life. You’ll build skills in counselling techniques, case management and vocational rehabilitation and support clients to achieve their personal, career and independent living goals.