Bachelor of Conservation Biology (Honours)

at University of Wollongong - Wollongong Campus Australia

Mechatronic engineering is the combination of mechanical, electrical and computer technologies. Industrial robots are a famous example of mechatronic engineering: computer-controlled mechanical arms capable of performing manual labour with greater strength, speed and efficiency than a human.

The reality is computer control of systems is so commonplace in homes, business and industry that nearly everyone uses a mechatronic system every day, from washing machines to central air-conditioning, cameras and computer printers.

A Mechatronic engineer's skill for combining and refining elements to improve the whole makes them valuable in fields such as digital electronics, manufacturing, information technology and robotics.

This degree
You will study a common first year allowing you to learn more about engineering and its different fields before deciding which discipline to study. The common first year provides you with sound fundamentals in mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, computing, engineering science and communication, mechanics, materials and fluids. You then focus on your chosen major study from second year.

Your degree includes a 12-week hands-on industry placement. You may gain credit for relevant work experience, either in Australia or overseas, by participating in our Professional Options Program.

Engineers work in a variety of industries, for example: construction, mining, resources, aeronautical, electronics, engineering management, telecommunications, power generation and distribution, renewable energy, aerospace, water resource management, robotics and manufacturing, railroad and shipbuilding.

What you will study
As an engineering student at UOW you will have access to fully-equipped laboratories and the latest computer-aided software that is used in modern industrial workplaces. Our engineering students are trained through practical learning experiences including:

• Laboratory experiments
• Problem based learning
• Computer simulations
• Teamwork assignments
• Industrial case studies
• Project management
• Site visits to industry

Financial planning is the design of specific financial outcomes that meet a client's unique needs and objectives, given their financial resources and risk profile. Its broad approach is to fulfil clients' total needs, incorporating investment planning, taxation and social services planning, retirement planning, risk planning and estate planning. The areas of service provision are very wide including investment and asset portfolio construction and advice, superannuation, retirement and estate planning and associated services.

This degree
The Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance (Honours) teaches you the skills to apply sophisticated mathematical and statistical techniques to real-world problems. You are also encouraged to develop computing and communication skills, which are assets in the job market.

Bankers, investment managers, insurance companies and financial companies all rely on financial mathematics to survive and stay ahead of the competition. Maths and Finance graduates work in all areas of industry and government as risk managers, investment advisers, traders, financial analysts and more. They work in all aspects of the finance sector from traditional banking to futures trading.

There are opportunities for scholarships from corporate partners, plus summer scholarships and undergraduate research projects with academic staff, access to programs of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) and inter-university courses via our Access Grid Room.

What you will study
You will learn not only finance but accounting, management and marketing principles. You will investigate securities and the markets they operate in as well as theories of the market and the equilibrium prices of securities. You will learn how to assess investments, and the method for identifying the best financial product for a client, with particular attention to their risk profile. You will learn the codes of conduct governing the financial planning industry and relevant regulatory frameworks, advising techniques, and how to build and maintain clients' investment portfolios.

Subjects you will study include: investment analysis, advanced corporate finance, retirement and estate planning, taxation for financial planners, risk and insurance, and advanced financial planning. You will complete a Mathematics and Finance Honours Project.

Combining a Bachelor of Communication and Media with a Bachelor of Arts degree places a strong emphasis on applied learning and offers a broad introduction to ways in which new media practices shape our everyday lives, both in the workplace and in our communities. It will equip you with critical and creative thinking skills and effective communication and problem solving skills, all of which are required for high achievement in a range of media or related careers. 

A Bachelor of Arts degree is one of the most popular degrees at University. Students who are passionate and curious about humanity and society enjoy the breadth and flexibility of the Bachelor of Arts degree. This degree will allow you to hone your skills of analysis and interpretation, and your ability to synthesise complex ideas; skills that are essential to practical problem solving and highly valuable to a wide range of employers. Every real-world problem today has a cultural and social dimension that can be understood using the skills you will gain doing a Bachelor of Arts degree, whichever major you choose.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media degree offers students a strong foundation in the global communication and media industries. This degree has a focus on preparing students for global careers in digital and social media, visual communication design, journalism, screen media production, marketing, communication and advertising. Students will encounter key ideas in the study and practice of media and communications, and gain flexible and transferable skills that will prepare them for informed engagement with the changing world of global media culture.

What you will study
You will choose one major in the Bachelor of Arts degree; Archaeology and Ancient History, English Literatures, Environmental Humanities, French, History, Indigenous Studies, Japanese, Legal Studies, Mandarin (Non-Chinese Background Students), Mandarin (Character Background Students), Philosophy, Photography, Politics, International Relations, Sociology, Spanish, Creative Writing, or Writing and English Literatures. In addition to the arts major you will also choose a minor or a second major from the Bachelor of Arts offerings.

The Bachelor of Communication and Media offers five majors - Digital and Social Media, Visual Communication Design, Journalism, Screen Media Production and Marketing, Communication and Advertising. You will need to select one major to specialise in throughout the duration of your degree

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Dean's Scholar) is for high-achieving students seeking a challenging but comprehensive education in science within a chosen specialisation. There are five major discipline areas to choose from: Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Conservation Biology, Geology, and Physical Geography.

The flexible structure of the majors and electives allow you to design a study program to meet your particular interests and abilities. You can combine your chosen science major with a second major chosen from another discipline, or with a range of elective subjects.

Honours is built into the fourth year of the course when you will undertake a substantial piece of supervised research in your major discipline, together with other required seminar and/or coursework.

As a Dean's Scholar you will be invited to participate in networking and mentoring opportunities and, after the first year, develop a close association with an appropriate member of one of the faculty’s research teams. You will also have the opportunity to undertake individual research subjects. The degree includes practical laboratory and/or fieldwork and you will take advantage of the superb local opportunities and environments.

The Bachelor of Arts will equip you for today’s rapidly changing world. You will develop skills and capacities necessary to understand how the world has come to be the way it is today. The disciplines housed in the Bachelor of Arts degree share a common interest in addressing the fundamental questions of human social life. What do we need to know to create a better future, and what are the best ways of finding out? You will see and appreciate the world afresh, developing the analytical and communicative abilities to enrich life and your community. Share in the rich and global dialogue on contemporary human cultures.

What you will study
You construct your Bachelor of Arts degree by selecting majors and minors. Many of the majors and minors reflect areas of study that will be familiar (such as English, History, Politics) and some that may be less familiar (such as International Relations, Sociology and Environmental Humanities). Completing a major (or two) as part of your Bachelor of Arts degree will give you a set of skills that relate to the discipline you are studying (gaining expertise in History, for example) and also versatile skills in critical thinking, analysis, cultural intelligence, and conceptual frameworks. Because you can do more than one major, it is a good idea to choose widely in your first year, before settling on a major or majors in your second year.

Students must select one major and a second major or a minor, from the Bachelor of Arts offerings.

Majors:

• Archaeology and Ancient History
• Community, Culture and Environment*
• Creative Writing
• English Literatures
• Environmental Humanities
• French
• History
• Indigenous Studies
• International Relations
• Japanese
• Legal Studies
• Mandarin for Non-Chinese Background Students
• Mandarin for Character Background Students
• Philosophy
• Photography
• Politics
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Writing & English Literatures

As long as you complete at least one major and one minor from the Bachelor of Arts, you can also take a major and/or minor from outside of the Bachelor of Arts degree. Popular majors from outside the Bachelor of Arts include: Criminology, Digital and Social Media, Economics, Global Screen Media, Global Sustainable Development, Human Geography, Journalism, Marketing, Communication and Advertising, Visual Communication Design, Global Sustainable Development, International Business, Economics, Human Resource Management, Management and Public Relations.

The Master of Project Management explores how efficient management can provide organizations with an improved ability to plan, implement and control their business activities. This master’s course provides comprehensive project management skills and capabilities on the full project lifecycle; from project initiation, planning, execution to project closing, and teaches strategies for dealing with a broad range of issues encountered within business organizations. The growth of new forms of technology in project management has prompted organizations to look for skilled project managers who can enhance the performance of their businesses.

Eating well is central to supporting growth and development, preventing chronic disease, and general vitality at all stages of life. Nutrition is the science of how the foods we eat affect our health. Nutritionists are scientists who attain, maintain and promote the health of the public through nutrition research, communication of nutrition information or public health forums. Dietitians are specialist nutritionists who, in addition to these research and public health roles, are accredited to work with individuals and groups to help improve their health outcomes and quality of life. This occurs in settings such as the community, hospitals, private practice, research and food service.

The Bachelor of Nutrition Science provides a strong grounding in areas including nutrition science, food chemistry, biochemistry, and metabolism, as well as training in nutrition research. You will be able to apply your knowledge to a range of community settings. These include working with organisations and industries to create better nutritional standards and policies, undertaking research, and working with communities to support health through improved nutrition. The program is designed to meet the prerequisite requirements for admission into the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is required to be eligible for the credential of Accredited Practising Dietitian.

You will study the building blocks of nutrition: biochemistry, nutritional epidemiology, public health nutrition and physiology. You will explore the role of nutrients in the regulation of enzymes and metabolic pathways through to food sources of nutrients and food production. You will also consider nutrition education in the community, including the effects of food and nutrition policy on health.

If you are doing, or have done particularly well in your Bachelor of Communication and Media degree, you should consider an Honours year. Your Bachelor of Communication and Media degree will have introduced you to a wide range of topics and problems, and an Honours project will enable you to explore these ideas in much greater depth. Honours research topics are various and negotiable. If you are really interested in a topic and want to find answers, you'll be encouraged and supported.

From a potential employer's perspective, your ability to achieve a complex goal, meet deadlines, investigate independently, use resources effectively and write coherently are highly valued attributes.

The Honours year has a number of functions at UOW; as an in-depth project at the end of undergraduate study, and as a bridge between undergraduate study and advanced research.  It may also afford you the opportunity to explore future career options. Studying Honours teaches you: training in research skills and in information systems (archives, the Library, databases and electronic research networks);  opportunity to practise articulating complex ideas orally and in writing; experience in working closely with a supervisor on a project and in preparing a major project to meet a deadline; and experience in devising, researching and writing up an individual topic of study in an extended argument or thesis.

The Honours program is an alternative option for students wishing to undertake research during the fourth year of either the Bachelor of Education - The Early Years pass degree or the Bachelor of Education - The Early Years (Dean's Scholar) degree. Entry to your honours year is based on application and merit.

Early Years education enriches learning in children from birth to five years by giving children the opportunity to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for lifelong learning. It focuses on the significance of early education to foster children’s health, development and wellbeing.

For the duration of this four-year degree Early Years students will engage in continuous professional mentoring through the Professional Partners in Practice (PPP) program. This will give you invaluable sector experience and professional connections that will enhance your employment pathways and opportunities.

Throughout the degree students spend up to 16 weeks teaching in Early Childhood Education and Care Centres and two weeks in the Community and Family sector, complementary to the mentoring experience within the Professional Partners in Practice program.

You will also have the opportunity to undertake exchange, study abroad and international cultural immersion programs.

Working closely with two supervisors, you will undertake a major project during the program, you will undertake special experiences for research work either in the field or that examine other aspects of education. The degree will culminate in the production of a thesis or other project work that disseminates your research findings and the results from your project and research inquiry.

What you will study
During this degree you will study:

• The development of young children and their connection to family, community, and culture
• Improving education and developmental outcomes for children
• Establishing relationships with children and families
• Cultural and social diversity
• Early intervention and transition to school
• Leadership and advocacy
• Creating physical and social learning environments
• Developing skills and experiences in research in educational settings.

There is currently a high demand for graduates in Medicinal Chemistry. The Master of Medicinal Chemistry degree provides vocational training, together with specialized coursework and a small research project.

What you will study
Additional preparatory subjects focus on laboratory work and science communication skills. It provides an alternative career path to Ph.D. studies or upskilling for the industry.

This degree
This degree is designed through the lens of global perspectives in science where you will also be exposed to emerging technologies such as the use of drones, artificial intelligence AI, coding, and virtual reality (Google VR) in science data collection and analysis during your first-year core subjects.

The program also integrates your graduate work practice skills to allow you to translate your skills into career-ready attributes.

With the appropriate qualifications and laboratory skills, you can be awarded credit for these preparatory subjects.