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Bachelor of Science (Botany)

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Overview

Botany at JCU covers the broad areas of aquatic and terrestrial plants, plant ecology, plant taxonomy, physiology (function), evolutionary relationships and diversity as well as climate change, conservation and management. The Bachelor of Science (Botany) has a hands on approach to exploring these processes both in laboratories and in the field, giving students real experience in the field of Tropical Plant Sciences.

Related Courses

Bachelor of Conservation Biology)

Bachelor of Conservation Biology Advanced

Bachelor of Science (Genetics and Genomics)

Bachelor of Science (Zoology)

Bachelor of Tropical Agricultural Science

JOINT DEGREE OPTIONS

Joint degrees give students expertise in a complementary discipline in reduced time (generally four or five years) and can enhance career prospects. At JCU this degree can be combined with:

  • Bachelor of Arts

  • Bachelor of Education (Secondary)

  • Bachelor of Engineering

  • Bachelor of Laws

  • Bachelor of Psychology

Alternatively students may discuss with an academic advisor studying a double major under the Bachelor of Science, for example Botany and Zoology or Ecology or Marine Biology.

Description:

Students will gain real life experience in the field and in laboratory while studying Botany. Subjects focus on structure, development and diversity of both aquatic and terrestrial plants, as well as their relationships with the environment, other plants and animals, the role plants can have in climate change, conservation and management of the environment. Most second and third year subject include field work in a tropical environment.

Duration:

3 years fulltime

Mode:

On campus, full or part time *

Workload:

Normal workload expectations are a minimum of 10 hours per week for every subject, including class contact hours, preparation and time spent on assessment tasks.

Type:

Undergraduate

Credit points:

72 credit points o

Intake:

February and August

Campus:

Townsville and Cairns**,

Faculty:

Science Engineering and Information Technology

Prerequisite/s:

English, Chemistry and Maths B

QTAC code:

316061Townsville; 326061Cairns

Course code:

* Duration: Part-time study is available to domestic students only.

o Credit points: Represent the combined value of individual subjects in a degree. One subject usually constitutes three credit points.

Structure

For subject descriptors please consult the relevant university handbook at http://www.jcu.edu.au/student/courses/index.htm

Townsville, Cairns

Level 1

BT1001:03 Introduction to Plant Science

BZ1001:03 Fundamentals of Biology

Plus

18 credit points satisfying the Award Requirements for the Bachelor of Science. The following are recommended:

BM1000:03 Introductory Biochemistry and Microbiology

CH1001:03 Chemistry: A Central Science

CH1011:03 Chemistry for the Natural Sciences

CH1012:03 Molecular Chemistry

EA1110:03 Evolution of the Earth

MA1401:03 Statistics and Data Analysis 1

ZL1001:03 The Diversity of Animal Life

Any level 1 CH, CP, CU, EA, EV, MA or MB subjects.

Level 2

BS2001:03 Quantitative Methods in Biology

Select one subject (3 credit points) from:

BT2240:03 Marine Plants and Algae in their Environments (Townsville)

BT2400:03 Flowering Plant Diversity

Plus

One subject (3 credit points) from:

AG2004:03 Soils for Plant and Animal Production

BZ2420:03 Genetics for Biology

BZ2440:03 Ecology and Conservation

BZ2470:03 Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology of Plants

Plus

15 credit points of subjects. The following are recommended:

Any subject not already selected from the above list.

Any level 2 BC, BT, EV, MB or ZL subject.

Level 3

Select one subject (3 credit points) from:

BT3010:03 Biology of Plant Survival (Townsville)

BT3400:03 Tropical Flora of Australia

Plus

9 credit points (three subjects) from:

BZ3000:03 * Projects in Biology

BZ3210:03 Rainforest Ecosystems (Townsville)

BZ3212:03 Tropical Wetlands Ecology and Management

BZ3400:03 Population and Community Ecology (Cairns)

BZ3420:03 Tropical Ecosystems and Climate Change (Cairns)

BZ3450:03 Ecological and Conservation Genetics

* Consult Academic Adviser

Plus

12 credit points of subjects satisfying the Award Requirements for the Bachelor of Science.

Recommended: any subjects not already selected from the above list; any level 3 BC, BS, BZ, EV, MB or ZL subjects.

Level 4 Honours students only

BT4001:12 Botany Honours (Part 1 of 2)

BT4002:12 Botany Honours (Part 2 of 2)

Career Opportunities

Botanists are employed in a range of roles (researchers, education and extension, conservation managers, consultants), government departments and industries.

They can choose to be generalists, specialists, or researchers (with further study), in areas such as:

  • Agriculture, forestry and plant breeding

  • Weed control

  • Species identification, recording, history and presentation

  • Conservation

Professional Accreditation

Graduates are eligible to join the following professional associations:

Other Majors available in the Bachelor of Science

  • Aquaculture

  • Archaeology

  • Biochemistry/Molecular Biology

  • Botany

  • Chemistry

  • Computer Science

  • Ecology

  • Environmental Earth Science

  • Environmental Science

  • Genetics and Genomics

  • Geography

  • Geology/Economic Geology

  • Hydrology and Water Resources

  • Marine Biology

  • Marine Biology - Advanced

  • Mathematics

  • Microbiology

  • Pharmacology

  • Physics

  • Physiology

  • Psychology

  • Spatial Science

  • Zoology

Application and Contact Information