Course and Subject Handbook 2025 Courses Undergraduate Courses Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Handbook year

Information valid for students commencing in 2025

Course code

121310

Course type

Bachelor Degree (AQF Level 7)

Professional accreditation status

This course is not accredited however graduates will be eligible to seek certification with the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand https://www.eianz.org/resources/certification.

Owner

Academy

College

Science and Engineering

Award Requirements

Admission Requirements

Course pre-requisites

Recommended Knowledge: English (Units 3/4,C), Chemistry (Units 3/4,C), and General Maths or Mathematical Methods (Units 3/4, C)

Minimum English language proficiency requirements

Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 1 – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy.

Additional course
requirements

Not applicable

Post admission
requirements

Students may be required to attend intensive mode classes at a campus other than that at which they are enrolled, at their own expense.

This course involves mandatory field work and any costs associated with the field work will be at the student’s expense.

Academic Requirements for Course Completion

Credit points

72 credit points as per course structure

Additional course rules

Study plan may only include a maximum of 30 credit points of Level 1 subjects and a minimum of 18 credit points must be taken at Level 3.

Course learning outcomes

Graduates of the Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management at James Cook University will be able to:

  1. Integrate and apply a coherent body of theoretical and technical knowledge of environmental science and management, with depth in the underlying concepts and principles from at least one of the disciplines of science or social science
  2. Critically appraise the role and relevance of the environmental sciences in the creation of sustainable futures, particularly in the tropics, and worldwide
  3. Demonstrate broad understanding of the methods of science, particularly as applied to environmental science and management, including the creative processes involved in developing scientific knowledge and its contestable and testable nature
  4. Retrieve, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information from a range of sources
  5. Plan and conduct reliable, reproducible evidence-based laboratory, field experiments and/or qualitative approaches by selecting and applying methods, techniques and tools, as appropriate to one or more science or environmental social science disciplines
  6. Organise, analyse and interpret data using mathematical, statistical, qualitative and/or technological skills
  7. Convey ideas, arguments and conclusions clearly and coherently through well-developed written and oral communication skills and a variety of media
  8. Identify, analyse and generate solutions to unpredictable or complex problems relating to environmental management by applying knowledge and skills with initiative and well-developed judgement
  9. Demonstrate intercultural knowledge and communication skills to be used in working on contemporary environmental science and management problems with Indigenous people, communities and organisations
  10. Critically review regulatory requirements, ethical principles and, where appropriate, cultural frameworks, to work effectively, responsibly and safely in diverse contexts and interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams
  11. Reflect on current skills, knowledge and attitudes to manage professional learning needs and performance, autonomously and in collaboration with others

Inherent Requirements

Inherent Requirements

Inherent requirements are the identified abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours that must be demonstrated, during the learning experience, to successfully complete a course. These abilities, attributes, skills, and behaviours preserve the academic integrity of the University's learning, assessment, and accreditation processes, and where applicable, meet the standards of a profession. For more information please visit: Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management.

Reasonable adjustments

All JCU students have the opportunity to demonstrate, with reasonable adjustments where applicable, the inherent requirements for their course. For more information please visit: Student Disability Policy and Procedure.

Course Structure

CORE SUBJECTS

Level 1

MA1020:03 Preparatory Mathematics or 3 credit points of subjects from List 1 or 2 (if Mathematics Methods recommended knowledge has been met)

CH1020:03 Preparatory Chemistry or 3 credit points of subjects from List 1 or 2 (if Chemistry recommended knowledge has been met)

IA1011:03 Indigenous Australians or IA1012:03 Indigenous People of North Queensland

SC1101:03 Science, Technology and Truth

EV1005:03 Environmental Processes and Global Change

BS1007:03 Introduction to Biodiversity

SC1102:03 Modelling Natural Systems

Level 2

EV2003:03 Introduction to Environmental Economics

EV2502:03 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

LA2902:03 Environmental Law and Policy

Level 3

EV3110:03 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

IA3030:03 Navigating the Cultural Interface

SC3008:03 Professional Placement

PLUS

Select one of the following Options

Option 1 (Major)

Select a major from Table A

PLUS

Select 9 credit points of specified subjects from Lists 1, 2 or 3 (Select subjects which are not already in your major)

or

Option 2 (Electives)

Select 9 credit points of  Level 1, 2 or 3 specified subjects from Lists 1, 2 or 3

PLUS

Select 15 credit points of Level 2 or 3 specified subjects from Lists 2 or 3

PLUS

Select 9 credit points of Level 3 specified subjects from List 3

List 1 (Level 1 subjects)

BS1001:03 Introduction to Biological Processes

CH1001:03 Chemistry: A Central Science

EA1110:03 Evolution of the Earth

EV1008:03 Human Geography

IA1011:03 Indigenous Australians

IA1012:03 Indigenous People of North Queensland

MB1110:03 Introductory Marine Science

List 2 (Level 2 subjects)

AN2013:03 Culture, Knowledge and Environment

BS2460:03 Fundamentals of Ecology

BX2077:03 Project Management

BZ2725:03 Australian Terrestrial Diversity

BZ2490:03 Toolkit for the Field Biologist

EA2006:03 Hydrology

EA2007:03 Soil Properties and Processes for Management

EV2401:03 Australian Landscape Processes and Evolution

EV2301:03 Urban Geography

IA2022:03 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as Colonial Subjects

MB2050:03 Functional Biology of Marine Organisms

PL2222:03 Climate Change, People, and Power

SC2202:03 Quantitative Methods in Science

List 3 (Level 3 subjects)

AN3006:03 Anthropology of Development: Critical Perspectives on Globalisation and Inequality

BX3124:03 Behavioural Economics for Sustainable Policy

BZ3215:03 Conservation Biology

BZ3235:03 Biological Invasions

BZ3620:03 Tropical Flora of Australia

BZ3740:03 Wildlife Ecology and Management

CH3041:03 Environmental Chemistry

EA3007:03 Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science

EV3020:03 Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation

EV3200:03 Natural Resource Management

EV3201:03 Coastal and Marine Management and Conservation

EV3401:03 Coastal and Catchment Geomorphology

EV3404:03 Field Studies in Tropical Geography

EV3406:03 Coral Reef Geomorphology

EV3502:03 Advanced Geographic Information Systems

EV3506:03 Remote Sensing

EV3606:03 Hazards and Disasters

MB3190:03 Coral Reef Ecology

MB3200:03 Marine Conservation Biology

MB3204:03 Conserving Marine Wildlife: Sea Mammals, Birds, Reptiles

MB3270:03 Coastal, Estuarine and Mangrove Ecosystems

TABLE A (Majors)

Credit points in major

24 credit points

MAJOR

AVAILABLE AT

NOTES

Biodiversity Assessment and Management

JCU Cairns

JCU Townsville

 

Coast to Coral

JCU Townsville

Land and Water Management

JCU Cairns

JCU Townsville

Students at JCU Townsville will be required to attend some intensive mode classes at the JCU Cairns campus at their own expense.

People in Place

JCU Cairns

JCU Townsville

Location

COURSE AVAILABLE AT

NOTES

JCU Cairns

 

JCU Townsville

 

Candidature

Expected time to complete

3 years full-time or equivalent part-time

Maximum time to complete

9 years

Maximum leave of absence

3 years

Please refer to the Coursework Enrolment Procedure

Progression

Course progression
requisites

Must complete 18 credit points of Level 1 or 2 subjects before attempting any Level 3 subject.

Course includes mandatory professional placement(s)

Yes

Course includes mandatory fieldwork

Yes, this course includes compulsory fieldwork

Special assessment
requirements

Nil

Professional accreditation
requirements

Nil

Supplementary exam for
final subject

Not applicable

Credit

Eligibility

Students may apply for credit for previous tertiary study in accordance with the Credit Transfer Procedure

Maximum allowed

48 credit points

Currency

Credit will be granted only for subjects completed in the 10 years prior to the commencement of this course

Expiry

Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 19 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if, by then, the student has not completed this course.

Other restrictions

A maximum of 6 credit points of credit may be granted at level 3.

Award Details

Award title

BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

Approved abbreviation

BEnvScMgt

Inclusion of majors on
testamur

Majors will appear on the testamur

Exit with lesser award

Students who have completed 24 credit points of their course award requirements, and withdraw from or fail to meet the requirements for progression in the later years, may be eligible for the award of Diploma of Tertiary Studies.

Course articulation

Not applicable

Special awards

Students may receive an Award of Recognition in accordance with the Recognition of Academic Excellence Procedure