Graduate Certificate of Science

Pursue your passion and expand your knowledge and skills in your chosen science specialisation. Build on your undergraduate science degree or broaden your academic experience with the Graduate Certificate of Science. In this six-month degree, you will gain an in-depth understanding of a specific scientific area. Your knowledge and skills can prepare you for further study (such as Master of Science) or equip you to pursue research, professional practice and leadership roles within your chosen field.

With seven streams to choose from, you will gain hands-on experience in the area of science that sparks your passion. You will choose two subjects designed to increase your knowledge base and understanding of your field as well as a third subject designed to help you develop the skills vital to your chosen field. You will gain theoretical, practical and technical knowledge and skills as you learn from expert lecturers and participate in practical workshops and projects.

As a JCU Graduate Certificate of Science student, you will have unique access to world-class research facilities such as the JCU Orpheus Island Research Centre or the LEED Gold certified JCU Science Place. You will get hands-on experience in the diverse environmental region of North Queensland, home to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. When you study in North Queensland, you’re studying in a region with the highest biodiversity in the world. JCU Townsville is ranked #2 in the world for research related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal, “Life below water” (SDG 14)¹.

Upon completion of the Graduate Certificate of Science, you will be equipped to pursue further study, research and professional development. You will be able to organise, analyse and interpret complex scientific data, communicate complex ideas and draw conclusions, identify problems and generate effective solutions, plan and conduct reliable laboratory or field experiments, and apply your research within multiple contexts.

¹Nature Index 2021

View the handbook for detailed information on the subjects included in each discipline stream.

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 review the inherent requirements for the Graduate Certificate of Science.

Students benefit from laboratory and field-based learning in JCU’s Marine and Aquaculture Research Facility. You will explore the science of aquaculture and learn about the husbandry and nutrition of various aquaculture species.

Learn to maintain your own organisms in an intensive aquaculture system. Investigate the scope and role of aquaculture as a food source and critically assess the environmental sustainability and suitability of existing and developing aquaculture industries.

Learn from world-class lecturers about the impacts of land use, land management, and climate change on the earth surface. Investigate the latest techniques to minimise the harmful effects of human activity on the environment.

Apply your learnings to the diverse environments of the tropics, including the Daintree Rainforest, fertile agricultural regions, the vast savannah outback, magnificent tropical rivers and diverse coastlines.

Reap the benefits of hands-on fieldwork experience to develop your capability in natural resource management. Work with research and industry experts to deepen your understanding of the impacts of human activities on our natural resources.

Become an expert in best practice approaches to the sustainable management of terrestrial landscapes and natural resources in the tropics.

Explore the fundamentals of fisheries science and its application in tropical environments. Students gain knowledge, technical skills and experience in fisheries assessments, sustainable development and management approaches.

Tackle the grand challenges in fisheries across small scale and industrial contexts, to ensure the best possible outcomes for human communities, fish stocks, and ecosystems globally.

Develop your knowledge of geological structures and plate tectonics. Build a core understanding of mineralogy as applied to rocks, sediments and soils. Learn about the distribution of earth resources and the mechanisms by which metalliferous ores, industrial minerals and fossil fuels are formed.

Students gain a practical appreciation of global environmental change and develop an informed perspective of global natural resources.

Access one of the most diverse and fragile marine ecosystems in the world, the Great Barrier Reef. Students undertake field trips to study the impact of human society on tropical marine populations, species, habitats and ecosystems. Learn how coral reefs, oceanic and coastal ecosystems function in the tropics.

Study corals, fish, turtles, marine mammals, fisheries, marine reserve design, conservation biology and genetics, biodiversity and more. Attain the technical skills and knowledge necessary for working in the marine education, science and conservation sector.

Access JCU’s extensive industry networks across a broad range of planning organisations. Study how cities and towns develop and learn how to deliver thriving regions and healthy urban environments.

Plan for a rapidly changing world and learn how to balance political, environmental and economic wellbeing.

Benefit from access to natural environments in close proximity to JCU campuses, including savannahs, the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest, and coastal marine habitats. Your studies will integrate a range of disciplines such as zoology, ecology, botany, and behaviour and evolution biology across an array terrestrial and marine habitats.

Observe, explore and build your understanding of the diversity of the biological world while developing the skills necessary to conduct applied research and/or work in environmental science industries delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for conserving the natural environment.

Expand your career options with a JCU Graduate Certificate of Science. Enhance your current qualifications by extending your knowledge and technical skills in your profession or learn the fundamentals for a new career track in the natural and environmental sciences.

Your JCU Graduate Certificate in Science could help you to gain employment as a biologist, geologist, environmental scientist or manager, or conservation specialist.

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate of Science are eligible for credit towards the Master of Science (Professional) and Master of Science degrees.

Award Requirements

Admission Requirements

Academic Requirements for Course Completion

Inherent Requirements

Course Structure

Select one of the following 12 credit point discipline streams:

Stream 1: Aquaculture Science and Technology

Select 6 credit points from:

AQ5002:03 Aquaculture: Feeds and Nutrition

AQ5003:03 Aquaculture: Propagation

AQ5006:03 Aquaculture: Principles and Practices

AQ5015:03 Sustainable Aquaculture

PLUS

Select either:

AQ5012:06 Hatchery Techniques

or

Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

and

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

Stream 2: Environmental Earth Science

Select 6 credit points from:

EA5016:03 Hydrology

EA5017:03 Soil Properties and Processes

EA5046:03 Earth and Environmental Geochemistry

EA5404:03 Earth's Climate: Past, Present and Future

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

Select either:

EA5018:03 Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science

or

Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 3: Environmental Management

Select 6 credit points from:

EV5020:03 Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation

EV5107:03 International Environmental Policy and Governance

EV5200:03 Natural Resource Management or EV5701:03 Coastal and Marine Management and Conservation

EV5209:03 Principles and Practices of Protected Area Management

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

Select either:

EV5110:03 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

or

Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 4: Fisheries Science and Management

Select 6 credit points from:

EV5020:03 Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation

MB5003:03 Fisheries Science

MB5014:03 Managing Tropical Fisheries

MB5610:03 Fishing Gear and Technologies

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies or select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 5: Geology

Select 6 credit points from:

EA3210:03 Structural Geology and Tectonics

EA5048:03 Minerals and Magmas

EA5320:03 Earth Resources, Exploration and Environment

EA5650:03 Energy Resources and Basin Analysis

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

EA5044:03 Geological Mapping or select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 6: Marine Biology

Select 6 credit points from:

MB5004:03 Marine Conservation Biology

MB5055:03 Biological Oceanography

MB5190:03 Coral Reef Ecology

MB5270:03 Coastal, Estuarine and Mangrove Ecosystems

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies or select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 7: Tropical Biology and Conservation

Select 6 credit points from:

BZ5061:03 Behavioural Ecology (JCU Townsville)

BZ5215:03 Conservation Biology (JCU Cairns, JCU Townsville)

BZ5220:03 Population and Community Ecology (JCU Townsville)

BZ5230:03 Ecological Research Methods (JCU Cairns)

BZ5235:03 Biological Invasions (JCU Cairns)

BZ5740:03 Wildlife Ecology and Management (JCU Townsville)

BZ5745:03 Tropical Entomology (JCU Cairns)

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies or SC5202 Quantitative Methods in Science or select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

Stream 8: Planning and Design

Select 6 credit points from:

EV5001:03 Environmental and Regional Planning

EV5301:03 Urban Geography and Design

EV5603:03 Planning Legislation and Professional Practice

EV5505:03 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

PLUS

Select 3 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subject

PLUS

EV5602:03 Urban Design Studio or EV5120:03 Advanced Design Communication or EV5404:03 Field Studies in Tropical Geography or select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)

List 1 (Skills)

AQ5004:03 Aquaculture: Stock Improvement

BC5203:03 Advanced Bioinformatics

BS5260:03 Modelling Ecological Dynamics

BZ5450:03 Ecological and Conservation Genetics

BZ5990:03 Toolkit for the Field Biologist

CH5203:03 Analytical Chemistry

EA5130:03 Advanced Petrology

EA5018:03 Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science

EA5044:03 Geological Mapping

EA5330:03 Introductory Outback Field Geology

EA5640:03 Advanced Marine Geoscience Technologies and Applications

EV5020:03 Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation

EV5110:03 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

EV5502:03 Advanced Geographic Information Systems

EV5505:03 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

EV5506:03 Remote Sensing

MA5405:03 Data Mining

SC5202:03 Quantitative Methods in Science

SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies

Location

Stream Availabilities

Candidature

Progression

Credit

Award Details

A Student Services and Amenities fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.

A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.

Complete an online application through our Online Application Portal.