Fast Facts
Location
Commencing
- Townsville: February, July
- Cairns: February, July
Fees
$42,640.00+
+estimated annual tuition fee for a full-time study load
Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
Scholarships and financial aid available if eligible
Duration
1 year full-time
Entry Requirements
AQF level 7 bachelor degree in science; or equivalent
English language requirements
Band 1
If your native language is not English, you must meet the minimum English language requirements for this course.
CRICOS Code
076291M
Course detail
JCU students study in the diverse environmental region of North Queensland. You will gain advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in a range of specialised scientific fields, through practical workshops, projects and directed study.
This flexible one year full-time course is offered at JCU’s Townsville and Cairns campuses and is designed for you to expand your knowledge in your chosen science specialisation. Choose from one of eight discipline streams described below, plus choose from a range of elective subjects to complement your training.
View the handbook for detailed information on the subjects included in each discipline stream and available electives.
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 Diploma of Science.
Streams
Aquaculture Science and Technology
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.
Environmental Earth Science
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.
Environmental Management
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.
Fisheries Science and Management
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.
Geology
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.
Global Change Biology
Develop your knowledge of global changes, patterns of biodiversity, conservation planning and evolutionary adaptation and be equipped to address the threats and challenges to global biodiversity. Learn how to identify major issues impacting species and ecosystems, analyse the contributing factors and formulate methods of solving some of our world's biggest problems.
With the natural environment changing at an unprecedented rate, it has never been more important to understand and reduce the accelerating impacts on our ecosystems.
Marine Biology
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.
Tropical Biology and Conservation
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.
Broaden your career opportunities with a JCU Graduate Diploma 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.
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma of Science find work in public and private sectors both in Australia and beyond.
You could work in such roles as a marine biologist, conservation agent, educator, environmental manager, field or laboratory technician, geologist, research assistant, resource consultant, or science communicator.
Students who complete the Graduate Diploma of Science are eligible for credit towards the Master of Science (Professional) and Master of Science degrees.
Handbook year | Information valid for students commencing in 2024. |
Course code | 105006 |
Course type | Graduate Diploma (AQF Level 8) |
| Owner | Academy |
College | Science and Engineering |
Award Requirements
Admission Requirements
Course pre-requisites | Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor degree in science or equivalent. |
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. |
Post Admission requirements | Some subjects require attendance in intensive mode subjects on either the Townsville or Cairns campus. Students may be required to attend intensive mode classes at a campus other than that at which they are enrolled, at their own expense. |
Academic Requirements for Course Completion
Credit points | 24 credit points |
Course learning outcomes | The graduates of James Cook University are prepared and equipped to create a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide. JCU graduates are committed to lifelong learning, intellectual development, and to the display of exemplary personal, professional and ethical standards. They have a sense of their place in the tropics and are charged with professional, community, and environmental responsibility. JCU graduates appreciate the need to embrace and be acquainted with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia. They are committed to reconciliation, diversity and sustainability. They exhibit a willingness to lead and to contribute to the intellectual, environmental, cultural, economic and social challenges of regional, national, and international communities of the tropics. On successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Science, graduates will be able to:
|
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: Graduate Diploma of Science. |
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
SC5200:03 Career Planning
PLUS
Select one of the following 12 credit point discipline streams
PLUS
Select 9 credit points of any level 5 AQ, BS, BZ, CH, CP, EA, EV, MA, MB, MI, SC or TV subjects
Stream 1: Aquaculture Science and Technology
Select 6 credit points of subjects from:
AQ5002:03 Aquaculture: Feeds and Nutrition
AQ5003:03 Aquaculture: Propagation
AQ5006:03 Aquaculture: Principles and Practices
AQ5015:03 Sustainable Aquaculture
PLUS
AQ5012:06 Hatchery Techniques
Stream 2: Environmental Earth Science
Select 6 credit points of subjects 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
EA5018:03 Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Stream 3: Environmental Management
Select 6 credit points of subjects from:
EV5020:03 Human Dimensions of Nature, Environment and Conservation
EV5200:03 Natural Resource Management
EV5701:03 Coastal and Marine Management and Conservation
PLUS
EV5110:03 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Stream 4: Fisheries Science and Management
Select 6 credit points of subjects 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
MB5620:03 Grand Challenges in Fisheries
PLUS
SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Stream 5: Geology
Select 6 credit points of subjects from:
EA5048:03 Minerals and Magmas
EA5211:03 Structural Geology and Tectonics
EA5320:03 Earth Resources, Exploration and Environment
EA5650:03 Energy Resources and Basin Analysis
EA5046:03 Earth and Environmental Geochemistry
PLUS
EA5044:03 Geological Mapping
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Stream 6: Global Change Biology
Select 6 credit points of subjects from:
BZ5755:03 Climate Change and Biodiversity
BZ5930:03 Conservation in a Changing World: Issues and Solutions
BZ5935:03 Ecophysiology
BZ5940:03 Evolutionary Adaptation in a Changing World
PLUS
SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Stream 7: Marine Biology
MB5000:03 Advances in Marine Biology
MB5350:03 Evidence and Controversy in Marine Science
PLUS
Select 6 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
Note: Students articulating into the Master of Marine Biology degree should select skills and elective subjects that align to the structure of the Masters program.
Stream 8: Tropical Biology and Conservation
Select 6 credit points of subjects from:
BZ5061:03 Behavioural Ecology
BZ5215:03 Conservation Biology
BZ5220:03 Population and Community Ecology
BZ5230:03 Ecological Research Methods
BZ5235:03 Biological Invasions
BZ5740:03 Wildlife Ecology and Management
BZ5745:03 Tropical Entomology
PLUS
SC5502:03 Design and Analyses in Ecological Studies
PLUS
Select 3 credit points of specified subjects from List 1 (Skills)
List 1 (Skills)
BC5203:03 Advanced Bioinformatics
BS5260:03 Modelling Ecological Dynamics
BZ5225:03 Technological Applications In Ecology
BZ5450:03 Ecological and Conservation Genetics
BZ5990:03 Toolkit for the Field Biologist
CH5203:03 Analytical Chemistry
EA5018:03 Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science
EA5044:03 Geological Mapping
EA5045:03 Field Techniques in Geology
EA5130:03 Advanced Petrology
EA5330:03 Introductory Outback Field Mapping
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
COURSE AVAILABLE AT | NOTES |
JCU Cairns | Only Environmental Earth Science, Global Change Biology, and Tropical Biology and Conservation Streams are available Mid-year entry is available |
JCU Townsville | Mid-year entry is available |
Candidature
Expected time to complete | 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
Maximum time to complete | 4 years |
Maximum leave of absence | 1 year |
Progression
Course progression requisites | Nil |
Course includes mandatory professional placement(s) | No |
Special assessment requirements | Nil |
Professional accreditation requirements | Nil |
Supplementary exam for final subject | Not applicable |
Credit
Eligibility | Students may apply for a credit transfer for previous tertiary study or informal and non-formal learning in accordance with the Credit Transfer Procedure Credit will only be granted for subjects aligned to the current course’s learning outcomes and if the applicant demonstrates sufficient prior knowledge and skills to achieve the course learning outcomes in the time available in the course. |
Maximum allowed | 6 credit points, unless part of an approved articulation process |
Currency | Credit will be granted only for studies completed in the 10 years prior to the commencement of this course. |
Expiry | Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 14 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if, by then, the student has not completed the course of study prescribed for the degree. |
Other restrictions | Nil |
Award Details
Award title | GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF SCIENCE |
Approved abbreviation | GDipSc |
Inclusion of majors on testamur | Not applicable - this course does not have majors |
Exit with lesser award | Students who exit the course prior to completion, and have completed 12 credit points of study, may, depending on the subjects studied, be eligible to receive the award of Graduate Certificate of Science. |
Course articulation | Students who complete the Graduate Diploma of Science are eligible for entry to the Master of Science, Master of Science (Professional), and Master of Marine Biology and may be granted credit for all subjects completed under the Graduate Diploma. |
Special awards | Students may receive an Award of Recognition in accordance with the Recognition of Academic Excellence Procedure |
Estimated annual tuition fee: $AUD42,640.00
Course fees are charged per year of full-time study. International course fees are reviewed annually and subject to change.
A Student Services and Amenities Fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.
Student Visa holders must have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of their Student Visa (except Norwegian, Swedish and Belgian citizens). Costs depend on the length of study and the number of dependents accompanying the student. For more information see Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Scholarships and financial aid are also available for international students.
Application dates vary between courses, whether they're delivered in semester, trimester or carousel study modes. View our Application due dates page for more information.
Gather the documents you need to apply and submit an application via JCU's online application portal.
Real stories
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Lecturer
Dr Naomi Gardiner
Senior Lecturer, Marine & Aquaculture Sciences
The best part of working at JCU is being part of an incredibly vibrant, active and diverse team of students and staff. Together our JCU Science team regularly make breakthrough discoveries that change paradigms and practices globally. It is great to be able to contribute to work that really does make a difference.
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Employer
Dr. Lyndon Llewellyn
Australian Institute of Marine Science
JCU students are of a like mind to us. They want to make the world a better place and they bring that desire into their work with us. They are practical, passionate and willing to tackle challenging problems through science.