Study area

Agricultural, Environmental and Biological Sciences

Advances in technology and science are transforming our world at an incredible pace. Take up study in this field to tackle local, regional and global issues from the environmental impacts of climate change and sustainably managing natural resources, to providing food and water security.

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Increasing populations and greater demands on resources are putting pressure on our environment now more than ever. This means it is crucial we understand our planet to maintain its health.

Our state’s diverse landscape is the perfect location in which to gain this knowledge and experience to maintain balance in our natural environment. Choose from areas such as crop production, animal production and management, environmental impact assessment, forestry resource management, or soil and water conservation. Or focus on aquatic or natural resource management, geographical sciences, botany, geology, agricultural science or aquaculture.

Your studies will involve not only the theory, but the crucial technical skills of your chosen field. Whether it's through world-class laboratories, exciting field trips or real world industry placements, you’ll be immersed in the hands-on side of science and gain the ability to help protect the world we live in.

100+ units offering practical work experience
or gain hands-on industry-relevant experience and skills through placement opportunities.
22:1 student to staff ratio
One of the best in Australia.
Learn from award-winning researchers
and expert academics.
Postgraduate teaching quality above national average
for Agriculture and Environmental Studies (Good Universities Guide 2021).
Strong industry, business and government networks
including Alcoa; BHP; CSIRO; Department of Agriculture and Mining; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions; Fortescue Metals Group; Kings Park; Perth Zoo; Rio Tinto; Woodside; and more.

1st in Australia and 17th in the world for Agricultural Sciences (ARWU 2020)

1st in Australia and 21st in the world for Environmental Science and Engineering (ARWU 2020)

1st in Australia and 34th in the world for Biological Sciences (ARWU 2020)

Explore fieldwork in Science

Find out more about our amazing field trips in the Agricultural, Environmental and Biological Sciences interest area that'll take you all around Western Australia and beyond.

Our facilities

Shenton Park Field Station

The Shenton Park Field Station is a 67-hectare facility supporting research by plant and animal biologists.

Remotely Piloted Aerial Sensing Platform

The Remotely Piloted Aerial Sensing Platform provides the latest in drone and sensing equipment to support UWA students, researchers and collaborators.

Plant Growth Facilities

A high-quality, practical growing site for carrying out controlled experiments with the capacity for a wide range of research and teaching.

Bayliss Building

The Bayliss Building is a stunning five-storey facility that’s the largest and most technically complex building on our campus. Home to the School of Molecular Sciences, the building was named after Emeritus Professor Sir Noel Stanley Bayliss (1906-1996), an eminent Australian chemist whose name was given to the mineral ‘baylissite’.

Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management

The Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management (CENRM) is an Albany-based research centre of the University of Western Australia (UWA)

Where our graduates go

Working in the field of science opens up vast career opportunities around the globe that are always evolving. Our graduates contribute to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges in areas of marine conservation, food security, agricultural policy, science communication and more.

See where some of our grads have taken their science degrees.

Industry snapshot

Agricultural, environmental and biological sciences is a booming industry that requires skilled professionals to meet the growing demand. According to Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Projections, the projected employment growth in the five years to May 2024 for Architectural, Engineering and Technical Services is 14.6%.

Potential jobs

Agricultural consultant/scientist
Animal scientist
Biologist
Botanist
Conservation biologist
Environmental consultant/planner/scientist
Marine biologist
Microbiologist
Natural resource manager
Plant breeder
Soil scientist
Wildlife biologist/consultant/manager
Zoologist

Undergraduate courses

To find out more about our range of undergraduate courses, visit Our courses explained.

Comprehensive degrees

Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Bachelor of Science

Specialised degrees

Combined bachelor's degrees

Combined bachelor’s and master’s

Majors

Minors

Honours

Postgraduate courses

Master’s degrees

Learn from our experts

Dr Dominique Blache

Dr Blache takes an integrative approach to animal welfare using his expertise in neuroscience and endocrinology to study stress, metabolism, and reproduction.

Professor Ryan Lister

Professor Ryan Lister is an award winning scientist at UWA whose research focuses on the information contained in the DNA of plant and animal genomes.

Professor Richard Hobbs

Professor Richard J Hobbs FAA, is a Professor of Ecology and IAS Distinguished Fellow, former ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, and Head of the ERIE Research Group at The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Professor Gary Kendrick

Gary Kendrick is a research and teaching Professor at The Oceans Institute and Head of Biological Sciences, the University of Western Australia. Gary Kendrick’s long-term research goal is to develop a predictive framework for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics between marine species distributions, their biology and the physical environment.

Professor Annette George

Professor Annette George is Head of the School of Earth Sciences and researcher in petroleum geoscience and early Earth environments.

Emeritus Professor John Pate

Professor John Pate is a distinguished biologist and plant physiologist with a career spanning decades of scientific research and discovery.

Associate Professor James Fogarty

Associate Professor James Fogarty’s research focuses on helping the water industry make better decisions by working on approaches that allow the environmental and amenity benefits of urban water projects to be incorporated into project evaluations.

Professor David Pannell

David Pannell is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia.

Professor Stephen Powles

Professor Stephen Powles is one of the world’s most highly cited agricultural scientists and is widely regarded as an expert in herbicide resistance in plants.

Dr. Amin Mugera

Research to help feed the world's growing population and improve its standards of living.

Dr Cyril Grueter

Dr Cyril Grueter is a senior lecturer and researcher in biological anthropology, studying the social organisation of primates as a basis for understanding human behaviour.

Eun-Jung Holden

Professor Holden’s multi-disciplinary research spans the boundaries of computational science and geoscience, and links academia with industry.

Nik Callow

Associate Professor Nik Callow is a geographer, working across the areas of hydrology, geomorphology, Geographical Information Science (GIS) and remote sensing.

Dr Sharyn Hickey

Dr Sharyn Hickey’s research interests focus on geographical elements of environmental systems, and how spatial and temporal models can examine environmental change and the drivers of change.

Professor Harvey Millar

Professor Harvey Millar is a plant protein biochemist at UWA, whose focus is the function of proteins that enhance the energy efficiency of plants in harsh environments.

Get in touch with us

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Phone – Domestic students: 131 UWA (131 892)
8.30am–5.00pm (AWST), Monday to Friday
Phone – International students: +61 8 6488 1000
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