Undergraduate + Postgraduate
Bachelor of Environmental Science and Master of Environmental Science
Contact us
Address
Student Central
The University of Western Australia (M355), 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009
Telephone
131 UWA (131 892)
International
(+61 8) 6488 1000
Hours
Frequently asked questions
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Careers and further study
This course opens up a world of future study pathways and career options.
Career Pathways
Our specialisations have been designed in consultation with the industry to ensure graduates are highly competent and sought-after in their chosen field. Graduates will find employment in a range of areas including:
- Environmental consulting firms
- Commonwealth and state agencies responsible for the environment, water, conservation, agriculture and food, and primary industries.
- Private sector firms working in the resources sector and non-government organisations.
Roles can include:
- Environmental Consultant
- Environmental Manager
- Environmental Scientist
- Geographer
Environmental Rehabilitation Graduates will be well-positioned for careers in industrial, mining, agricultural, and urban environmental management.
Examples of career paths include:
- Contaminated sites management: assessing contamination, developing clean-up strategies
- Environmental consultancy: environmental impact assessment, management plans for urban and industrial sites
- Mine site rehabilitation: remediating soils and water, re-introducing key flora and fauna species, identifying appropriate end land use options and management strategies
- Urban planning: assessing land degradation risk (e.g. acid sulfate soils, erosion), managing anthropogenic impacts on natural systems.
Master of Environmental Science
Fees and scholarships
Domestic Student Fees
Eligible Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) students can use the HECS-HELP loan program to pay their tuition fees. For Full-Fee Paying (FFP) places, students are charged an annual course fee.
Find out more information about tuition fees, or visit the fee calculator for a more accurate cost.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
International Student Fees
Find out more about tuition fees or visit the fee calculator for the estimated total course fee.
Note, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are subject to increase up to 7.5 per cent per annum.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a diverse range of backgrounds, including academic achievement, financial need, educational disadvantage, leadership and community service, artistic or sporting achievements, and being from a rural or remote area.
Cost of living
Admission requirements
The University of Western Australia welcomes applications from international and domestic school-leavers. If you’re interested in studying this major, find out the admission details below.
Admission requirements
Minimum entry requirements
- 90
English competency
English is the language of instruction and assessment at UWA and you will need to meet the English language requirements of the University to be eligible for a place.
Minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0.
Prerequisites
This major requires:
- Mathematics Methods ATAR; OR
- Mathematics Applications ATAR with a mathematics unit taken in the first year; OR
- Students without ATAR mathematics to take two mathematics units in their first year.
- Chemistry ATAR or an additional chemistry unit taken in the first year.
How to apply
Ready for the next step?
Find out how to apply through our simple online application process.
We'll guide you through our entry requirements, admission pathways available to you and application deadlines for your chosen course.
We can’t wait for you to join us!
Course details
About the course
Quick details
- Available
- Perth (Crawley campus)
- Full-time
- Part-time
- On-campus
- Semester 1
- Undergraduate + Postgraduate
- CM008
- 102870E
Why study this course?
- UWA is ranked 2nd in Australia and 38th in the world for Environmental Science and Engineering (ARWU 2023) and the UWA Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy is a recognised centre of excellence for the impact of its environmental policy analysis
- You’ll learn to help society resolve conflicts, caused by the increasing demands of growing populations on the environment through an understanding of environmental science and social science
- You’ll become a leader in environmental science and policy analysis with strong job opportunities and weekly wages being higher than the average (joboutlook.gov.au)
You'll learn to
- develop skills and knowledge to assess environmental systems, using field, laboratory, modelling and statistical methodologies
- integrate science, economics and social science to guide decision making with respect to human intervention in the environment
- analyse environmental policies from an economic and social science perspective
Course structure
In your first three years, you will complete your selected extended major in Environmental Science and Management or Environmental Science and Ecology and a semester of postgraduate study. You will then complete your selected specialisation in the Master of Environmental Science. Refer to the example study plan for more information.
Course structure
Bachelor of Environmental Science and Master of Environmental Science CBM
BEnvSc (Environmental Science and Management Extended Major) and Master of Environmental Science
Undergraduate (UG) specific units
Elective units
Postgraduate (PG) specific units
| YEAR | SEMESTER | UNITS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST YEAR | 1 | ENVT1104 | SCOM1101 | ECON1120 | Elective |
| 2 | BIOL1131 | SCIE1104 | ENVT2251 | Elective | |
| 2ND YEAR | 1 | ECON2224 | ENVT2220 | ENVT2236 | GEOG2201 |
| 2 | SCIE2267 | GEOG3303 | ENVT3362 | ENVT3339 | |
| 3RD YEAR | 1 | ECON3323 | ENVT3338 | ENVT3361 | GEOG3301 |
| 2 | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | |
| 4TH YEAR | 1 | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* |
| 2 | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | PG Specific* | |
* Postgraduate units will vary depending on your chosen specialisation, a study plan will be provided later in your degree.
Unit Description
- BIOL1131 - Plant and Animal Biology
- ECON1120 - Environmental Economics 1
- ENVT1104 - Environmental Science and Technology
- SCIE1104 - Science, Society and Data Analysis
- SCOM1101 - Communicating Science
- ECON2224 - Environmental Economics 2
- ENVT2220 - The Climate System
- ENVT2236 - Soil Science
- ENVT2251 - Hydrology and Water Resource Management
- GEOG2201 - Geographic Information Systems
- SCIE2267 - Quantitative Methods in Environmental Management
- ECON3323 - Business and the Environment
- ENVT3338 - Land Capability Assessment
- ENVT3339 - Land Rehabilitation
- ENVT3361 - Environmental Assessments
- ENVT3362 - Environmental Dynamics
- GEOG3301 - Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
- GEOG3303 - Environmental Policy and Planning
- PG Specific - Master of Environmental Science
Basundhara Dutta
Basundhara Dutta
I got involved with uni life from the day I started university. I joined as many clubs as I could during orientation week. I started uni with a mindset that I wanted to do more than just study from 9-5 and contribute to our campus life and the wider community. This year, I am the Guild’s Environment Officer and the President for UWA French Club. As the Environment Officer, I run events and initiatives to promote sustainability on campus – from running EnviroFest to make your own keepcup events. My time at UWA has been amazing so far as I have had the opportunity to give back to students through something that I love.
I’ve always been passionate about sustainability. Through my passion, I hope to work with other environmental organisations to create sustainable change to avoid creating a future defined by climate chaos.
Read more about Basundhara's story here.
Richard McLellan
Richard McLellan
Richard McLellan
CEO at NACC (Northern Agricultural Catchments Council)
I have had the most amazing life and working career since I left UWA, and while a large part of that is due to having “that piece of paper” – my UWA BSc degree – I’d also rank highly the inspiration and confidence that I got from my fellow students and lecturers. There’s never been anything, ever since, that I thought I couldn’t do.
That confidence has manifest in my working career, encouraging me to take advantage of a myriad of opportunities that have come my way – particularly since I joined WWF, the global conservation organisation, in 2000. Since then I’ve worked in Australia, Cambodia and Switzerland and, at one time, managed staff in 30 countries when I was the Director of the Global Forest and Trade Network. I got to see a lot of the planet during that time … and the trouble it’s in.
My passion is environmental conservation. I pretty much live and breathe it, and try to live by the conservation mantra of “think global, act local”.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to work in a variety of fields, but it is my years in conservation that have given me the most satisfaction. Working for a global conservation organisation was a constant source of inspiration in itself, providing daily opportunities to work with passionate and committed environmentalists – from field staff to farmers, foresters to astronauts. (The astronaut was Andre Kuipers – with whom I conducted the first-ever book launch from space: the 2012 edition of the Living Planet Report, from the International Space Station, in collaboration with the European Space Agency and NASA).
Now back in Australia, I work a bit closer to Earth, catalysing community-based natural resource management in mid-west WA to achieve conservation and sustainable development outcomes.
Read more about Richard's story here.
Work Integrated Learning
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) helps bridge the gap between theory and practice by providing opportunities for students to gain hands-on, practical industry relevant experience and for employers to help shape the graduates of tomorrow.
Your degree options
Bachelor of Environmental Science
Fieldwork in Science
