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Bachelor of Science

Z0416  060728G



Duration

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Fee*
3 Year/s Hawthorn (Semester 1, Semester 2) A$22,950 (annual for 2012) 
*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

This course structure is for students commencing in 2010.
 
Students who commenced prior to 2010, please refer to the previous Bachelor of Science course structure.
 
The Bachelor of Science offers many possible study combinations, and aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and key theoretical insights required to work effectively within an extensive range of professional scientific environments.

Drawing on the expertise of leading teachers, researchers and a variety of industry experts, the Bachelor of Science allows students to tailor their own degree and develop a unique range of interdisciplinary skills. Offering a flexible range of Professional Majors, Co-Majors and Minors, the course allows students to select a professionally focused program of study. These topics seek to blend a range of key scientific skills and knowledge required by current and projected industry needs.

Undertaking one or more of the comprehensive Majors and Co-Majors offered; including biosciences, biotechnology, chemistry, environmental sustainability, medical biophysics, psychology and psychophysiology, will provide students with a scientific basis for understanding the natural and constructed world around them. There is also an opportunity for students to further enrich their degree through broadening experiences such as industry based learning and study abroad programs.

Complementing a cross-discipline combination of unit offerings, students can structure their course to graduate with a tagged or untagged degree. By selecting specific combinations of Majors and Co-Majors, students can graduate with one of the following:

* Please note that this course is not available to those holding a student visa.

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The main aim of the course is to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be a professional scientist in their chosen discipline area. Graduates will be prepared for immediate professional employment, or further studies at honours or postgraduate level.

Students completing the Bachelor of Science will be able to: 
  • understand and apply basic scientific principles, theory and knowledge in a range of scientific disciplines
  • demonstrate competence in the skills required for their chosen major field of study
  • demonstrate the strong quantitative, problem-solving and numerical skills highly prized by employers
  • describe the role of the scientist in a range of professional scientific environments
  • demonstrate competence in the application of the appropriate technology, instrumentation and techniques, and show their ability to comprehend and analyse problems and obtain satisfactory design solutions that, where appropriate, show originality and resourcefulness
  • display the skills necessary for working in a scientific environment as an effective team member
  • articulate their ideas clearly by verbal, written and graphical means using appropriate scientific language
  • discuss approaches to dealing with changing workplace and societal contexts and demonstrate life-long learning skills and flexibility of mind

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For the Bachelor of Science suite of programs students must complete:
  • 300 credit points, normally 24 units of 12.5 credit points each;
  • 300 credit points is normally comprised of one Professional Major selected from the Science Majors, normally sixteen units (200 credit points), and one Co-Major, normally eight units (100 credit points) OR two Minors, normally four units (50 credit points) each.

Additionally the following rules apply:

  • at enrolment students will be provided with recommended combinations of Faculty Majors, Co-Majors or Minors. Any other combinations a student proposes will be subject to approval by the Faculty;
  • the non-credit unit, HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum, is compulsory;
  • two (2) Major Project units must be completed as part of the major studies sequence;
  • the same unit cannot be counted more than once. Where there are overlaps, the 300 credit points of study must be made up in the first instance by a Minor where 50 credit points is required, otherwise by free electives or Options Plus units;
  • students will normally not be permitted to successfully complete more than 26 units (325cps);
  • students may only enroll in two Majors where both Majors have sufficient unit overlap to enable both to be completed within a total 325 credit-points of study; and
  • Professional Major Co-ordinators have the authority to approve alternative units if required for students to complete in a timely fashion.
Careers in the Curriculum (CIC)
In addition to the above, students must complete a compulsory unit of study HAC0001 Careers in the Curriculum to be awarded the degree. Careers in the Curriculum (CIC) is an innovative unit designed to assist Swinburne students to enhance their employability and career prospects. It is usually undertaken in the second year of their course and is compulsory for all undergraduate students. Students studying CIC will not incur a HECS or fee debt as the cost will be met by the university as part of an initiative to enhance students' career skills.

Final Year Experience - Major Projects
As part of the Swinburne Model for Professional Learning, all incoming undergraduates will undertake 25 credit points of professionally focused final year major projects within their programs of study. Entry with advanced standing may require alternate study sequences to be undertaken.

Winter and Summer Term
This program also provides opportunities to undertake study in an optional six-week Winter and Summer term allowing you to complete extra study between the standard semesters. These terms are not mandatory. However, if you wish to vary your study load you may want to consider this option.

Electives Plus Minors
Electives Plus combinations provide Swinburne degree students with options to broaden their career skills and strengthen their employability by undertaking specially selected groups of units from outside their degree discipline.
 
For further information visit the Elective Plus website: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/hed/professionallearning/electivesplus.html . Electives Plus Minors are available in all Swinburne degree programs subject to timetabling constraints, with the exception of double degree programs, specialist double major degrees, and where entry has been approved with advanced standing.

Options Plus
Students will have access to a small set of approved individual “Options Plus” units of study which provide either a distinctive learning experience or targeted study support. This could include optional study tours, an Intercultural Communications unit, and an ‘introduction to undergraduate research’ unit. In some cases, students may be advised or directed to take specially targeted Options Plus units, for example the Analysing and Writing English unit to be offered for credit in Winter Term for NESB students.

Students undertaking a full 300 cp program are allowed to substitute at least one Options Plus unit for one existing unit within their Co-Major– but not in their Professional Major. They will be advised by their Faculty on which unit(s) of the Co-Major.
 
In the case of students who enter with significant levels of advanced standing and whose program is therefore composed only of a Professional Major, the Faculty may approve a substitution, or else require the students to undertake the Options Plus unit in addition to their Major studies.  

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Professional Majors
Where a student has completed the requirements of a Professional Major they are eligible to apply to graduate with the appropriate tagged degree outcome.

A Professional Major comprises 200 credit points of studies (16 units of study) relevant to the particular discipline or field of study. A major will normally include the requisite foundation units, have a clearly identifiable professional outcome and satisfy any relevant external professional-body accreditation requirements.

A Professional Major in Science is designed to provide students with appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge in a particular field of study and provide suitable preparation for professional graduate employment. It may be based on a single, recognised discipline, or it may be inter-disciplinary in character.

The following Professional Majors are offered in the Bachelor of Science: 
 
 
Co-Majors
A Co-Major (100 credit points or 8 units of study) is a sequence of study focused on a specific discipline and is normally self-contained, in that it includes any requisite foundation studies. Where a student has studied a Co-Major they are not normally eligible to apply to graduate with the associated tagged degree outcome.

Co-majors can be taken from any discipline across the university, timetabling permitting. Co-Majors offered in the Bachelor of Science include: 
 
Physics Co-Major - 2012 (available from 2012)
 
Minors
A Minor (50 credit points or 4 units of study) is a prescribed set of units that may broaden a student’s learning, such as a set of units from different disciplines, typically derived as a subset of a Major or Co-Major. Minors usually contain no elective choice.

Minors can be taken from any discipline across the university, including Electives Plus Minors, timetabling permitting. Credit cannot be given for any minor which contains more than two units of study in common with any other minor, co-major or major that student is undertaking. Minors offered in the Bachelor of Science program include:
Physics Minor - 2012 (available from 2012)

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Swinburne offers International Exchange Programs as well as other Education Abroad Programs to help internationalise your degree. International Exchange is an academic program allowing you to study at a Swinburne Partner Institution for one or two semesters during your degree. Swinburne's Partner Institutions offer many relevant subjects as well as a secure base to explore a different culture. Your studies whilst on exchange can be credited towards your Swinburne degree, provided they are relevant and approved by Swinburne. For further information visit the Swinburne Abroad website.

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Depending on their choice of major, co-major, or minor studies, graduates may be eligible to apply for membership of the following professional societies: 
  • Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers
  • Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
  • Australian Biotechnology Association (ABA)
  • Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM)
  • Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)
  • Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM)
  • Australian Computer Society (ACS)
  • Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC)

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Apply for this course by following the step-by-step process on our How to Apply page.

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Swinburne College English for Academic Purposes Advanced level certificate at the undergraduate level (EAP 5: UG-65% ); OR, Obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.0 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 550 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Computer-based) minimum score of 213 (with Written Writing score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 80 with no band less than 20.

 

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

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To assess eligibility for entry to Swinburne, visit the Academic Entry Requirements page.

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Phone: +613 8676 7002 (outside Australia)
Freecall 1800 897 973 (within Australia)

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A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

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