Program Overview

Introduction to the Marine Science Major

The Marine Science major at Murdoch University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the complex physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes in the ocean. This major enables students to develop skills in assessing the state of the marine environment and identifying and mitigating anthropogenic impacts.

Overview

The Marine Science major covers specialized units in marine biodiversity, marine biology, oceanography, marine ecology, and coastal and marine management. Students learn to apply knowledge of underlying oceanographic, chemical, biological, ecological, and management principles to the multidisciplinary challenges facing the marine environment.

Structure

The Marine Science major consists of 33 credit points, including required units such as:

• BIO180: Introduction to Marine Biology
• BIO244: Animal Diversity
• BIO254: Marine Botany
• BIO377: Marine Ecology
• CHE140: Fundamentals of Chemistry
• CHE144: Foundations of Chemistry
• ENV102: Foundations of the Environment
• ENV242: Atmospheric and Climate Science
• ENV244: Oceanography and Marine Pollution
• ENV333: Coastal and Marine Management
• MAS183: Statistical Data Analysis

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Marine Science major is subject to restriction due to constraints on unit enrollments. Students undertaking units in Marine Science will not be required to kill any vertebrate animal but will be required to work with fresh tissue from dead animals in certain units. The recommended entry requirements include:

• ATAR: Chemistry or WACE: Chemistry 3A/3B
• ATAR: Mathematics Applications or TEE: Discrete Mathematics or WACE: Mathematics 2C/2D The English language requirement is an Academic IELTS overall score of 6.0 with no band less than 6.0.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Marine Science major, students will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of underlying oceanographic, chemical, biological, ecological, and management principles to the multidisciplinary challenges facing the marine environment
2. Efficiently use scientific equipment relevant to marine science
3. Handle marine biota in a safe and ethical manner
4. Collect appropriate scientific data by oceanographic, atmospheric, and ecological sampling to monitor the ocean and anthropogenic impacts
5. Analyse and interpret quantitative marine science data, including the use of statistics and spatial analysis
6. Communicate multidisciplinary scientific data and concepts to diverse audiences
7. Collaborate effectively in group situations, including those with multicultural and multidisciplinary diversity
8. Critically reflect on, and integrate, theoretical and practical perspectives of marine science into future work practices as a lifelong learner

Professional Outcomes

Recommended majors for students interested in Marine Science include Environmental Science, Conservation and Wildlife Biology, and Environmental Management and Sustainability. Recommended minors include Applied Statistics, Fisheries Science, and Marine Biology.

Program Details

• Credit points: 33
• Enrolment pattern(s): Part-time, Full-time
• Owning college: College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education (PRE 2023)
• Owning school: Environmental and Conservation Sciences (PRE 2023)
• Version: 10
• Version start date: 01/07/2020
• End date: 30/06/2020