Program Overview

Bachelor of Biological Science and Master of Biological Science

Course Overview

This Combined Bachelor's and Master's (CBM) is a four-year accelerated program for those with an ATAR of 90 or above. Over the first three years, you'll have the option to complete an extended major in Wildlife Conservation or Biodiversity and Evolution, and some units from the Master of Biological Science. You can then choose to exit after three years with an Advanced Bachelor's Degree in Biological Science, or continue with the Master of Biological Science and be awarded a Bachelor of Biological Science and a Master of Biological Science at the end of the four years.

About the Course

Gain an appreciation of how living organisms, ranging from microbes to megaflora and megafauna, grow, reproduce, adapt, and evolve. You'll learn how species and ecological communities can be managed, conserved, and restored, using techniques ranging from genetic analysis to data collection from whole populations and ecosystems, to big data synthesis science.

Course Structure

In your first three years, you will complete your selected extended major in Wildlife Conservation or Biodiversity and Evolution, and a semester of postgraduate study. You will then complete your selected specialisation in the Master of Biological Science. Please refer to the example study plan on the Handbooks website for more information.

Admission Requirements

• ATAR: 90 or above
• English competency: Minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5, with no band less than 6.0
• Mathematics requirement: WACE prerequisite: Mathematics Methods ATAR

Fees and Scholarships

• Domestic Student Fees: For Commonwealth-supported places, student contribution amounts are charged by unit, based on area of study. For a fee estimate, go to the Fee Calculator and select “I want to price my units”. Fees are subject to annual indexation.
• International Student Fees: Annual course fee (2025): $49,900.00
• Scholarships: 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.

Careers and Further Study

This course opens up a world of future study pathways and career opportunities. Postgraduate study at UWA is available, including the Master of Biological Science.

Why Study This Course?

• Australia faces serious challenges to conserve its threatened fauna and needs skilled graduates to fill positions in state management agencies and an expanding number of conservation NGOs.
• Australia's fauna is megadiverse, and Western Australia is home to almost half our animal species.
• Our researchers tackle challenges in the laboratory and at field sites across the world, studying plants and animals in both natural and managed environments.

You'll Learn To

• Recognise threatened animal species and the functioning ecosystems they require for their survival
• Understand patterns of global biodiversity and the evolutionary history of biodiversity in Australia
• Appreciate the relationships between an animal's biology, ecology, and physiology and its vulnerability to environmental change
• Discuss major threats to biodiversity, their causes, and the management and research to mitigate them
• Explain the role of different stakeholders in shaping conservation policy and decision-making
• Demonstrate the high-level analytical and communication skills necessary for impactful applied science
• Gain advanced knowledge in the study of biological systems, using field, experimental laboratory, and statistical methodologies

Research

• Testing a new place for Western Swamp Tortoises in a changing climate
• Perth’s western swamp tortoises was probably always a rare species, but habitat loss and climate change are presenting new challenges.

Work Integrated Learning

• Develop your employability skills through a science work placement. The following units are available to all science undergraduate students who are looking to gain practical hands-on industry relevant experience:
  • SCIE2205 Science Work Placement Unit
  • SCIE2206 Science Consultancy Project

Facilities

• Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis: Providing world-class microscopy and microanalysis facilities and expertise to publicly funded researchers and industry.
• Shenton Park Field Station: Dedicated facility supporting plant and animal research.