Bachelor of Science – Botany
Bachelor of Science – Botany
Botanists study how plants evolve and adapt to changing climates and environments and have a proactive role in mitigating the loss of biodiversity. Botany is an ideal major if you are enthusiastic about Western Australia’s unique native flora or agricultural crops, and are interested in addressing current and future threats…
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
Botanists study how plants evolve and adapt to changing climates and environments and have a proactive role in mitigating the loss of biodiversity. Botany is an ideal major if you are enthusiastic about Western Australia’s unique native flora or agricultural crops, and are interested in addressing current and future threats to plant conservation and sustainability.
Botany is the scientific study of plants – from their structure and function to their indispensable roles in ecosystems and the intricacies of their cell function.
Course Structure
Our undergraduate degrees offer you a broad range of options allowing you to combine subjects in a way that matches your career goals and personal interests.
Why study this course
Botany is an ideal major if you are enthusiastic about Western Australia’s unique native flora or agricultural crops, and are interested in addressing current and future threats to plant conservation and sustainability
In this major, there will be up to three overnight field trips, the cost of which is to be paid for by the student (up to $500 to cover food and accommodation for around 10 nights)
You’ll learn to
understand plant structure, functioning, adaptation, diversity and evolution
appreciate the critical relationships between plants and their environments
demonstrate a knowledge of basic plant processes at different levels of an organism from the molecular to whole plant scale through to populations, communities and ecosystems
be conversant in the terminology, issues and practice of the core principles of plant science, including their diversity, ecology, genetics and evolution, and physiology and adaptation to their environments
Career Pathways
Botany graduates are highly sought after and employed by environmental consultants, resource industries, government departments (such as Agriculture and Food, Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and the Department of Water), botanic gardens (Kings Park) and research agencies (CSIRO) that either work in, or are interested in, the environment, conservation, restoration and horticulture.
Further Study
Plants underpin life on Earth. Honours in Botany allows you to conduct rigorous scientific research on various aspects of the taxonomy, biology or functioning of plants. Your research could investigate the exciting diversity and uniqueness of Australian flora or focus on how plants function and interact over all levels of biological organisation, from the plant cell to the role of vegetation in the functioning of ecosystems. Other research may focus on the ways plants adapt to environments ranging from the Antarctic oceans to deserts of the inland. You might also study how we can overcome problems of environmental degradation such as those derived from mining and salinity. If you’re enthusiastic about plants across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, this honours specialisation is for you. Honours in Botany can lead to many careers including ecologist, conservation biologist, plant physiologist, plant taxonomist, agricultural scientist, forester, environmental impact assessor, flora resource manager, government policy writer and consultant, consultant risk assessor involved in predicting and identifying algal blooms, consultant for aquaculture, marine biologist, evolutionary biologist, science journalist, laboratory technician, field research officer, plant pathologist or forensic scientist.
REQUIREMENTS
Entry requirements may vary from country to country. Students are required to complete an international academic qualification equivalent to Australian High School (or equivalent).
English language requirements:
IELTS (academic): Overall minimum score of 6.5, no band lower than 6.0
TOEFL Internet-based TOEFL (iBT): an overall score of 82 or above with a minimum score of 22 in writing, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 20 in listening
Pearsons Test of English (PTE) (academic): An overall score of 64 with a minimum score of 59 in the speaking and writing sections, and no less than 54 in the other sections
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a proud member of the Group of Eight and is the only university in Western Australia to be ranked in the world top 100 universities (QS World University Rankings 2023).UWA’s main campus is located in Perth, Western Australia and is home to more than 23,000 students. Perth is Australia’s fourth-largest city with over two million people from a variety of cultures worldwide, a strong economy and vibrant lifestyle. Perth is one of the country’s most affordable cities, the closest major Australian city to Asia, and in the same time zone as most of Asia.
