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Explore Environmental & Biological Science degrees

Environmental and biological science graduates are experts in the science behind life, encompassing fields including marine science. They investigate the environment, climate, oceans, and the Earth’s systems, from entire ecosystems to the microscopic realms of cellular biology. Learn about the global issues affecting planetary and human health, the Earth's wildlife and environment, and the strategies required to protect and manage them.

UOW College provides pathways to Environmental & Biological Science degrees at UOW. By completing a Diploma of Science at UOW College, there is an opportunity to gain entry into the second year of various business bachelor’s degrees at the University of Wollongong. 

Explore your options

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services is projected to increase 10.2% in employment growth in Australia from 2018 to 2023. This increase reflects ongoing strength and demand for the services of qualified and highly educated workers. Source: Employment Projections. 

At UOW, the skills you will learn are highly-transferable across a range of careers.

  • Agricultural adviser
  • Biochemist
  • Cartographer (Mapping)
  • Chemist
  • Coastal or estuarine management officer
  • Conservation biologist
  • Drug regulation officer
  • Ecologist
  • Environmental consultant
  • Food chemist
  • Forensic scientist
  • Geologist
  • Laboratory assistant
  • Marine or fisheries biologist
  • Materials scientist
  • Medical biotechnologist
  • Medical researcher
  • Oceanographer
  • Science teacher
  • Veterinary researcher

Read more: what can I do with my degree?

Admission and application information

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Study close to home

UOW has eight Australian campuses located across Wollongong, Sydney, and regional centres of the NSW South Coast and Highlands. If you're looking to study close to home, take a look at the UOW campus in your region.

Wollongong & Sydney

Regional NSW

Belong to one of the best

Go beyond the textbook:

  • Nearly half the course is practical: Spend about half of your course hours in laboratories or out in the field - in coastal, freshwater, bushland, and geologically diverse environments. This allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the theory and develop your practical skills which provides a solid foundation for your career in science.
  • Modern, purpose built facilities: Our $35 million Sciences Teaching Facility is equipped with the latest technologies to assist your learning including purpose-built laboratories and touch screen devices built into laboratory desks where data can be analysed as it's being collected. 
  • The ideal natural environment: Our campuses neighbour diverse landscapes that are ideal for fieldwork, including coastal environments, mountains, rainforest escarpment, mining sites, forests, and fresh-water and terrestrial ecosystems. 

UOW marine biology students on a boat collecting water samples

Discover your passion, then develop the specialist skills that employers want:

  • Common first year: Undergraduate students have the chance to try study areas before selecting or changing their major in second year.
  • Discipline-specific degrees: We offer the Bachelor of Marine Science and the Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours), the latter with specialties in Wildlife and Conservation, Land Resources, plus Climate and Sustainability. 
  • A choice of majors: Undergraduates studying the Bachelor of Science degree have the choice to major in Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Conservation Biology, and Earth Sciences. 
  • Specialist skills: Follow your passion with a specialist postgraduate course or help advance knowledge in science with a postgraduate research degree.
  • Diverse graduates: At UOW, the skills you will learn are highly-transferable across a range of careers. 

UOW science academics dig through rock samples in a cave in Timor

Elevate your studies:

  • Challenge yourself: Extend your studies with a specialist postgraduate course in Earth and Environmental Sciences or science management. Our postgraduate curriculum reflects the latest approach to science education and incorporates extensive use of existing and emerging technologies.
  • Contribute to science knowledge: You have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to science through a masters or doctorate level research degree. You'll make new discoveries to help advance society and protect our natural world. 
  • The home of research: Benefit from studying in a university that is deeply immersed in scientific research.

A UOW science research student stands in a laboratory wearing a lab coat

A degree from UOW opens doors:

  • Industry collaboration: UOW has a strong research reputation in collaboration with industry. You'll study in the home of ground-breaking research.
  • Real-world issues: Our programs align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and tackle society’s most pressing issues in marine, Earth and environment sciences, ecology and conservation biology, chemistry, and biological sciences. 
  • Access to experts: You'll learn first-hand from professional marine biologists, ecologists, chemists, oceanographers, Earth scientists, biotechnologists, medical scientists, and researchers.
  • Be rewarded: Earn an industry-sponsored scholarship.
  • Travel: Study a short course, participate in a research program or semester exchange at our partner institutes in one of 45 countries.

IHMRI Professors look at a test tube in a medical research laboratory

Student experience

A Women in STEM Student Mentor Women in STEM

Receive strong support from the Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Student Society and mentors.

Groundswell earth science student society stand in front of Broken Hill road signsl trip Groundswell student society

Travel, volunteer and build your social network in one of our science student societies.

Study abroad and exchange

Combine study and travel to turn your degree into a global experience.

Moving to Wollongong

Relocating to Wollongong for study? Discover the tips and tricks for making the journey much easier.

Meet Andrew

When it came to choosing a university, Wollongong's diverse natural environments and the quality of the science program at UOW were too much to ignore. The field trips and practicals were invaluable. My role at Gnaraloo Turtle Conservation Program means I'm on the beach most days and some nights undertaking digital mapping, spatial analysis and monitoring the turtles. Andrew BACHELOR OF MARINE SCIENCE (HONOURS)

Student and alumni stories

Alumni, Environment and Energy

Finding beauty in seaweed and sustainability

“You’ve got to create solutions that work,” says Dr Pia Winberg, a celebrated marine ecologist, entrepreneur and graduate of the University of Wollongong (UOW). Her focus on seaweed and microalgae is not just about products but a mission to address global sustainability challenges.

Students

Five STEM degrees you can study at UOW

Love STEM subjects but don't know which one to study at UOW? Read this article to get inspired.

Alumni

Getting salty for the planet

Blend ESQ Founder and Director Robyn Johnson has spent two decades guiding businesses to operate within our environmental laws and influencing environmental controls on significant projects. But when she looked through the lens of a group of ten-year-old students, she began to question whether she was genuinely using her skills to the greatest impact.

Contact us

1300 367 869 futurestudents@uow.edu.au
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