Overview

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Animal Behaviour) - 4 years requires 4 years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time). The course specialisation is offered by the College of Science and Engineering.

Student guidance

Program of study overview
Program of study notes

Program of study
144 Units

Year 136 Units
Year 236 Units
Year 336 Units
Year 436 Units
Honours Program36 Units

Admission requirements

Admission requirements
English Language requirements

Aims

The course specialisation aims to provide students with a broad-based foundation in animal behaviour. The course specialisation will examine animal behaviour in captive and wild animals, and will promote an understanding of the role of animal behaviour for assessing animal welfare, survival, and evolution. The course specialisation also aims to develop a range of transferable research, analytical and communication skills including the capacity to:

  • Understand and apply relevant scientific principles in the area of animal behaviour
  • Retrieve and present information about animal behaviour effectively, communicate clearly with a variety of audiences in written and spoken forms
  • Critically analyse and evaluate information relevant to animal behaviour
  • Appreciate the multidisciplinary aspect of studies in animal behaviour and engage positively with people and ideas beyond the discipline
  • Work cooperatively and productively within a team
  • Work independently and take responsibility for updating and adapting their knowledge and skills
  • Appreciate the societal and ethical contexts of conservation biology, animal behaviour, and animal welfare issues.

The Honours year provides students with advanced skills that are required for planning, funding and carrying out research projects in a specific area. It also aims to develop a range of transferable research, analytical and communication skills including the capacity to:

  • Understand and apply relevant scientific principles
  • Retrieve and present information, including communicate effectively with a variety of audiences in written and spoken forms
  • Critically analyse and evaluate information and solve problems
  • Analyse and evaluate data, appreciate the multidisciplinary aspect of the science disciplines and engage positively with people and ideas beyond their own discipline
  • Use information technology, work independently and take responsibility for updating and adapting their knowledge and skills
  • Appreciate the role of science in society, the regulatory framework within which it operates and the ethical issues it raises

The course specialisation provides the foundations that will underpin ongoing professional development, preparing graduates for further study in biology or another science or non-science related discipline or for a career in a biology related field or in other areas where the range of skills and knowledge acquired is needed or desirable. 

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course you will be able to:
1.
Demonstrate knowledge of and critically apply theories, subject content, professional methodologies and research procedures relevant to animal behaviour; for example focal sampling method, ethogram analysis, and experimental design
2.
Understand and describe the processes through which current knowledge about the disciplines of animal behaviour, evolution, and sociobiology were developed
3.
Analyse and critically evaluate ideas/information/data and apply relevant scientific principles to solve problems by, for example, creating hypotheses, testing theories and predictions, designing and carrying out experiments and analysing reported data
4.
Design and carry out experiments using appropriate techniques, protocols and appreciation of ethics
5.
Communicate your findings to lay, general scientific and specialised scientific audiences in written and spoken form
6.
Appreciate that animal behaviour science is multidisciplinary and has connections to other science and non-science disciplines
7.
Work and learn independently and appreciate the need for continuing professional development
8.
Interact effectively as part of a team in order to achieve common goals
9.
Critically analyse the scientific literature and use this as a basis for planning research projects
10.
Understand how scientific research is funded
11.
Formulate hypothesises and design appropriate experiments to test them
12.
Use appropriate methods, techniques, equipment and instrumentation to ethically collect scientific data
13.
Use appropriate statistical methods to analyse scientific data
14.
Communicate their findings to a variety of audiences in written and spoken form

Student progression rules

Students achieving a GPA of at least 5 in their last 36 units of study after completing 103.5 units of study will be eligible to continue into fourth year of the course. Students who do not meet the GPA requirement will be able to exit with Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) on completion of 108 units according to the first three years of study in the degree.

Associations

Course/Course specialisation association
Course/Exit award association
Honours - Embedded/Bachelor association