Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science - Ecology (Dual Degree) La Trobe University - Melbourne Campus, Australia

An arts/science degree builds your knowledge and skills across creative and technical areas to expand your career prospects in fields such as environmental science, humanities, research, health and social sciences.

Your arts and science studies are divided equally across this four-year double degree, giving you the opportunity to explore topics from both disciplines that reflect your interests and goals. Choose from arts subjects like anthropology, languages, archaeological and heritage studies or philosophy and combine these with studies in scientific areas such as botany, microbiology, data science, zoology and more.

Throughout your arts and science subjects, you'll have access to purpose-built teaching and research facilities and work alongside some of Australia's leading educators. Subjects across both our arts and science disciplines offer a balance of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, giving you the skills you need to adapt to today's changing jobs landscape.

Build skills in problem-solving, communication and collaboration – all highly sought after by employers – then use these skills to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Whether it's protecting endangered animals, discovering new ways to treat disease, shaping the political landscape, fighting climate change, or addressing global challenges, you'll be ready to pursue your dream career by tailoring your double degree with a mix of majors, minors and electives.

You'll learn:

• Creativity: Tap into your creative side to unlock new ideas and innovative solutions.
• Critical thinking: Develop your critical thinking skills to analyse and respond to complex issues.
• Scientific inquiry: Learn how to study the world around you using scientific methods that address unanswered questions.
• Communication: Learn how to connect, communicate and collaborate with a range of audiences in both written and verbal formats.
• Lab and fieldwork skills: Gain technical skills in both the laboratory and the field to understand how to collect and analyse data.
• Emotional intelligence: Explore and understand what drives our decision making and learn how to connect to others with emotion and intelligence.

Major: Ecology

We depend on the environment for food, fresh air and water, recreation, inspiration and wellbeing, but every day we see how humans are altering and affecting the environment. If you want to contribute to a more sustainable future, a major in ecology gives you the skills and knowledge to make a difference on some of the ‘big issues’ facing humanity. Ecology examines the factors that drive the distribution and abundance of organisms in the environment. It provides a knowledge base for understanding how the environment ‘works’, for appreciating the complexity and diversity of the species and communities which share our environment, and for how we can better manage land and water for a more sustainable future. Ecology offers opportunities to contribute to global environmental issues – such as climate change, protecting threatened species, enhancing urban design, and more sustainable use of forests, water and farmland. Throughout this major, you’ll discover the diversity of plants and animals in Australia and their extraordinary adaptations to Australian environments, make your own observations on plants and animals and the complex relationships between species, learn about current and emerging threats to flora and fauna and ways to protect and manage threatened species, learn to ‘read’ landscapes, and understand how human land uses, climate and disturbance processes shape the environment. Build valuable skills in collecting, reading and evaluating data, communicating scientific concepts, making judgements about environmental issues, identifying plants and animal species, observing animal behaviour, and evaluating human impacts on landscapes. Working with your peers, you’ll also learn to design investigations. This major includes opportunities to do field work, experience different ecosystems, and directly observe real-world issues and environmental management. You’ll graduate with valuable skills and knowledge of how the natural environment ‘works’, the factors that influence the distribution and conservation of species and communities, and an appreciation for how we can better manage landscapes in the 21st century. This will equip you for a wide range of roles in natural resource management, including working with people and community groups, hands-on management of land and water, developing policy and plans, and undertaking surveys and investigations, and solving environmental problems.

Students commencing their studies at Albury-Wodonga campus are required to transfer to the Melbourne campus from second year to complete this major.