Environmental & Biological Sciences - University of Wollongong

Scientists investigate and protect the natural world

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.

Undergraduate courses
Postgraduate coursework & research
Pathways to UOW

Environmental Science & Conservation:

Earth Sciences:

Chemistry:

Biological Sciences:

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View all Science Double Degrees

Find related courses in Education, Medical Science and Maths & Physical Sciences

Postgraduate Coursework

Postgraduate Research

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Browse more courses in the Medical Sciences, Mathematics & Physical Sciences, and Education study areas.

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

Become one of the world's most employable graduates

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.

Here is just a sample of the careers you can pursue:

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

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)

Strengthen your curiosity

At UOW, you'll benefit from the diverse natural environment surrounding our campuses. Science students experience hands-on fieldwork, supported by laboratory analysis, to build real skills.

A student experience like no other

Women in STEM

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

Groundswell student society

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

Study in the home of scientific research

UOW CABAH researcher Nathan Jankowski examines soil on Lake Mungo

ARC Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity & Heritage

CABAH undertake research that will safeguard our national heritage, transform research culture and connect with communities,

Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires

The CERMB researches the quantification and management of bushfire risks in Australia.

A UOW Geoquest researcher stands on the shores of the ocean

GeoquEST Research Centre

GeoQuEST brings together interdisciplinary researchers with a focus on environmental and climate change research.

We're fearless in the pursuit of our purpose. At UOW, you'll have ground-breaking research at your fingertips.

Creating Blue Futures

Blue Futures is a project within the Global Challenges program, bringing together experts from diverse academic fields to tackle real-world problems. Blue Futures positions the NSW South Coast as a national leader in the development of blue economies, drawing on ocean and coastal resources in an ecologically and economically sustainable way.

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We're looking to investigate how we can achieve sustainable development in a coastal context, particularly in the Illawarra and southern New South Wales, and we're looking at all the changes that have taken place along the coast in recent years and that will take place in the future.

So the blue economy is a concept that has been gaining a huge amount of traction overseas and here in Australia and there's some challenges

associated with that in terms of how it might be impacting on questions of equity and justice, and incorporating community ideas and aspirations. So we think it's really important to be thinking from a community perspective about what the blue economy should look like.

So my part of the project's really aiming at bringing indigenous perspectives across the whole research project to say, okay what does it mean to Aboriginal people and our values, and where we're going with the economic development in the blue economy. For the land council, being a partner to the university is vitally important. We can show how we can lead together. The collaboration is something that will richen the experience for all and I think bringing Aboriginal perspectives into the way research is undertaken by the University is going to add value back into that sphere, but then to get access to the people with expertise in the blue economy, is going to add value to our role as custodians of this land.

So we've done network analysis in the past to look at how the innovators

interact with each other and with government and other authorities and

we're going to build on that to provide a platform for the innovators to keep in touch better and to be more effective in bringing innovation. We're also building sensors and a database that has data to bring much-needed water quality data. It's very scattered at the minute and we'd like to make that publicly available and more comprehensive.

Well whenever you're looking at coastal or ocean problems you need to look at those problems from the perspective of a number of different disciplines. So we need to take into account the science view, the legal view, the social sciences and indeed the creative arts that interpret coastal and marine environments for the community at large.

So an ideal world is one where we focus on common ideas, common goals, common aspirations, rather than areas of conflict and division and we're really hoping that the blue futures model helps to focus us all around how we can develop sustainable development opportunities in our oceans that provide for economic benefits but also for social equity and justice and environmental sustainability.