Study Planner Information
Year 1 Study Planner
What do the different requirements mean?
- Compulsory – all students must complete this course
- Prerequisite for major – a course required for this major
- Recommended – a course which complements the major, but can be substituted for an elective
- Elective – an elective course from the course list, or as permitted by the program rules
Course Code & Title | Requirements |
---|---|
SCIE1000 Theory & Practice in Science | Compulsory |
BIOL1020 Genes, Cells & Evolution | Prerequisite for major |
BIOL1030 Global Challenges in Biology | Prerequisite for major |
Elective | Elective |
Course Code & Title | Requirements |
---|---|
STAT1201 Analysis of Scientific Data | Compulsory |
BIOL1040 Cells to Organisms | Prerequisite for major |
Elective | Elective |
Elective | Elective |
1 Students who commence this program in semester 2 should enrol in BIOL1020, BIOL1040 and STAT1201 to ensure that you are academically prepared for the following semester. Any mid-year commencing student who would like to vary this course selection should contact the Faculty of Science to arrange an academic advising appointment.
Year 2 to 3 Study Planner
What do the different columns mean?
- Required for Major – a course required for this major
- Recommended – a course which complements the major, but can be substituted for an elective
Choose a study plan
-
Terrestrial Ecology
Year 2
Semester Required for Major Recommended 1 BIOL2006 Biostatistics & Experimental Design
BIOL2010 Ecology
Choose at least 2 units from:[ BIOL2015 Field Ecology1
MARS2014 Marine Science 2 BIOL2201 Evolution
BIOL2202 Genetics
BIOL2205 Insect Science
SCIE3050 Science Industry Placement (summer semester)11 Students may apply to undertake this course as an elective, or participate in other summer placement or research opportunities, at the end of second or third year during the summer semester.
Year 3
Semester Required for Major Required for Major 1 Choose at least 6 units from: [ BIOL3016 Outback Ecology Field Studies1
BIOL3310 Macroecology and Biogeography
BIOL3360 Analysis & Communication of Biological Data
BIOL3370 Animal-Plant InteractionsChoose at least 2 units from either the courses below or any level 3 course from the Ecology list: [ BIOL3207 Animal Behaviour
BIOL3209 Biodiversity Analysis, Discovery & Systematics
CONS3017 Landscape Ecology2 BIOL3000 Conservation ]
BIOL3023 Tropical Marine Ecosystems
BIOL3205 Physiological & Integrative Zoology
BIOL3227 Plant Identification & Vegetation Classification
BIOL3236 Climate Change Biology ]1 Students must complete at least one field-based course selected from BIOL2015 or BIOL3016 to meet the requirements for the Ecology major.
-
Marine Ecology
Year 2
Semester Required for Major Recommended 1 BIOL2006 Biostatistics
BIOL2010 Ecology
Choose 2 units from:- 2 - BIOL2201 Evolution
BIOL2202 Genetics
BIOL2203 Plant Biology
BIOL2204 Zoology
BIOL2205 Insect Science
SCIE3050 Science Industry Placement (summer semester)11 Students may apply to undertake this course as an elective, or participate in other summer placement or research opportunities, at the end of second or third year during the summer semester.
Year 3
Semester Required for Major Required for Major Recommended 1 Choose at least 6 units from: [ BIOL3310 Macroecology and Biogeography
BIOL3360 Analysis & Communication of Biological DataChoose at least 2 units from either the courses below or any level 3 course from the Ecology list: [ BIOL3209 Organism Diversity & Evolution BIOL3340 Fish, Fisheries & Aquaculture
BIOL3211 Marine Invertebrates 2 BIOL3000 Conservation
BIOL3215 Marine Ecology & Conservation ]BIOL3023 Marine Tropical Ecosystems
BIOL3205 Physiological & Integrative Zoology
BIOL3227 Plant Identification
BIOL3236 Climate Change Biology
BIOL3320 Vertebrate Diveristy & Evolution ]MARS3012 Physical-Biological Oceanography
Any course from Ecology course list1 Students must complete at least one field-based course selected from BIOL2015 or BIOL3016 to meet the requirements for the Ecology major.
-
Evolutionary Ecology
Year 2
Semester Required for Major Recommended 1 BIOL2006 Biostatistics
BIOL2010 Ecology
Choose at least 2 units from:[ BIOL2015 Field Ecology1
MARS2014 Marine Science 2 BIOL2203 Plant Biology
BIOL2204 Zoology
BIOL2205 Insect Science
SCIE3050 Science Industry Placement (summer semester)11 Students may apply to undertake this course as an elective, or participate in other summer placement or research opportunities, at the end of second or third year during the summer semester.
Year 3
Semester Required for Major Required for Major 1 Choose at least 6 units from: [ BIOL3016 Outback Ecology Field Studies1
BIOL3310 Macroecology & Biogeography
BIOL3360 Analysis & Communication of Biological Data
BIOL3370 Animal-Plant InteractionsChoose at least 2 units from either the courses below or any level 3 course from the Ecology list: [ BIOL3207 Animal Behaviour
BIOL3209 Organism Diversity & Evolution
BIOL3390 Genome Evolution2 BIOL3000 Conservation ]
BIOL3205 Physiological & Integrative Zoology
BIOL3236 Climate Change and Adaptation
BIOL3320 Vertebrate Diversity & Evolution
BIOL3350 Genetics of Complex Traits (not offered in 2019) ]1 Students must complete at least one field-based course selected from BIOL2015 or BIOL3016 to meet the requirements for the Ecology major.
What will I study?
Students who undertake a major in Ecology can choose to specialise in the following areas:
Terrestrial Ecology:
Australia’s terrestrial ecosystems contain a unique array of flora and fauna. Studying terrestrial ecology at UQ involves field trips each year – the first to Brisbane Forest Park, the second to Fraser Island and the third to either the outback or Lamington Rainforest. The goal of this specialisation is to familiarise students with the diversity of organisms in the Australian terrestrial environment, the complex interactions that occur among them and current and future threats to ecosystem function. Students will gain skills in species identification, estimating populations, manipulative experiments and data analysis. This specialisation will explore the fundamentals of ecology as well as provide the tools that are needed to conduct ecological research in terrestrial environments. This stream is ideal for those wishing to pursue a career in natural resource management, consultancy, conservation biology or of course, research in terrestrial ecology.
Marine Ecology:
Much of Australia’s population lives on the coast and understanding the functioning of coastal marine ecosystems is vital to the long-term sustainability of Australia. Studying marine ecology at UQ involves a field trip to Stradbroke Island and Heron Island in second and third year. The goal of this specialisation is to familiarise stiudents with the vast diversity of endemic Australian marine organisms, population and community-level processes and the current threats to this valuable ecosystem. Students will gain skills in species identification, estimating populations, manipulative experiments and data analysis. This stream will explore the fundamentals of ecology and provide the necessary tools to conduct ecological research in marine environments. It is suited to those who wish to pursue a career in fisheries management, marine parks, environment consultancy, the EPA or fundamental research in marine ecology.
Evolutionary Ecology:
What are the ecological consequences of the evolution of pesticide resistance in insects? How do we manage fisheries when fish are evolving to be smaller and reproduce at an earlier age? These are issues that are addressed in the study of evolutionary ecology. This stream recognises that population dynamics are strongly influenced by evolutionary processes and current interactions are a product of historical evolutionary patterns. Studying evolutionary ecology at UQ involves field trips to the outback, Heron Island or the rainforest and emphasises the interface between ecology and evolution. The goal of this specialisation is to couple an understanding of the fundamentals of ecology with an understanding of evolutionary pattern and process. You will gain skills in working with a wide variety of Australian organisms as well as the quantitative skills necessary for ecology from an evolutionary perspective. This stream is suited to those who seek to work in federal government agencies such as CSIRO, state based agencies such as the Department of Primary Industries or the EPA, or in research at universities.