Agricultural Science and Technology major

There is a critical need to produce food and fibre more efficiently and in a more sustainable manner. There are now rapid changes in the agricultural sector, largely due to developments in agricultural technology. This double major provides knowledge in both the traditional agricultural science areas as well as the emerging agricultural technologies, which are data intensive. The combination of Agricultural Science with Agricultural Technology will give students the ability to integrate new technologies into agricultural systems for improved decision making and farming efficiency/profitability. In this double major you will develop skills in agricultural economics, soils, crops and livestock as well remote sensing and data management and analysis, within an agricultural context.

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) evaluate the effect of soils, plants, animals and the environment on production in mixed farming systems in Western Australia; (2) demonstrate knowledge about agricultural trade and commodity marketing; (3) demonstrate skills and knowledge to assess agricultural systems using experimental, modelling and statistical methods; (4) demonstrate understanding of fundamental spatial data techniques and digital systems and sensors for agricultural applications; (5) demonstrate capacity to solve farming problems using programming and data science methods.; (6) integrate agricultural data analysis with farming systems information to guide decision making for improved efficiency and profitability; (7) demonstrate effective networking and communication skills; and (8) apply relevant employability skills for agricultural science and technology.

Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office. If you are completing this major in a Combined Bachelor's masters Course, you have elected to pursue a highly specialised and in-depth program of study in your chosen field. While you are encouraged to use the free elective units available in your course to study in other disciplines offered at UWA, your formal requirement to broaden your course will be met through the Honours and Postgraduate units which form an integral part of your course.

Prerequisites

ATAR Mathematics Methods or equivalent or higher and ATAR Chemistry or equivalent or higher.

Agricultural Science and Technology can only be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

BP004 Bachelor of Science
BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Overview of unit sequence

Agricultural Science and Technology is a degree-specific double major comprising:

  • five Level 1 units
  • seven Level 2 units
  • six Level 3 units
Key to availability of units:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; N/A = not available in 2021

Note: Units that are indicated as N/A may be available in 2022 or 2023.

Level 1

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (30 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 AGRI1001 Feeding the World
Prerequisites:
Nil
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology
Prerequisites:
Nil
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1, S2 CITS1401 Computational Thinking with Python
Prerequisites:
Mathematics Applications ATAR
or
MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals
or
equivalent
or
higher
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S1, S2 SCIE1104 Science, Society and Data Analysis
Prerequisites:
Nil
Co-requisites:
ATAR Subject Mathematics Applications ATAR
Or
MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals (ID 5107)
Incompatibility:
Unit STAT1520 Economic and Business Statistics (ID 397)
S1 SCOM1101 Communicating Science
Prerequisites:
ATAR Mathematics Applications
or
WACE Mathematics 2C/2D
or
TEE Discrete Mathematics
or
equivalent
or
higher
Co-requisites:
MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals (only required if students haven't completed Maths Applications
or
WACE Mathematics 2C/2D
or
TEE Discrete Mathematics
or
equivalent
or
higher). Please note that there will be a delay in validating your enrollment in SCOM1101 after you have enrolled in MATH 1720.
Incompatibility:
Nil
Bridging units
Bridging units must be successfully completed within the first 48 points of study. Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Mathematics Methods ATAR or equivalent or higher are required to complete MATH1721. Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Mathematics Applications ATAR or equivalent or higher are required to complete MATH1720 and MATH1721. Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Chemistry ATAR or equivalent or higher are required to complete CHEM1003.
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1, S2 CHEM1003 Introductory Chemistry
Prerequisites:
Nil.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
ATAR Chemistry
or
equivalent
or
higher
S1, S2 MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals
Prerequisites:
Mathematics Applications ATAR (with a scaled score of less than 50)
or
with permission.
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Mathematics Applications ATAR (with a scaled score of 50
or
greater)
or
equivalent
or
higher.
S1, S2 MATH1721 Mathematics Foundations: Methods
Prerequisites:
Mathematics Applications ATAR
or
MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals
or
Mathematics Methods ATAR (with a scaled score of less than 50)
or
equivalent .
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
WACE Mathematics: Specialist 3A/3B; MATH1038 Calculus and its Applications; MATH1045 Intermediate Calculus; Mathematics Specialist ATAR; MATH1001 Mathematical Methods 1; MATH1002 Mathematical Methods 2; MATH1011 Multivariable Calculus; MATH1012 Mathematical Theory and Methods;
or
STAT1520 Economics and Business Statistics.

Level 2

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (42 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 AGRI2201 Pasture and Livestock Systems
Prerequisites:
Completion of 6 Points Unit BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology (ID 1254)
Or
BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology (ID 1244)
Or
AGRI1001 Feeding the World (ID 7250) And Completion of 6 Points Unit SCIE1104 Science, Society and Data Analysis (ID 1288)
Or
STAT1400 Statistics for Science (ID 388)
Or
STAT1520 Economic and Business Statistics (ID 397)
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 CITS2402 Introduction to Data Science
Prerequisites:
CITS1401 Computational Thinking with Python
or
CITS2401 Computer Analysis and Visualisation
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1 ENVT2236 Soil Science
Prerequisites:
EART1105 The Dynamic Planet
or
ENVT1104 Environmental Science and Technology
or
BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology and (SCIE1104 Science, Society and Data Analysis
or
STAT1400 Statistics for Science
or
STAT1520 Economic and Business Statistics), and Chemistry ATAR
or
CHEM1003 Introductory Chemistry
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
EART2230 Soil Science Essentials
or
EART2222 Geomorphology and Soils
S1 GENE2250 Principles of Inheritance
Prerequisites:
BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology (formerly BIOL1130 Core Concepts in Biology)
or
BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology
or
ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human
or
ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human
or
SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
GENE2204 Principles of Genetics, GENE2240 Introduction to Genetics
S1, S2 GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
Prerequisites:
36 points of prior study
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 PLNT2201 Plants in Action
Prerequisites:
6 Points Unit BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology (ID 1254)
Or
BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology (ID 1244)
Or
SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell (ID 1019)
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1, S2 SCIE2205 Science Work Placement
Prerequisites:
enrolment in the Bachelor of Science (BP004)
or
the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (BP006)
or
the Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) (BH005) and completion of 60 points of study at UWA and approval of the unit coordinator.
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil

Level 3

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (36 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
N/A AGRI3003 Decisions from Data in Agriculture
Prerequisites:
6 Points Unit AGRI2201 Pasture and Livestock Systems (ID 5825)
Or
GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems (ID 1384)
Co-requisites:
Unit CITS2402 Introduction to Data Science (ID 7427)
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 ANIM3306 Clean, Green and Ethical Animal Production
Prerequisites:
Any Level 2 ANIM Unit
Or
AGRI2201 Pasture and Livestock Systems (ID 5825)
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S1 ECON3300 Agricultural Economics and Marketing
Prerequisites:
completion of 48 points
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
Nil.
S1 ENVT3060 Soil–Plant Interactions
Prerequisites:
EART2222 Geomorphology and Soils
or
ENVT2250 Ecology
or
ENVT2236 Soil Science
Co-requisites:
Nil.
Incompatibility:
EART3336 Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, EART8336 Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, EART3360 Soil-Plant Interactions
S2 GEOG3301 Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
Prerequisites:
GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil
S2 SCIE3314 Crops and Cropping Systems
Prerequisites:
Unit AGRI1001 Feeding the World (ID 7250)
Co-requisites:
Nil
Incompatibility:
Nil

Choosing your degree-specific major

General degrees

You must satisfy the requirements of a degree-specific major before you complete your course. The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you to try out a number of different subjects to see what interests you before nominating your degree-specific major. You have the choice to either nominate your degree-specific major when you first enrol in the course or delay nominating it until your second year.

To plan the first year of your study without nominating a degree-specific major, you are advised to choose units that will pave the way to two or more degree-specific majors that are of interest to you. For examples of the choice of units available in first year, search the first-year study plans .

To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.

The following example illustrates how the Agricultural Science and Technology degree-specific major can be included in the Bachelor of Science course.

%Course study plan%

There are more choices open to you. For more examples, search the study plans .

Specialised degrees – Bachelor of Advanced Computer Science (Honours), Bachelor of Automation and Robotics, Bachelor of Environmental Design, Bachelor of Music

You must satisfy the requirements of the degree-specific major in your degree before you complete your course.

Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

This comprehensive degree does not allow you to choose a double major.