Minor Overview

About this minor
The Environmental Biology minor is designed specifically to introduce non-STEM students to core STEM skills that both complements the skills they will obtain through their major as well as engage their interests. Environmental factors are major contributors to biological diversity. This minor includes a foundational unit in environmental science broadly introducing students to essential concepts in environmental chemistry, biology and physics. This is followed by a unit that delivers key knowledge on animals, plants and fungi, in marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. These two foundational units are followed by units providing students with a broad understanding of basic organism genetics and an understanding the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of organisms. The Minor will enhance work-readiness of STEM and non-STEM students as emerging professionals by broadening discipline-specific knowledge and skills in contexts they might otherwise not encounter. Furthermore, the structure of this multi-disciplinary Minor will prepare students to be adaptable and socially engaged citizens. For students taking a minor which shares units with their other unit sets (majors or minors): in order for minors to be recognised on academic and graduation documents, students may only have a maximum of one unit overlapping between their unit sets.
Outcomes
Students are able to (1) develop a broad understanding of the main drivers of complex environmental issues from a scientific, social, cultural and economic perspective; (2) assess the diversity of ways that organisms live and adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions; (3) critically assess and appropriately communicate scientific data; (4) demonstrate an understanding of problem solving and experimental design in a scientific setting; and (5) report on strategies that could be used to manage the impacts of a broad range of environmental challenges.
Incompatibility

MJD-ENVSC Environmental Science;

MJD-ENVDM Environmental Science and Management;

MJD-ENVMT Environmental Management;

MJD-ENVEM Environmental Science and Ecology;

MJD-CONBI Conservation Biology;

MJD-BOTNY Botany;

MJD-AGSCI Agricultural Science;

MJD-WLCDM Wildlife Conservation;

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2
Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
S2 BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology None
S1 ENVT1104 Environmental Science and Technology None
Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name Unit requirements
S2 ENVT2221 Global Climate Change and Biodiversity
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
one Unit(s) BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology (ID 1254)
or Unit(s) BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology (ID 1244)
or Unit(s) EART1105 Dynamic Planet (ID 1247)
or Unit(s) ENVT1104 Environmental Science and Technology (ID 5950)
S1 GENE2250 Principles of Inheritance
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
IMED1001 Form and Function
and IMED1002 The Facts of Life
or Successful completion of
any one BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology
or BIOL1131 Plant and Animal Biology
or ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human
or ANHX1101 Human Biology 1 (Becoming Human)
or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human
or ANHX1102 Human Biology 2 (Being Human)
or SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell
or SCIX1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell
Incompatibility
Unit(s) GENE2204 Principles of Genetics