UWA Handbook 2025

Minor Overview

About this minor

This Understanding the Environment minor responds to the increased need of a science based cognate background of the general principles, processes and facts in environmental science. Environmental science specifically studies the human influence on the environment and develops scientific, risk based solutions. Developing new business opportunities in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way is at the core of modern societies. Additionally, the need for rules and regulations which ensure opportunities in novel environmental business sectors as well as control of certain environmental standards are in high demand. The aim of this Minor is to educate students to be capable of addressing the great environmental challenges of our age by gaining a general cognate background on key factors such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, land use patterns and changes, pollutant and nutrient pathways, global change problems as well as identifying the key differences between urban, agricultural, mining and natural environments. Western Australia is a state where changes in land use via agricultural and mining together with growing urban spaces put enormous pressure on the natural ecosystems. This human development takes place in a global biodiversity hotspot and UWA is a key institution to critically study both, the challenges but also the new opportunities within this setting. The Minor prepares students for effective engagement with environmental organisations, agricultural and mineral industries, communities and policy, lawmakers and education. 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 general understanding of the main differences between urban, agricultural, mining and natural environments; (2) develop a general understanding of the main drivers of human influence on different environmental systems including land-water-climate interactions; (3) develop a broad understanding of available, scientific based assessment methods of the current state of the environment; (4) develop a broad understanding of risk based evaluations and solutions of various environments; (5) critically assess both qualitative and quantitative environmental data to identify significant changes in environmental conditions; (6) demonstrate a basic understanding of using environmental data for risk based solutions to benefit society; and (7) apply critical thinking and writing skills to the interpretation of environmental science data.

Incompatibility

MJD-ENVSC Environmental Science;

MJD-ENVDM Environmental Science and Management;

MJD-ENVMT Environmental Management;

MJD-ENVEM Environmental Science and Ecology;

MJD-GGRPY Geographical Sciences;

MJD-GSSCI Geographical and Spatial Science

Units