Program Requirements
The Master of Environmental Science (Advanced) requires the completion of 96 units, which must consist of:
Either:
Environmental Biology
48 units from completion of BIOL8701 Research Project, which must be completed more than once in consecutive semesters
24 units from completion of Environmental Biology courses from the following list:
BIOL6002 Plants: Genes to Environment
BIOL6003 Plant Functional Diversity: Genomes to Biomes
BIOL6004 Population Ecology
BIOL6006 Principles of Genetics
BIOL6010 Field Studies in Behavioural Ecology
BIOL6106 Biosecurity
BIOL6111 Australian Vertebrates
BIOL6113 Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL6116 Marine Conservation Ecology
BIOL6125 Plants and Global Climate Change
BIOL6161 Genes: Replication and Expression
BIOL6162 Molecular Gene Technology
BIOL6177 Advances in Molecular Plant Science
BIOL6191 Biology, Society and Ethics
BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology
BIOL6202 Experimental Design and Analysis in Biology
BIOL6206 Evolution of Biodiversity
BIOL6631 Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology
BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World
12 units from completion of Environmental and Ecological Science courses from the following list:
ENVS6005 Sustainable Urban Systems
ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis
ENVS6020 Human Ecology
ENVS6022 Water Science
ENVS6024 Biodiversity Conservation
ENVS6025 Complex Environmental Problems in Action
ENVS6026 Managing Forested Landscapes
ENVS6103 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research
ENVS6104 Australia's Environment
ENVS6201 Biodiversity Science: Wildlife, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology
ENVS6202 Environmental Measurement, Modelling and Monitoring
ENVS6204 Weather, Climate and Fire
ENVS6218 Environmental Science Field School
ENVS6223 Sustainable Agricultural Systems
ENVS6301 Climate Change Science & Policy in Practice
ENVS6303 Climatology
ENVS6304 Land and Catchment Management
ENVS6306 Human Futures
ENVS6307 Climate Change Science & Policy
ENVS6308 Fire in the Environment
ENVS6311 Severe Weather
ENVS6514 Ecological Assessment and Management
ENVS6319 Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS
ENVS6529 Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction
ENVS6555 Water Management
ENVS8003 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation
ENVS8015 Contemporary Perspectives in Environmental Science
ENVS8048 Topics in Environment & Society
12 units from completion of Environmental Earth Science courses from the following list:
EMSC6014 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
EMSC6015 Chemistry of Planet Earth
EMSC6019 Geobiology and Evolution of Life on Earth
EMSC6021 Fundamentals of Climate System Science
EMSC6023 Marine Biogeochemistry
EMSC6025 Groundwater
EMSC6027 Palaeoclimatology and Climate Change
EMSC6028 Coastal Environmental Earth Science
EMSC6032 Melting Polar Ice Sheets, Sea Level Variations and Climate Change
EMSC6040 Seminar A: Short Research Project
EMSC6041 Seminar B: Short Research Project
EMSC6107 The Blue Planet: an introduction to Earth system science
EMSC8014 Special Topics in Earth Science
EMSC8018 Advanced Water and Marine Geosciences
EMSC8706 Introduction to Natural Hazards
EMSC8707 Advanced Natural Hazards
Or:
Environmental and Ecological Science
48 units from completion ENVS8000 Masters Dissertation, which must be completed more than once in consecutive semesters
24 units from completion of Environmental and Ecological Science courses from the following list:
ENVS6005 Sustainable Urban Systems
ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis
ENVS6020 Human Ecology
ENVS6022 Water Science
ENVS6024 Biodiversity Conservation
ENVS6025 Complex Environmental Problems in Action
ENVS6026 Managing Forested Landscapes
ENVS6103 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research
ENVS6104 Australia's Environment
ENVS6201 Biodiversity Science: Wildlife, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology
ENVS6202 Environmental Measurement, Modelling and Monitoring
ENVS6204 Weather, Climate and Fire
ENVS6218 Environmental Science Field School
ENVS6223 Sustainable Agricultural Systems
ENVS6301 Climate Change Science & Policy in Practice
ENVS6303 Climatology
ENVS6304 Land and Catchment Management
ENVS6306 Human Futures
ENVS6307 Climate Change Science & Policy
ENVS6308 Fire in the Environment
ENVS6311 Severe Weather
ENVS6319 Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS
ENVS6514 Ecological Assessment and Management
ENVS6529 Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction
ENVS6555 Water Management
ENVS8003 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation
12 units from completion of Environmental Biology courses from the following list:
BIOL6002 Plants: Genes to Environment
BIOL6003 Plant Functional Diversity: Genomes to Biomes
BIOL6004 Population Ecology
BIOL6006 Principles of Genetics
BIOL6010 Field Studies in Behavioural Ecology
BIOL6106 Biosecurity
BIOL6111 Australian Vertebrates
BIOL6113 Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL6116 Marine Conservation Ecology
BIOL6125 Plants and Global Climate Change
BIOL6161 Genes: Replication and Expression
BIOL6162 Molecular Gene Technology
BIOL6177 Advances in Molecular Plant Science
BIOL6191 Biology, Society and Ethics
BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology
BIOL6202 Experimental Design and Analysis in Biology
BIOL6206 Evolution of Biodiversity
BIOL6631 Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology
BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World
12 units from completion of Environmental Earth Science courses from the following list:
EMSC6014 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
EMSC6015 Chemistry of Planet Earth
EMSC6019 Geobiology and Evolution of Life on Earth
EMSC6021 Fundamentals of Climate System Science
EMSC6023 Marine Biogeochemistry
EMSC6025 Groundwater
EMSC6027 Palaeoclimatology and Climate Change
EMSC6028 Coastal Environmental Earth Science
EMSC6032 Melting Polar Ice Sheets, Sea Level Variations and Climate Change
EMSC6040 Seminar A: Short Research Project
EMSC6041 Seminar B: Short Research Project
EMSC6107 The Blue Planet: an introduction to Earth system science
EMSC8014 Special Topics in Earth Science
EMSC8018 Advanced Water and Marine Geosciences
EMSC8706 Introduction to Natural Hazards
EMSC8707 Advanced Natural Hazards
Or:
Environmental Earth Science
48 units from completion of EMSC8030 Earth Science Research Project, which must be completed more than once in consecutive semesters
24 units from completion of Environmental Earth Science courses from the following list:
EMSC6014 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
EMSC6015 Chemistry of Planet Earth
EMSC6019 Geobiology and Evolution of Life on Earth
EMSC6021 Fundamentals of Climate System Science
EMSC6023 Marine Biogeochemistry
EMSC6025 Groundwater
EMSC6027 Palaeoclimatology and Climate Change
EMSC6028 Coastal Environmental Earth Science
EMSC6032 Melting Polar Ice Sheets, Sea Level Variations and Climate Change
EMSC6040 Seminar A: Short Research Project
EMSC6041 Seminar B: Short Research Project
EMSC6107 The Blue Planet: an introduction to Earth system science
EMSC8014 Special Topics in Earth Science
EMSC8018 Advanced Water and Marine Geosciences
EMSC8706 Introduction to Natural Hazards
EMSC8707 Advanced Natural Hazards
12 units from the completion of Environmental and Ecological Science courses from the following list:
ENVS6005 Sustainable Urban Systems
ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis
ENVS6020 Human Ecology
ENVS6022 Water Science
ENVS6024 Biodiversity Conservation
ENVS6025 Complex Environmental Problems in Action
ENVS6026 Managing Forested Landscapes
ENVS6103 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research
ENVS6104 Australia's Environment
ENVS6201 Biodiversity Science: Wildlife, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology
ENVS6202 Environmental Measurement, Modelling and Monitoring
ENVS6204 Weather, Climate and Fire
ENVS6218 Environmental Science Field School
ENVS6223 Sustainable Agricultural Systems
ENVS6301 Climate Change Science & Policy in Practice
ENVS6303 Climatology
ENVS6304 Land and Catchment Management
ENVS6306 Human Futures
ENVS6307 Climate Change Science & Policy
ENVS6308 Fire in the Environment
ENVS6311 Severe Weather
ENVS6514 Ecological Assessment and Management
ENVS6319 Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS
ENVS6529 Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction
ENVS6555 Water Management
ENVS8003 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation
ENVS8015 Contemporary Perspectives in Environmental Science
ENVS8048 Topics in Environment & Society
12 units from completion of Environmental Biology courses from the following list:
BIOL6002 Plants: Genes to Environment
BIOL6003 Plant Functional Diversity: Genomes to Biomes
BIOL6004 Population Ecology
BIOL6006 Principles of Genetics
BIOL6010 Field Studies in Behavioural Ecology
BIOL6106 Biosecurity
BIOL6111 Australian Vertebrates
BIOL6113 Invertebrate Zoology
BIOL6116 Marine Conservation Ecology
BIOL6125 Plants and Global Climate Change
BIOL6161 Genes: Replication and Expression
BIOL6162 Molecular Gene Technology
BIOL6177 Advances in Molecular Plant Science
BIOL6191 Biology, Society and Ethics
BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology
BIOL6202 Experimental Design and Analysis in Biology
BIOL6206 Evolution of Biodiversity
BIOL6631 Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology
BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World
Students must have completed a minimum of 48 units in order to attempt courses from the following list:
BIOL8701 Research Project
EMSC8030 Earth Science Research Project
ENVS8000 Masters Dissertation
A course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.
Students must achieve a minimum 70% average mark in the first 48 units of coursework and have the approval of the supervisor for the research project/dissertation.
Students who do not achieve a minimum 70% average mark in the first 48 units of coursework or have the approval of the supervisor for the research project/dissertation will be transferred to the Master of Environmental Science.
Admission Requirements
A Bachelor degree or international equivalent in a cognate discipline with a minimum GPA of 5.5/7.
All applicants must meet the University’s English Language Admission Requirements for Students.
Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 24 units (one semester) of credit.
Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for 48 units (one year) of credit.
Cognate discipline
Biology, Earth Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, Geology, Marine Science
Indicative fees
- Annual indicative fee for domestic students
- $29,280.00
For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees
- Annual indicative fee for international students
- $39,024.00
For further information on International Tuition Fees see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments/international-tuition-fees
Scholarships
ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.
Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are. Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.
For further information see the Scholarships website.
Do you want to engage with current scientific understanding and explanations of environmental processes and issues? The Master of Environmental Science (Advanced) is a flexible program for those wishing to develop breadth in environmental science and its applications, and depth in biological, earth and marine and environmental and ecological sciences. This program is for those students wanting to increase their scientific and professional expertise for careers in many aspects of the environment, including environmental policy, management, administration, industry, services and research. You will also develop research expertise through completing a substantial dissertation, which constitutes appropriate research training for the PhD.
Career Options
Graduates from ANU have been rated as Australia's most employable graduates and among the most sought after by employers worldwide.
The latest Global Employability University Ranking, published by the Times Higher Education, rated ANU as Australia's top university for getting a job for the fourth year in a row.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:
- Demonstrate both a broad knowledge base in the environmental sciences, and expert knowledge in one or more of the biological sciences, earth and marine sciences and environmental and ecological sciences
- Independently apply their advanced knowledge and analytical, research, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills in professional practice in the environmental sciences
- Effectively communicate knowledge and understanding in the environmental sciences to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Demonstrate that they have completed appropriate research training for further study
Further Information
New students in this program are eligible to apply for a Commonwealth Supported Place. Visit the following website for further information: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/scholarships/graduate-commonwealth-supported-places .
In the Master of Environmental Science you will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of environmental science across the biological, environmental and ecological and earth sciences, and to focus your learning in one of these three discipline areas.
Environmental Biology
The Environmental Biology focus is available to students with relevant prior learning in Biology. Courses in the Environmental Biology discipline area may require prior learning equivalent to first or second year undergraduate Biology and/or first year undergraduate Chemistry. Requirements for particular courses included in this discipline area must be discussed with the degree program convener prior to enrolment.
Environmental Biology includes the study of life from individual organisms and their adaptations to populations and ecosystems. Environmental biology is not only of intrinsic interest but has applications in areas from the management of agriculture to biodiversity and conservation. It is a rapidly changing field and a biologist of the future will need to be able to apply the knowledge they learn to new technologies and emerging issues.
In Environmental Biology you will learn to:
- explain how environmental biology is an evidence-based discipline involving observation, experimentation and hypothesis testing and how it relates to other scientific disciplines
- apply conceptual knowledge of environmental biology principles and processes to theoretical, experimental and professional contexts
Environmental and Ecological Science
The Environmental and Ecological Science focus is available to students with relevant prior learning in Environmental and/or Ecological Science. Prior learning requirements for particular courses included in the Environmental and Ecological Science discipline area must be discussed with the degree program convener prior to enrolment.
Environmental and Ecological Science explores the contemporary evidence-based information, explanation and decision-making that underpin environmental issues. You will be exposed to scientific techniques in theory construction and application, field methods and cutting-edge analytical and synthetic research techniques relevant to environmental practitioners, decision-makers and managers. The discipline area includes freshwater systems, biodiversity, food systems, sustainable agriculture, urban systems, forestry, soils, landscape management, fire, and climate variability and change.
In Environmental and Ecological Science you will learn to:
- develop expertise in environmental and ecological science as an evidence-based discipline involving observation, experimentation and hypothesis testing
- apply your conceptual knowledge of environmental and ecological science principles and processes in a range of disciplinary and inter-disciplinary contexts
- critically assess, reflect on and develop environmental and ecological information and apply it in theoretical, experimental and professional situations
Environmental Earth Science
The Environmental Earth Science focus is available to students with relevant prior learning in Earth Science. Courses in the Environmental Earth Science discipline area may require prior learning equivalent to first or second year undergraduate Earth Science, and first year undergraduate Chemistry and/or Mathematics. Requirements for particular courses included in this discipline area must be discussed with the degree program convener prior to enrolment.
Environmental Earth Science focuses on investigating the complexity of Earth systems. An increasingly important aspect of environmental earth science is the understanding of past and present climate systems through integrated studies of the interactions between the lithosphere, oceans, atmosphere and biosphere. Many other pressing environmental issues such as the supply of water and natural hazards are tightly related to the earth sciences. Courses can be chosen from a range of aspects of environmental earth science, to complement knowledge in other aspects of the environmental sciences.
In Environmental Earth Science you will learn to:
- draw on diverse learning environments, from the field to the laboratory to the classroom by individual and group learning, combining field observation with theory
- interpret data from a range of environmental earth science disciplines and relate them to current issues such as the supply of water, climate change and natural hazards
- reconstruct past and present environments using water quality measurements and remains of organisms
Academic Advice
The first step to enrolling in your new program is to seek academic advice in order to discuss the courses you will be studying. This is done by making an appointment to meet with the program convener (details below).
Your academic advice session is a great opportunity to discuss with the convener the direction in which you want your studies to go. The convener will be able to advise you about course selection and content of courses that you will undertake as part of your program. Ideally you should bring along a copy of your academic record/academic transcripts as these will greatly assist your convener when giving you course advice.
To book an appointment you can:
Email: fses.coursework.enquiries@anu.edu.au
Phone: 02 6125 4499
Please also bring along your Planning Your Program document that is available from the enrolment website and your Postgraduate coursework checklist for new students. These documents will help you plan your degree and assist you with finalising your enrolment.
Further enrolment information can also be found here.
An indicative list of courses offered by Science can be found here.
Please follow each step and read through the additional information in the pdf guides, especially the ISIS enrolment guide in Step 2 and the How to enrol guide for new students in Step 3.
If you have any issues enrolling yourself through ISIS please contact us on 02 6125 2809 or email science.enquiries@anu.edu.au
Do you want to talk to someone before enrolling?
Contact Fenner School at fses.coursework.enquiries@anu.edu.au
