Explore the complex and fascinating world of genetics and unravel the mysteries of DNA with the ANU Bachelor of Genetics.

You’ll learn how genes hold our hereditary information, study classical genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, and bioinformatics. You can even follow interests in areas as diverse as plant genetics, evolutionary genetics or medicine and health.

Studying at ANU means you’ll be exposed to ground-breaking research being undertaken by our academics in active research laboratories at the Research School of Biology and the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australia’s national medical research institute.

Find out more about genetics, the degree structure, the university experience, career opportunities and student stories on our website.

Get the inside story on what it’s like to be an ANU student by visiting our student blog.

This program is not available for Semester 2 commencement.

As Australia’s engagement with the Pacific increases, so does the need for graduates with Pacific expertise. The Bachelor of Pacific Studies offers the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the diversity, history and contemporary issues of Oceania, preparing you to take a leading role in Pacific policy and development. 

Learning about the Pacific is a voyage of discovery, and at the ANU you have the opportunity to learn from the world’s leading experts on the Pacific. As a Pacific Studies student you will be joining a community of scholars dedicated to addressing the Pacific’s most pressing challenges, including climate change. 

Pacific Studies at the ANU will provide you with an interdisciplinary grounding to engage with diverse Pacific voices, approaches and perspectives. Our courses incorporate Indigenous perspectives, experiential and innovative ways of learning, and creative problem-solving. In the degree program you will also have the opportunity to engage in internship and immersion programs in Oceania, boosting your language skills and knowledge of the region.

Employment Opportunities

As a graduate of the Bachelor of Genetics, you can forge a career in medical and agricultural research institutes, hospitals, government departments, schools and universities, patent firms, genetic counselling services, forensics laboratories, and biotechnology companies.

See where a Bachelor of Genetics could take you: our career wheel will help you turn your interests into a career in science.

As a graduate of the Bachelor of Genetics, you can forge a career in medical and agricultural research institutes, hospitals, government departments, schools and universities, patent firms, genetic counselling services, forensics laboratories, and biotechnology companies.

See where a Bachelor of Genetics could take you: our career wheel will help you turn your interests into a career in science.

Learning Outcomes

1. understand and evaluate the significance of genetic information and discoveries in educational and professional contexts;
2. apply a range of skills and laboratory genetic techniques to addressing specific problems in the field of genetic research;
3. use a range of analytical techniques for the interpretation of genetic data to address specific hypotheses;
4. convey and relate professional and disciplinary information and ideas to diverse audiences in effective and appropriate ways;
5. demonstrate the application of genetics to real life, professional and societal contexts.

1. Critically apply theoretical frameworks and research techniques to understand the global significance of Oceania as a region of diverse societies, cultures and languages;
   
2. Demonstrate an understanding of diverse disciplinary approaches and methods drawn from the humanities, social sciences and environmental studies, and use these to synthesise knowledge about Oceania and its place in the world;
3. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the diversity of Indigenous, popular culture, policy and scholarly perspectives on and within Oceania;
4. Evaluate knowledge and ideas and debate issues using academic and other approaches addressing a variety of scholarly, policy and public audiences;
   
5. Exercise critical thinking and judgement in identifying and solving problems individually as well as collaboratively;
6. Develop, refine, and apply the skills to utilise transdisciplinary approaches, recognise transdisciplinary opportunities and collaborate to solve complex transdisciplinary problems.

Further Information

What courses should you take in your first year of study?

• BIOL1003 Evolution, Ecology and Genetics (6 units)
• BIOL1004 Molecular and Cell Biology (6 units)
• CHEM1101 Chemistry 1 (6 units)

Additional advice:

• For students taking BIOL3023, BIOL3208 or BIOL3209 as part of this program, the research project must be in the field of genetics.
• Students seeking to take BIOL3194 should note this course has an enrolment limit. Please refer to the "Other Information" in the course entry in P&C.

How can I satisfy the Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course requirements?

• Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving courses can be found using the Programs and Courses search engine.
• In this program, BIOL3178 is identified as a Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Genetics may identify in the "Advice for students" section which courses listed in the major will contribute towards this requirement. This might also be of assistance in identifying courses.

Internship opportunities

Students interested in incorporating an internship into their degree can find out more from the College of Science website.

How can I get a study plan to help me map out my degree?

Want to learn more about the structure of the Bachelor of Biotechnology or wish to map out your degree? Click here to access the study plan.

Vertical Double Degree pathway UGRD-PGRD (not available in FDD)

• This program is part of the Vertical Double Degree pathway structure offered by the College of Science and the College of Health and Medicine. The Vertical Double Degree pathway presents students with the opportunity to complete a 3-year undergraduate single degree offered by the ANU College of Science or the College of Health and Medicine with a cognate 2-year Masters degree in 4 years (full-time) instead of 5 years (full-time). For more information on applicable combinations, benefits and how to apply, eligibility and conditions, please visit https://science.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees or https://health.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees
• Students who are interested in pursuing a Vertical Double Degree pathway with this program, are advised to contact the College of Science Student Services Office at students.cos@anu.edu.au and seek academic advice. Students who are already in an undergraduate degree offered by the College of Science or College of Health & Medicine should seek academic advice before completion of the first 72 units of their undergraduate studies.
• This pathway is not available to students in an undergraduate Flexible Double Degree.

Progression hurdle:

• Students in the Bachelor of Biotechnology who have opted for the Vertical Double Degree pathway must achieve a minimum GPA of 5.0 in the first 96 units attempted to commence the 24 units of Masters courses in their Bachelor degree. Students who do not achieve this GPA will be able to complete and graduate from their Bachelor degree but will not be able to undertake Masters courses.
• If the total number of units attempted exceeds 96 in the same teaching period in which the 96th unit is attempted, all courses attempted will be used in the calculation of the GPA.

Academic or enrolment advice:

If in doubt, please seek further advice from the academic contact for this program (details above), or the College of Science Student Services Team (students.cos@anu.edu.au).

What courses should you take in your first year of study?

• BIOL1003 Evolution, Ecology and Genetics (6 units)
• BIOL1004 Molecular and Cell Biology (6 units)
• CHEM1101 Chemistry 1 (6 units)

Additional advice:

• For students taking BIOL3023, BIOL3208 or BIOL3209 as part of this program, the research project must be in the field of genetics.
• Students seeking to take BIOL3194 should note this course has an enrolment limit. Please refer to the "Other Information" in the course entry in P&C.

How can I satisfy the Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course requirements?

• Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving courses can be found using the Programs and Courses search engine.
• In this program, BIOL3178 is identified as a Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Genetics may identify in the "Advice for students" section which courses listed in the major will contribute towards this requirement. This might also be of assistance in identifying courses.

Internship opportunities

Students interested in incorporating an internship into their degree can find out more from the College of Science website.

How can I get a study plan to help me map out my degree?

Want to learn more about the structure of the Bachelor of Biotechnology or wish to map out your degree? Click here to access the study plan.

Vertical Double Degree pathway UGRD-PGRD (not available in FDD)

• This program is part of the Vertical Double Degree pathway structure offered by the College of Science and the College of Health and Medicine. The Vertical Double Degree pathway presents students with the opportunity to complete a 3-year undergraduate single degree offered by the ANU College of Science or the College of Health and Medicine with a cognate 2-year Masters degree in 4 years (full-time) instead of 5 years (full-time). For more information on applicable combinations, benefits and how to apply, eligibility and conditions, please visit https://science.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees or https://health.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees
• Students who are interested in pursuing a Vertical Double Degree pathway with this program, are advised to contact the College of Science Student Services Office at students.cos@anu.edu.au and seek academic advice. Students who are already in an undergraduate degree offered by the College of Science or College of Health & Medicine should seek academic advice before completion of the first 72 units of their undergraduate studies.
• This pathway is not available to students in an undergraduate Flexible Double Degree.

Progression hurdle:

• Students in the Bachelor of Biotechnology who have opted for the Vertical Double Degree pathway must achieve a minimum GPA of 5.0 in the first 96 units attempted to commence the 24 units of Masters courses in their Bachelor degree. Students who do not achieve this GPA will be able to complete and graduate from their Bachelor degree but will not be able to undertake Masters courses.
• If the total number of units attempted exceeds 96 in the same teaching period in which the 96th unit is attempted, all courses attempted will be used in the calculation of the GPA.

Academic or enrolment advice:

If in doubt, please seek further advice from the academic contact for this program (details above), or the College of Science Student Services Team (students.cos@anu.edu.au).

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites

ACT: Chemistry

NSW: Chemistry or equivalent

VIC: Chemistry

QLD: Chemistry

TAS: Chemistry

SA / NT: Chemistry

WA: Chemistry

IB: Chemistry SL or HL

• More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here .
• Students who do not meet the chemistry requirement are advised to seek academic advice by contacting students.cos@anu.edu.au. A Chemistry bridging course is available in February through the ANU Research School of Chemistry - contact rsc.teaching@anu.edu.au for more information.

Adjustment Factors

Adjustment factors are combined with an applicant's secondary education results to determine their Selection Rank. ANU offers adjustment factors based on equity, diversity, and/or performance principles, such as for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.

To be eligible for adjustment factors, you must have:

• achieved a Selection Rank of 70 or more before adjustment factors are applied
• if you have undertaken higher education, completed less than one year full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) of a higher education program
• applied for an eligible ANU bachelor degree program

Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

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.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Genetics flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 96 units must include:

42 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

BIOL1003 Biology 1: Evolution, Ecology & Genetics (6 units)

BIOL1004 Biology 2: Molecular & Cell Biology (6 units)

BIOL2151 Genetics (6 units)

BIOL2161 Genes: Replication and Expression (6 units)

BIOL3161 Genomics & its Applications (6 units)

BIOL3204 Genetics of Human Disease 1 (6 units)

CHEM1101 Chemistry 1 (6 units)

6 units from completion of a Quantitative Skills course from the following list:

BIOL2001 Introduction to Quantitative Biology (6 units)

BIOL2202 Experimental Design and Analysis in Biology (6 units)

6 units from completion of a courses from the following list:

BIOL3191 Bioethics and Society (6 units)

BIOL3194 Biological Science in the Work Place (6 units)

A minimum of 30 units from completion of courses from from the following lists, which must include a minimum of 12 units from 3000-level courses:

BIAN3113 Human Evolution (6 units)

BIOL1009 Diversity of Life (6 units)

BIOL2114 Evolution (6 units)

BIOL3002 Plants: Genes and the Environment (6 units)

BIOL3109 Developmental Biology (6 units)

BIOL3157 Bioinformatics and Its Applications (6 units)

BIOL3178 Recovering Threatened Species and Ecosystems (6 units)

BIOL3205 Genetics of Human Disease 2 (6 units)

BIOL3206 Evolution of Biodiversity (6 units)

BIOL3207 Data Science for Biologists (6 units)

 BIOL3213 Australian Wildlife (6 units)

COMP1730 Programming for Scientists (6 units)

A maximum of 12 units from completion of research project/topics courses from the following list, in which the project/topic must be in the field of Genetics:

BIOL3023 Special Topics in Biology (6 units)

BIOL3208 Biology Research Project (6 units)

BIOL3209 Biology Research Project (12 units)

A maximum of 12 units from completion of courses not previously taken from the following subject areas:

BIOL – Biology

MEDN – Medical Science

NEUR – Neuroscience

The Bachelor of Pacific Studies flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

A minimum of 18 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

The 96 units must include:

The 144 units must include:

36 units from the following compulsory courses:

PASI1011 Pacific Encounters: An introduction to Pacific Studies

PASI1012 Pacific Worlds: critical inquiry in Oceania

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

PASI3001 Politics and Development in the Contemporary Pacific

PASI3002 Gender and Sexuality in the Pacific

PASI3013 Environment and Development in the Pacific

A minimum of 36 units from the following thematic lists:

Anthropology and archaeology

ANTH3059 Doing Ethnography: Practicum in Applied Anthropology

ARCH2005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders

ASIA2130 The archaeology of rock art in Asia, Pacific, and Australia

History

HIST2231 Exploration: From Captain Cook to the Astronauts

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries

WARS2004 War in the Islands: The Second World War in the Pacific

Politics, conflict and security

ASIA2093 Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific

POLS2055 Pacific Politics

STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific

Environment, geography and migration

ASIA2018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2301 Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific

ASIA2747 Airlines in Asia and the Pacific: Histories, Technologies, Cultures and Geographies

Gender, culture and linguistics

ASIA2001 Language in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2311 Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific

PASI3012 Readings in Indigenous Studies

Field schools, study tours and self-directed research

ENVS2005 Islands Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

PASI2030 Study Tour: Regional Policymaking for Pacific Development

PASI3005 Pacific Islands Field School

PASI3010 Pacific Engagement Project

Languages

Courses from the following language codes: CHIN, FREN, GERM, INDN, JPNS, TETM, TOKP, SPAN.

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

36 units from the following compulsory courses:

PASI1011 Pacific Encounters: An introduction to Pacific Studies

PASI1012 Pacific Worlds: critical inquiry in Oceania

PASI2001 Pacific Studies in a Globalising World

PASI3001 Politics and Development in the Contemporary Pacific

PASI3002 Gender and Sexuality in the Pacific

PASI3013 Environment and Development in the Pacific

A minimum of 36 units from the following thematic lists:

Anthropology and archaeology

ANTH3059 Doing Ethnography: Practicum in Applied Anthropology

ARCH2005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders

ASIA2130 The archaeology of rock art in Asia, Pacific, and Australia

History

HIST2231 Exploration: From Captain Cook to the Astronauts

PASI2002 Australia in Oceania in the 19th and 20th centuries

WARS2004 War in the Islands: The Second World War in the Pacific

Politics, conflict and security

ASIA2093 Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific

POLS2055 Pacific Politics

STST2003 Australia and Security in the Pacific

Environment, geography and migration

ASIA2018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2301 Human Migration and Expansion in the Rise of the Asia-Pacific

ASIA2747 Airlines in Asia and the Pacific: Histories, Technologies, Cultures and Geographies

Gender, culture and linguistics

ASIA2001 Language in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2308 Linguistic Histories in Asia and the Pacific

ASIA2311 Gender and Cultural Studies in Asia and the Pacific

PASI3012 Readings in Indigenous Studies

Field schools, study tours and self-directed research

ENVS2005 Islands Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

PASI2030 Study Tour: Regional Policymaking for Pacific Development

PASI3005 Pacific Islands Field School

PASI3010 Pacific Engagement Project

Languages

Courses from the following language codes: CHIN, FREN, GERM, INDN, JPNS, TETM, TOKP, SPAN.

A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving

Study Options