Place yourself at the forefront of innovation with the ANU Bachelor of Biotechnology.

Biotechnology is about applying new technologies to agriculture, food and medicine production, and environmental problems in the context of research, industry and the applied health sciences.

In this cutting-edge degree, you’ll learn the foundations of biology such as molecular and cellular biology, biotechnology and microbiology, as well as contemporary topics such as societal and ethical issues of biotechnology and intellectual property.

Find out more about biotechnology, 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.

Why is something as superfluous as diamonds so costly, but something as essential as water so cheap? How can the cost of the coffee beans make up only a few cents of the price of a cup of coffee? With the world’s highest minimum wage rate, can Australia ever compete with low wage countries?

The ANU Bachelor of Economics provides a framework and a way of thinking to help answer questions like these. Your coursework will span economics (both theory and applied), economic history, and econometrics while developing your analytical problem-solving and quantitative skills.

Whether working as an economist or in some other role, your Bachelor of Economics degree and training will be sought after.

Employment Opportunities

Bachelor of Biotechnology graduates are sought after by government and industry employers in chemical, plant and agricultural, and medical biotechnology.

You may also find positions in hospitals, food and pharmaceutical industries, or continue on to a career in research.

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

Bachelor of Biotechnology graduates are sought after by government and industry employers in chemical, plant and agricultural, and medical biotechnology.

You may also find positions in hospitals, food and pharmaceutical industries, or continue on to a career in research.

See where a Bachelor of Biotechnology 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 biotechnological discoveries in educational and professional contexts;
2. apply a range of technological skills and laboratory techniques to addressing specific problems in the field of biological research;
3. use a range of analytical techniques for the interpretation of biological 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 biotechnology to real life contexts;
6. exercise personal, professional and social responsibility as a global citizen.

1. Solve economic problems using analytical reasoning.
2. Apply economic analysis to a wide variety of transdisciplinary issues.
3. Use basic empirical estimation techniques to test predictions pertaining to multiple disciplinary areas.
4. Provide insight into the way that households and individuals make decisions and interact, and the role of government in providing public goods and regulating the market sector.
5. Communicate effectively rigorous economic analysis in a coherent way to multidisciplinary stakeholders.

Further Information

Student Advice

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)
• CHEM1201 Chemistry 2 (6 units)

Additional advice:

• For students taking BIOL3023, BIOL3208 or BIOL3209 as part of this major, the research project must be in the field of biotechnology.
• 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, BIOL3188 is identified as a Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Biotechnology) 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).

Student Advice

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)
• CHEM1201 Chemistry 2 (6 units)

Additional advice:

• For students taking BIOL3023, BIOL3208 or BIOL3209 as part of this major, the research project must be in the field of biotechnology.
• 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, BIOL3188 is identified as a Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving course
• Many majors offered by the College of Science (not required for the Bachelor of Biotechnology) 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 (Major)

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.

There are no formal program prerequisites. But assumed knowledge is:-ACT: Mathematical Methods (Major)/Further Mathematics/Specialist Mathematics (major)/ Specialist Methods or NSW: HSC Mathematics Advanced or equivalent. More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here.

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 Biotechnology 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 30 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses from the subject area BIOL- Biology
A minimum of 12 units of courses tagged as Transdisciplinary Problem-Solving
 

The 96 units must consist of:

54 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:

BIOL1003 Evolution, Ecology and Genetics (6 units)

BIOL1004 Molecular and Cell Biology (6 units)

BIOL2161 Genes: Replication and Expression (6 units)

BIOL2162 Molecular Genetic Techniques (6 units)

BIOL3161 Genomics and its Applications (6 units)

CHEM1101 Chemistry 1 (6 units)

CHEM1201 Chemistry 2 (6 units)

CHEM2211 Chemical Biology I (6 units)

CHEM2208 Chemical Biology II (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 a course from the following list:

BIOL3191 Bioethics and Society (6 units)

BIOL3194 Biological Science in the Work Place (6 units)

A minimum of 18 units from completion of courses from the following lists:

BIOL3106 Biosecurity (6 units)

BIOL3125 Plants and Global Climate Change (6 units)

BIOL3177 Advances in Molecular Plant Science (6 units)

BIOL3188 ANUSynBio Challenge Team Project (6 units)

BIOL3203 Advanced Microscopy in Biosciences (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 Biotechnology:

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

CHEM – Chemistry

MEDN – Medical Science

NEUR – Neuroscience

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

A maximum of 48 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

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

The 96 units must consist of:

42 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

ECON1101 Microeconomics 1

ECON2101 Microeconomics 2

ECON3101 Microeconomics 3

ECON3102 Macroeconomics 3

EMET1001 Foundations of Economic and Financial Models

EMET2007 Econometrics I: Econometric Methods

STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods

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

ECON1100 Economics I (H)

ECON1102 Macroeconomics 1

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

ECON2016 Economics II (H)

ECON2102 Macroeconomics 2

minimum 12 units of Transdisciplinary courses:

CBEA2001 Indigenous Perspectives in Business and Economics

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy: Past and Present

ECHI3009 World Economy Since 1800

ECON2013 Behavioral Economics

ECON2014 Managerial Economics

ECON2108 Japanese Economy and Political Economy

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

ECON2900 Development Poverty and Famine

ECON3004 Health Economics

ECON3006 Financial Economics

ECON3127 Computational Methods in Economics

ECON3128 Resource and Environmental Economics

ECON3180 Advanced Behavioural Economics

ECON3023 Economic Policy Issues

minimum 18 units of the following courses:

ECHI1006 The Australian Economy: Past and Present

ECHI3009 World Economy Since 1800

ECON1100 Economics 1 (H)

ECON2009 Labour Economics and Industrial Relations Policy

ECON2013 Behavioral Economics

ECON2014 Managerial Economics

ECON2026 Money and Banking

ECON2091 The Economy, Politics and the State

ECON2108 Japanese Economy and Political Economy

ECON2125 Optimisation

ECON2131 Public Sector Economics

ECON2141 Strategic Thinking: An introduction to Game Theory

ECON2900 Development Poverty and Famine

ECON3004 Health Economics

ECON3006 Financial Economics

ECON3057 Industrial Organisation

ECON3100 Economics 3 (H)

ECON3103 International Economics

ECON3127 Computational Methods in Economics

ECON3128 Resource and Environmental Economics

ECON3152 Game Theory

ECON3180 Advanced Behavioural Economics

ECON3023 Economic Policy Issues

EMET3004 Econometrics II: Modelling

EMET3006 Applied Microeconomics

EMET3007 Business and Economic Forecasting

EMET3008 Applied Macro and Financial Economics

maximum 12 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU, which may include courses from the following course codes:

BUSI, BUSN, CBEA, COMP, ECHI, ECON, EMET, FINM, INFS, MATH, MGMT, MKTG, STAT

If your flexible double degree is within the College of Business and Economics (for example Commerce and Economics), the below study plan may show the same course twice. If this is the case, you must only do the course once and replace the other course with a University Wide Elective.

For majors and minors offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, students may count a course towards multiple majors and minors. If a minor is a subset of all stated courses and/or prerequisites for a major, then completion of the major overrides completion of the minor, and only the major is regarded as having been completed. If all courses in a major and/or minor are compulsory courses in the degree, the major and/or minor will not be listed on the transcript.

Minors

Bachelor of Economics Minors

Study Options