Department of Environment and Geography - Environmental Science
Studying
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Interested in:
Climate change? El Niño?
Oceanography? Biometeorology? Meteorology?
For information on the Climate Science program click here.
Climate scientists aim to understand the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Employment can be found in environmental consultancies, government agencies, education and research. Macquarie University's flexible approach to study allows units in this field to be combined in several ways with studies in environmental earth science, spatial infrastructure, biology, environmental management, geophysics, chemistry and other fields of geography, depending upon individual interests.
Degree Programs in Climate Science
Recommended Units of Study
Related Areas of Study
Recommended Prior Knowledge
How to Apply
Honours and Postgraduate Study
Career Options
Contacts
Degree Programs in Climate Science
A Major in Climate Science may be completed as part of a:
Bachelor of Environment: Students may complete a Major in Climate Science plus a prescribed Minor in Environmental Management; or complete a Major in Environmental management, plus a Minor in Climate Science.
Bachelor of Science: Students who undertake a Major in Climate Science as part of a Bachelor of Science degree may wish to consider Minor studies (or a second major) in: Environmental Earth Science, Environmental Management or Spatial Information Science or other science Majors.
For those who already have an appropriate undergraduate degree, the core units can also be taken as part of the Graduate Diploma in Climate Science.
General Requirements:
Students must achieve a minimum of 34 credit points in designated science units above 100 level and a minimum of 18 credit points in designated science units above 200 level. Students must also complete designated people and plant units. Refer to the undergraduate handbook for details of designated science units.
All students in Environmental Science are recommended to take a range of units from the science programs in their first year of study and to seek academic advice on tailoring a progam of study suitable to their specific needs and interests.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE or BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENT Specialising in CLIMATE SCIENCE
Approximate full-time load of 24 credit points per year for three years.
First Year
Core Units - GEOS112 The Planet Earth and ENVE117 Biophysical Environments
Recommended Units - units with the the following prefixes: ENVE, ENV, BIOL, CBMS, COMP, GEOS, ISYS, MATH, PHYS, STAT
Second Year
Core Units: ENVE214 Climate Change and ENVE216 The Atmospheric Environment
Recommended Units - units with the the following prefixes: ENVE, ENV, BIOL, CBMS, COMP, GEOS, ISYS, MATH, PHYS, STAT
Third Year
Capstone Unit: ENVE304 Integrated Climate Science
Core Units: ENVE301 Global Climates and ENVE302 Applied Climatology
Option: 3cp from - ENVE303 Advanced Atmospheric and Oceanographic Science, ENVE361 Environmental Management or ENVE389 Special Interest Seminar
Recommended Units - units with the the following prefixes: ENVE, ENV, BIOL, CBMS, COMP, GEOS, ISYS, MATH, PHYS, STAT
Related areas of study
Environmental Management
Environmental Earth Science
Spatial Information Science (SIS)
Biology
Ecology
Geology, Geophysics and Exploration Geoscience
Environmental Geology
Human Geography
Natural History, Cultural and Museum Studies
Prior Knowledge
There is no essential prior knowledge for this area of study.
How to apply
Application for all degrees for school leavers is through UAC. Non-award and non-degree applications are made directly to the University. Mature-age students (21 years or over, without the necessary academic qualifications for UAC admission) may apply directly to the University through the Jubilee Scheme. Please contact the Centre for Open Education via e-mail at coe@mq.edu.au or by phone on +61 2 9850 7470 for further information on these schemes.
Honours and Postgraduate Study
You can pursue further study in Climate Science either by undertaking an Honours year at the end of your Bachelors degree or a postgraduate Masters degree. Both of these are valued by employers for the extra knowledge, practical skills and research skills they bring.
The Honours year involves a single, year-long research project in conjunction with one of the lecturers who agrees to act as your supervisor. The topic is agreed between you and the supervisor in advance. On completion, you qualify for the Bachelor of XXXX (any degree) with Honours. Entry to Honours is restricted to students with a Grade Point Average (GPA) higher than 2.5.
A Masters degree (typically Master of Philosophy) is a 2 year (full-time) research degree on a topic determined by you and a lecturer who agrees to act as your supervisor. Entry is by application, with an initial 6 month qualification period undertaken as a Postgraduate Certificate.
Career Options
Employment can be found in a variety of fields. Career options include:
- Agriculture
- Air Quality and pollution management
- Bushfire management
- Climate consultancy
- Environmental scientist
- Envrionmental manager
- Meteorologist
- Oceanographer
- Researcher
- Teacher
For more information on careers click here.
Contacts
For further information on studying Climate Science, please contact:
Academic and Administrative Enquiries
Phone: (02) 9850 6000 or (02) 9850 8426
Fax: (02) 9850 6565 or (02) 9850 8420
E-mail: enquiries@science.mq.edu.au