To be read in conjunction with the program of study requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) – 4 years.

The Animal Behaviour Specialisation is offered as part of The Bachelor of Science (Honours) and requires four years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time). The Specialisation is offered by the School of Biological Sciences, within the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Specialisations have different admission requirements to other programs of study available in The Bachelor of Science (Honours). In order to undertake a Specialisation students must be admitted to The Specialisation program. The name of The Specialisation will appear on the transcript and parchment.

There is an alternative 1 year program for The Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) (Honours) for students who have successfully completed a Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour).

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.

Course aims

The program of studies aims to provide students with a broad-based foundation in Animal Behaviour. The program will examine Animal Behaviour in captive and wild animals, and will promote an understanding of the role of Animal Behaviour for assessing animal welfare, survival, and evolution. The program also aims to develop a range of transferable research, analytical and communication skills including the capacity to:

  • understand and apply relevant scientific principles in the area of Animal Behaviour
  • retrieve and present information about Animal Behaviour effectively, communicate clearly with a variety of audiences in written and spoken forms
  • critically analyse and evaluate information relevant to Animal Behaviour
  • appreciate the multidisciplinary aspect of studies in Animal Behaviour and engage positively with people and ideas beyond the discipline
  • work cooperatively and productively within a team
  • work independently and take responsibility for updating and adapting their knowledge and skills
  • appreciate the societal and ethical contexts of Conservation Biology, animal behavior, and animal welfare issues. 

The Honours Year provides students with advanced skills that are required for planning, funding and carrying out Research Projects in a specific area. It also aims to develop a range of transferable research, analytical and communication skills including the capacity to: 

  • understand and apply relevant scientific principles
  • retrieve and present scientific information, including communicating effectively with a variety of audiences in written and spoken form
  • critically analyse and evaluate information and solve problems
  • analyse and evaluate data, appreciate the multidisciplinary aspect of the science disciplines and engage positively with people and ideas beyond their own discipline area
  • use information technology, work independently and take responsibility for updating and adapting their knowledge and skills
  • appreciate the role of science in society, the regulatory framework within which it operates and the ethical issues it raises.

The program of studies provides the foundations that will underpin ongoing professional development, preparing graduates for further study in biology or another science or non-science related discipline or for a career in a biology related field or in other areas where the range of skills and knowledge acquired is needed or desirable.

Learning outcomes

Graduates are expected to be able to:

  • know and critically apply theories, subject content, professional methodologies and research procedures relevant to Animal Behaviour; for example focal sampling method, ethogram analysis, and Experimental Design
  • understand and describe the processes through which current knowledge about the disciplines of Animal Behaviour, evolution, and sociobiology were developed
  • analyse and critically evaluate ideas/information/data and apply relevant scientific principles to solve problems by, for example, creating hypotheses, testing theories and predictions, designing and carrying out experiments and analysing reported data
  • design and carry out experiments using appropriate techniques, protocols and appreciation of ethics
  • communicate their findings to lay, general scientific and specialised scientific audiences in written and spoken form
  • appreciate that Animal Behaviour science is multidisciplinary and has connections to other science and non-science disciplines
  • work and learn independently and appreciate the need for continuing professional development
  • interact effectively as part of a team in order to achieve common goals.

Graduates of The Honours Year are expected to be able to:

  • critically analyse the scientific literature and use this as a basis for planning Research Projects
  • understand how scientific research is funded
  • formulate hypothesises and design appropriate experiments to test them
  • use appropriate methods, techniques, equipment and instrumentation to ethically collect scientific data
  • use appropriate statistical methods to analyse scientific data
  • communicate their findings to a variety of audiences in written and spoken form.

Program of study

To qualify for The Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Animal Behaviour) a student must complete 144 units, with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study detailed below:

No more than 45 units of First Year level topics may be included in the 144 units for the degree. 

Elective topics to complete 144 units may be selected from any offered within the University or, with approval from the Faculty of Science and Engineering, from outside the University, provided any course and prerequisite requirements are met.

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Upon completion of at least 103.5 units and with a GPA of 5 or more in the last 36 units of study, students may commence the Fourth Year Honours program. Students who do not meet the GPA requirement will exit with the Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) on completion of 108 units.

Students who have completed 72 units or more with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following rule, may exit with the Diploma in Applied Science:

  • at least 27 units from the First Year science topics offered by the Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • at least 18 units from Second or Third Year science topics offered by the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Students who have completed 108 units according to the first three years of the Program may choose to exit with The Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour).

Except where there is an approved double specialisation (see Bachelor of Science (Honours) program of study) the same upper level (2xxx or above) topic cannot be counted twice. For example an upper level topic that is counted towards a specialisation may not also be counted towards a minor.

Specialisation - Animal Behaviour - Year 1 topics

36 units comprising:

 BIOL1101  Evolution of Biological Diversity  (4.5 units)
 BIOL1102  Molecular Basis of Life  (4.5 units)
 BIOL1711  Introduction to Animal Behaviour#  (4.5 units)

Plus a 4.5 unit First Year Science topic

Plus 9 units of elective topics*^ from across the University where entry requirements are met.

Plus either:

 CHEM1101  Chemistry 1A#  (4.5 units) AND
 CHEM1102  Chemistry 1B#  (4.5 units)

or

 CHEM1201  Introduction to Chemistry A#  (4.5 units) AND
 CHEM1202  Introduction to Chemistry B#  (4.5 units)

Specialisation - Animal Behaviour - Year 2 topics

36 units comprising:

 BIOL2701  Experimental Design and Statistics for Biology  (4.5 units)
 BIOL2702  Genetics, Evolution and Biodiversity  (4.5 units)
 BIOL2711  Ecology  (4.5 units)
 BIOL2712  Animal Diversity  (4.5 units)
 BIOL2721  Foundations of Animal Behaviour  (4.5 units)
 BIOL2722  Disease and Immunology  (4.5 units)

Plus 9 units of elective topics*^ from across the University where entry requirements are met.

Specialisation - Animal Behaviour - Year 3 topics

36 units comprising:

 BIOL3701  Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3702  Marine and Freshwater Biology  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3711  Plant and Algal Diversity  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3712  Integrative Physiology of Animals and Plants  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3721  Research in Animal Behaviour  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3722  Conservation and Ecological Genetics  (4.5 units)

Plus 9 units of elective topics*^ from across the University where entry requirements are met.

Specialisation - Animal Behaviour - Honours Year topics

36 units comprising:

 BIOL4700A  Biology Honours Research Project  (4.5/22.5 units)  
 BIOL4700B  Biology Honours Research Project  (4.5/22.5 units)  
 BIOL4700C  Biology Honours Research Project  (4.5/22.5 units)  
 BIOL4700D  Biology Honours Research Project  (4.5/22.5 units)  
 BIOL4700E  Biology Honours Research Project  (4.5/22.5 units)  
 BIOL4710  Honours Critical Readings  (4.5 units)
 BIOL4720  Honours Grant Writing Skills  (4.5 units)
 BIOL4730  Honours Scientific Methods and Data Presentation  (4.5 units)

or other topics approved by The Honours Committee, appropriate to a student's program.

#These topics are cognate studies topics which must be taken to complete The Specialisation.

*Students may choose to undertake a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Minor as part of the elective component of their degree subject to meeting course/topic requirements.

^Specialisation - Animal Behaviour - Recommended Electives

While students are able to select elective units from anywhere across the University, these are Recommended Electives.

 BIOL1102  Introduction to Biodiversity and Conservation  (4.5 units)
 BIOD2701  Biodiversity and Conservation  (4.5 units)
 BIOL1112  Biology and Society  (4.5 units)
 BIOL1301  Introduction to Marine Biology  (4.5 units)
 BIOL3703  Vetebrate Palaeontology  (4.5 units)
 EASC1101  Earth and Environmental Sciences  (4.5 units)
 EASC1102  Marine Sciences  (4.5 units)
 ENVR1702  Fundamentals of Environmental Science  (4.5 units)
 GEOG2700  Geographical Information Systems  (4.5 units)
 PSYC1101  Psychology 1A  (4.5 units)
 PSYC1102  Psychology 1B  (4.5 units)
 SCME1000  Film Form and Analysis  (4.5 units)
 SCME2001  Television: History and Theory  (4.5 units)
 SCME2102  Sex and Gender  (4.5 units)
 WMST2016  Indigenous Women’s Voices: Race, Gender and Colonialism  (4.5 units)
 WMST2017  Gender, Globalisation and International Development (4.5 units)

Combined degrees

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Animal Behaviour) may also be studied in a combined degrees program with a: