La Trobe’s Diploma of Biological Sciences gives you a supported pathway into a degree in biological sciences – the perfect start to potential careers in fields as diverse as life itself.

Explore the essential elements of life sciences, including biology and chemistry, and build the skills to write and speak about basic scientific ideas to a wide range of audiences.

As you get a taste of your future in science, you’ll also be immersed in university life, studying alongside students of our Bachelor’s degrees. This Diploma gives you up to one year's worth of course credit (also called advanced standing), which means you could progress directly into the second year of our Bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences, depending on your degree and major.

At every step, we’ll give you support to succeed. You’ll receive personalised advice from a dedicated Senior Support Adviser and have access to peer mentors from your discipline. We’ll be here to help you enrol, choose subjects and navigate university processes. And our careers service will empower you with skills that you’ll carry throughout your life – including advice and assistance with resume building, interview preparation and career planning.

You'll learn about:

Molecules, genes and cells
- Examine how molecules are organised into cellular structures across a range of organisms, as well as how cells perform functions that are stored and passed on to the next generation.
Infectious diseases
- Discover how infectious diseases threaten our wellbeing by causing both epidemic and pandemic outbreaks. Investigate specific microorganisms, how they’re transmitted and what strategies are used for prevention or cure.
Statistics in science
- Strengthen your skills with an introduction to the statistical methods used across a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
Animal and plant life
- Explore how structures within animals and plants have evolved to address key survival challenges and how these structures are used for energy, growth, movement, regulation and defence.
Chemistry
- Build a solid base of chemistry skills, then develop knowledge of more advanced topics - from chemical thermodynamics to kinetics.