Diploma of Biological Sciences - Melbourne (Bundoora)

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Overview

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 … For more content click the Read more button below. 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 cellsExamine 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 diseasesDiscover 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 scienceStrengthen your skills with an introduction to the statistical methods used across a wide variety of scientific disciplines.Animal and plant lifeExplore 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.ChemistryBuild a solid base of chemistry skills, then develop knowledge of more advanced topics - from chemical thermodynamics to kinetics.

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.

Portfolio

Office of the Provost

School

Course coordinator

Richard Peters

Location(s)

Melbourne (Bundoora)

CRICOS code

104804K

Course instance contact

Richard Peters

Course duration (full time)

1 year

Study level

Sub-degree

AQF level

Level 5 - Diploma

Available only as an exit award

Study options

Domestic

Completion requirements

To qualify for the award of Diploma in Biological Sciences, students must complete 120 credit points as follows: 60 core credit points 15 core-choice credit points 45 elective credit points

Course structure
120 credit points

Level one120 credit points

Core60 credit points

Core choice15 credit points

Electives45 credit points

Course intended learning outcomes

On successful completion you will be able to:

Develop scientific written reports to communicate with peers.

Analyse data from experiments and scientific reports to describe local and international issues.

Formulate questions to explore scientific ideas, seek evidence and information, and to generate new scientific knowledge and solutions.

Identify real world problems in applied science using understanding of scientific concepts.

Work effectively in teams using communication and collaboration skills.

Apply understanding of ethical issues in the work of a bioscientist.

Apply knowledge and understanding of applied science to identify common practice problems.

Career outcomes

This Diploma offers you a pathway into our related Bachelor’s degrees, where you can choose from an extensive suite of majors and electives to prepare for a career within a diverse range of industries.

After further study in biological sciences, your future careers could include:

You'll learn about:

Biological analyst
- Prepare, conduct, monitor and report the results of lab tests.
Geneticist
- Research and study the inheritance of traits at the molecular, organism or population level.
Biological scientist
- Examine plants, animals and microbes to better understand their natural processes and impact on the environment.
Microbiologist
- Investigate the growth, structure development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms. Analyse and monitor microbial cultures, samples and new drugs.
Zoologist
- Investigate the interrelationships between animals in their natural surroundings, in captivity and in laboratories

Handbook