Undergraduate Study
Students majoring in Marine Science must enrol in 24 credit points of Senior Marine Science, including at least 6 credit points of Senior Biology (from those marked MS) and 6 credit points from GEOS units. If these credit points are taken as part of a Marine Science major they may not be counted towards a Biology major. For further information, please contact the Marine Geoscience Undergraduate Advisor or the Marine Biology Undergraduate Advisor .
Honours
An Honours program is available which requires students to undertake a year of study and research and the writing of an honours thesis based on this work. Marine science students are expected to select a topic that is interdisciplinary in its scope, spanning more than one area of marine science. Students are supervised by a member of the University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
Field Work
All courses involve some level of practical field work both in the Sydney region and coastal New South Wales. Honours students may travel further afield to conduct their research including participation in oceanographic expeditions and field trips to One Tree Island Research Station.
Scholarships & Prizes
There are a range of scholarships available for students at the University of Sydney.
Further information on scholarships and application procedures can be found here.
Units of Study
Information on marine science units of study are available to download here.
JUNIOR UNITS
Although there are no first year units in marine science, it is suggested to take junior units in geology (GEOS1001 (link to course), GEOS1002 and GEOS1003) or biology (BIOL1001 and BIOL1002) which provide a comprehensive introduction to geography, geology and biology.
INTERMEDIATE UNITS
BIOL2018 Introduction to Marine Biology
BIOL2918 Introduction to Marine Biology (Adv)
GEOS2115 Oceans, Coasts & Climate Change
GEOS2915 Oceans, Coasts & Climate Change (Adv)
NTMP Options may be available in intermediate year (limited)
SENIOR UNITS
BIOL3006 Ecological Methods
BIOL3906 Ecological Methods (Adv)
BIOL3007 Ecology
BIOL3907 Ecology (Adv)
BIOL3008 Marine Field Ecology
BIOL3908 Marine Field Ecology (Adv)
BIOL3011 Ecophysiology
BIOL3911 Ecophysiology (Adv)
BIOL3013 Marine Biology
BIOL3913 Marine Biology (Adv)
GEOS3009 Coastal Environments & Processes
GEOS3909 Coastal Environments & Processes (Adv)
GEOS3014 GIS in Coastal Management
GEOS3914 GIS in Coastal Management (Adv)
GEOS3103 Environmental & Sedimentary Geology
GEOS3803 Environmental & Sedimentary Geology (Adv)
GEOS3104 Geophysical Methods
GEOS3804 Geophysical Methods (Adv)
GEOS3018 Rivers: Science, Policy & Management
GEOS3918 Rivers: Science & Management (Adv)
NTMP3001 Coral Reef Ecosystems
NTMP3003 Fisheries Biology & Management
NTMP3004 Aquaculture
NTMP3005 Coastal Management
NTMP3001 Coral Reef Ecosystems
Coral Reef Ecosystems is an intensive course that will be held on One Tree Island Tropical Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. The course focuses on the dominant taxa in reef environments ad linkages between them. Emphasis is given to corals, other reef associated invertebrates (e.g. echinoderms and plankton) and fishes. Ecological and physiological aspects of key organisms are explored. Aspects covered include: distribution of corals; coral bleaching; coral symbionts and the health of the corals based on photosynthetic activity; predation on corals; the input of plankton to reefs; and, the role of fishes in reef environments. Department permission required for enrolment due to quota.
Unit Coordinator:
Assumed Knowledge: General concepts in Biology
Prerequisites: 12 credit points of Intermediate Science including 6 credit points of Biology
Offered: July
Classes: Fieldwork, 80 hours block mode.
Assessment: By participation in field school and report.
Texts: course notes provided
- The Great Barrier Reef, Biology, Environment and Management. P. Hutchings, O. Hoegh-Guldberg and M. J. Kingsford (eds) 2008 CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
NTMP3003 Fisheries Biology & Management
Fisheries Biology and Management is an intensive course that will be held at the tropical research station on Orpheus Island in the Great Barrier Reef. The course focuses on approaches to quantitative fisheries biology in tropical marine environments. Emphasis is given to sampling design and hypothesis testing, underwater visual census surveys, fishery surveys, assessments of habitat types, and tagging and trapping of organisms. Most field aspects will be covered while diving and data storage will be dealt with at the end of each day. The assessment will focus on the manipulation of data and reporting. This course may be offered in 2010
Unit Coordinator:
Assumed Knowledge: General concepts in Biology
Prerequisites: 12 credit points of Intermediate Science including 6 credit points of Biology
Offered: July
Classes: Fieldwork, 80 hours block mode.
Assessment: by participation in field school and report.
Texts: course book provided.