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Get ready for a journey of discovery when you study Science at Western. Develop the skills you need to investigate a wide range of scientific disciplines from astronomy to zoology. Help create a sustainable future in all businesses and industries.
Pick which subjects suit your career goals. Open up to a world of unlimited opportunities in astrophysics, conservation biology, drug design and pharmaceuticals, environmental health, food formulation, forensics, biomedical and biophysical research, hospital or pathology labs, plant science and horticulture, and wildlife management.
Note: Not all majors are studied at every campus. Please refer to specific study areas for locations.
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At Western, we care how you do in all aspects of your life. We believe your future is unlimited and together the possibilities are endless.
As the uni named number one in the world two years in a row – 2022 and 2023 for our social, economic and environmental impact in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, apply today to discover your unlimited potential and start at Western in 2024.
Study science. Major in discovery
Study Science at Western.
Gain confidence through lab and field work. Get unique opportunities to participate in ground-breaking research.
Study at Western’s specialist facilities and state-of-the art teaching labs. Learn to solve complex problems by working with students in other disciplines. You can even complement your degree with subjects from non-Science disciplines, such as Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Professional accreditation
Depending on your major, graduates can apply for admission to the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the Australian Society of Microbiology, the Australian Institute of Biology, the Australian Institute of Physics, the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, and Environmental Health Australia.
Program structure
Our program structure is outlined in our handbook. Here you can view all of the subjects you will be studying.
Students are required to complete eight major subjects from one of the following testamur majors. Students selecting Environmental Health are required to complete twelve major subjects.
Students may use their elective subjects to complete a major (80 credit points) or one or more minors (40 credit points each) from the same or another discipline area, or up to 80 credit points from the wide range of units offered by Western Sydney University.
Students may choose to complete a second major such as the double major in innovative foods and human nutrition. A minor in education is also available.
Immersed in an approach that integrates social, economic and environmental values, students will view plant and animal production from consumer contexts to explore personal and community perceptions about food sustainability. This innovative course merges topics of agriculture, food and health to empower you to design solutions for international development, community education and the urban–rural interface. This major provides hands-on experience, developing confidence and giving graduates an excellent foundation for careers in: teaching, research, biotechnology and industry. Throughout study, engagement with industry and community will inspire you to take action towards a regenerative and more environmentally sustainable AgriFood future.
The flexibility of the course also enables students to combine their interest in AgriFood with other disciplines including animal science, data science, ecology, innovative foods, heath and business.
This degree will provide you with the opportunity to learn about the basic sciences underpinning human health, wellbeing and its application to human disease. The anatomy and physiology major focuses on the anatomy and physiology of the human body in relation to health and disease. The degree also allows for enrolment in a variety of free electives, so students can design their own learning journey.
Interactions between people and animals are increasing due to our reliance on animals for companionship and food production. This major will enable you to develop a deep understanding of these issues, through studies of animal behaviour, animal health and welfare, animal nutrition, animal production, animal reproduction, and human-animal interactions. You will have access to diverse on-campus animal facilities including reptiles, native mammals, sheep, cattle and deer and off-campus organisations such as wildlife parks, zoos and farms.
A variety of exciting career paths are available to graduates of this program, including international opportunities in the many fields of animal science. Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as an animal welfare officer, life scientist, quarantine officer, animal journalist or can progress into pursuing a research career, teaching career or working in government and related industries.
This major provides a deep knowledge of physics and its applications. While also developing a grounding in mathematics and strong computing knowledge, the
physics major assures understanding of the concepts, tools and techniques of physics including the interfaces where physics contributes to other scientific disciplines, and the use of physics in wider intellectual and social contexts.
Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as a medical laboratory scientist, forensic scientist, in government and related industries, in scientific and technical management or can pursue a research or secondary teaching career.
Students must maintain a grade point average of 5 or above to remain in the program. Those who do not maintain this average will be transferred to the Bachelor of Science.
This major provides students with a broad knowledge base of biology from the molecular world to global ecosystem science with a focus on the sustainability of the natural world. The major allows students to use the learning beside a range of other diverse majors and is especially applicable to students who are considering teaching as a career. Students will have the opportunity to develop discipline knowledge alongside scientific laboratory and inquiry based skills. The major also includes developing strong communication and critical thinking skills, essential for the future role of biology graduates.
Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as a laboratory scientist, research scientist, in government and related industries or can progress into pursuing a research career or a career in secondary teaching.
A Bachelor of Science with a chemistry major will prepare you to take part in a process of inquiry, by both contributing to it and by using scientific knowledge to solve current problems. The Chemistry program provides a strong background in the key topic areas of contemporary chemistry, including aspects of chemical theory in analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, with a strong emphasis on practical laboratory skills, and applications in contemporary research, industry and the environment. A research project is available to students in the final year of the degree preparing you for a professional career in a wide range of chemistry based industries. The degree allows for the completion of a second major or additional sub-majors and electives to diversify learning for the careers of the future.
Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as a research scientist, forensic scientist, or a scientist in environment, mining or manufacturing industries. Other opportunities can be found in pharmaceutical industries, health and food industries, in scientific and technical sales, consumer affairs or you can progress into pursuing a research or secondary teaching career.
This major will provide students with a detailed understanding of the diversity of the animal kingdom. Students will develop a scientific understanding of how animals function and interact with their environment; from their ecology, behaviour and evolution; to the physiology and biochemistry of cells, tissues and major organ systems. On-campus animal facilities include those for reptiles, small marsupials and rodents, sheep and cattle, as well as over 1000ha of native, rural and aquatic habitats. This major will enable students to graduate with practical laboratory and fieldwork skills that will prepare you across a wide variety of disciplines in this field.
Graduates of this degree can look forward to career opportunities as a zoologist, in animal nutrition, in reproduction technology, genetics, behaviour and health, product development and physiology, scientific officer and science communicator. Other opportunities include pursuing postgraduate research study.
This major provides students specialised expertise in forensic science including methods of forensic analysis, crime scene investigation, forensic photography, forensic investigation, crime and criminal justice and complex cases. Career opportunities include forensic scientists, crime scene investigators, private investigators and consultants, police officers, drug analysts, researchers and academics, and specialised forensic science practitioners. The main employers of forensic scientists are State and Federal police services, State and Commonwealth Government Health Departments and analytical chemistry laboratories. Graduates will be versatile with a wide skills base with (depending on their choice of electives) potential for employment in analytical chemistry and microbiology, quality control and assurance, biochemistry and molecular biology, scientific research, education and the chemical industry.
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the places we live, work and play all have major impacts on our health and well-being. The testamur major Environmental Health, when combined with the major Environmental Futures in a Bachelor of Science, will equip you to explore the diverse range of natural and built-environment challenges that confront us, from the mitigation of human health impacts of global climate change through to the more localised issues of air and water quality, waste management, food security, environmental noise and healthy communities. The major areas of study addressed within the major include air pollution; community studies; emergency management; environmental regulation and policy; environmental monitoring; environmental planning; environmental protection; epidemiology; food safety; noise, occupational environment; risk assessment; sustainable environmental management; toxicology; urban development and water pollution.
https://acedd.org.au/
This major will help you understand the science and technology behind food in the largest business sector in the world.
A major in Innovative Foods will prepare you to be a leader in developing innovative, safe, healthy and sustainable foods. A solid foundation in the biological and chemical sciences, needed to underpin food science, will enable
graduates from this program to be confident in the rapidly evolving food technology sector. The topics covered in this major includes, food formulation, quality evaluation, food analysis, quality assurance, sensory analysis, food chemistry, food microbiology, food plant management, flavour chemistry and consumer relations.
The program is flexible and enables you to undertake units in human nutrition, health, biotechnology,
marketing, integrated management
with industry and community links, with modern sensory and food processing facilities.
Graduates can pursue a range of job opportunities including food product development, research and development, quality assurance, food plant management, flavour chemistry, consumer relations, sensory evaluation and teaching.
Understanding how life interacts with water, soil and the atmosphere empowers us to develop sustainable management solutions for our most pressing environmental challenges. In this major you will learn how to apply fundamental scientific knowledge to evaluate and mitigate the impacts of human activities on natural and managed ecosystems, including the built environment. You will have access to world class ecological and environmental research facilities, and will engage in hands-on, field-based learning, taught by a team at the cutting edge of research in this field.
This major will prepare you for careers in urban and natural resource management, environmental consultancy, sustainability planning, biological conservation and environmental policy.
Fees and delivery
Fees: Varies depending on subjects selected. View available subjects in our handbook.
For further information on University fees, please visit Fees and University Costs.
Delivery: On campus
Fees: AUD $33,600*
Delivery: On campus
Start your unlimited journey today.
Your career
As a science graduate, you can look forward to career opportunities in:
- Food Scientist
- New Food Product Development
- Science-based work in industry
- Government environmental agencies
- Patent work
- Quality control
- Environmental consulting laboratories
- Scientific equipment companies
- Secondary teaching (with further study)
Your career
World class facilities
Our new, $30-million, state-of-the art research facilities and labs include an imaging lab, instrumentation lab, polarisation microscopy systems, food pilot plant, food science kitchen, development systems for detecting fingerprints, specialised light sources and cutting-edge photography technologies.
Cool toys for serious work
Perform cutting-edge research using high-tech instruments, like the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer, the confocal bio-imaging facility, and the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility, arguably the best in the Southern Hemisphere.

Apply now and start your unlimited journey.
Further study options
*The tuition fees quoted above are the fees for the normal full-time study load of the program (80 credit points) per annum. International students will be subject to a variable fee regime; i.e. enrolled students will be required to pay fees during their program based on the approved fee for each calendar year. Fee changes (if any) will occur at 1 January each calendar year. Students who extend their program past the normal finish date of the program will be required to pay additional fees based on the prevailing fee level. Western Sydney University is a multi-campus institution. The University reserves the right to alter the location of its programs between campuses and other locations as necessary. Students should be aware of the possibility of change of location for the whole or part of programs for which they enrol and should plan for the need to travel between Western Sydney campuses.
** Lowest Selection Rank