Planning Your

Degree

B. App.Sci.(Biodiversity, Environmental and Park Management)

Purpose

• Provide you with a better idea of what various courses entail

• Explain various opportunities that are available to you (eg. BUGE course, international exchange, cross-institutional enrolments).

• Give you an opportunity to ask questions

• Give us improved planning information in terms of course numbers

• Reduce the amount of one-on-one advisory needed.

General Advice• Think about what area you want to major in• Always prepare before you come to see a staff

member• Use your electives wisely• Program planning sheets are available on the

website to help you. (www.unisa.edu.au/erm)• Don’t defer core courses • Supplement your academic work with relevant

volunteer work and field placements• If you are a full-time student, treat this as a

full-time job!

Key Program Pathways

• Biodiversity and Landcare

• Park Management and Ecotourism

• Environmental Protection and Planning

Key Program Pathways

• Biodiversity and Landcare– Primary focus is on natural resource management

• eg. ecological conservation, biodiversity restoration and park management.

• Park Management and Ecotourism– Deals with human interactions within the environment

• eg. issues of sustainability, education, park planning, visitor services, marketing, tourism, outdoor recreation.

• Environmental Protection and Planning– Primary focus is environment management and

planning for sustainable futures• eg. Agenda 21, local council planning, government

policy.

You have 11 electives.

Use them wisely!

Where are the Electives?

S1 – Year 2

Cores:

Ecology

Public and Private Systems

2 Electives

S2 Year 2

Cores:

Aboriginal Australia N

Strategic Environmental Planning

2 Electives

Where are the Electives?

S1 – Year 3

Cores:

Environmental Law

3 Electives

S2 - Year 3

Cores: None

4 Electives

Biodiversity and Landcare

Team Leader: Joan Gibbs

Examples of Electives:– Introductory and Environmental Geology (S1, Y2)

– Environmental Biology (S1, Y2)

– Conservation Biology (S2, Y2)

– Wildlife Ecology (S1, Y3)

– Ecosystem Monitoring (S1, Y3)

– Fire and Ecosystems or Landcare and Soil Restoration (S2, Y2/3)

– Arid Land Ecology (S2, Y3)

– Coastal Environments (S3, Y2/3)

– Invertebrate Biology 200 (S1, Y2)

Park Management and Ecotourism

• Team Leader: Delene Weber

• Key Electives

– Park and Wilderness Management (S1, Y2)

– Interpretation (S2, Y2)

– Ecotourism (S1, Y3)

– Park Management Field Study 9pt. (S2, Y3)

Park Management & Ecotourism

• Other Suitable Electives (5 more choices)– Any courses in the biodiversity stream.– Outdoor recreation courses– Management Courses

• Principles of Project Management• Marketing• Consultation and Conflict Resolution• Managing Human Resources.• Several business courses could also be used.

– Planning Courses• GIS 1 and 2• Introduction to Planning

– Some other Tourism or Behavioural Science Courses• Eg. Reconcilliation Tourism (pending) or People

and Society

Environmental Protection & Planning

• Team Leader: Robin Lister• Appropriate Electives

– Principles of Project Management (S1, Y3)

– Consultation and Conflict Resolution (S1, Y3)

– Environmental Management Systems (S2, Y3)

– Professional Placement (S2, Y3)

– Conservation Biology (S2, Y2)

– Environmental Impact Assessment (FU and AU)

– Environmental Economics (Flinders Uni)

Environmental Protection & Planning

• Other suitable electives– Environmental Planning MajorKey Advisor: Jennifer Bonham

» Understanding Cities and Regions (S1, Y2)» GIS 1 and GIS 2 (S1, Y2 + S2, Y2)» Introduction to Planning (S2, Y2)» Urban Design Workshop (S1, Y3)» Planning Law (S1, Y3)» Social Planning Techniques (S1, Y3)» Planning and Environmental Ethics (S1, Y3)» Planning Policy (S2, Y3)» Infrastructure Workshop (S2, Y3)

Environmental Protection & Planning

• Other suitable electives– Water Major (Key Advisor – Julie E Mills)

» Environmental Chemistry Fundamentals (S2, Y2)» Water Resources Planning (Adelaide Uni) (S2, Y2)» Water Quality Fundamentals (S1, Y3)» Water Engineering and Hydraulics (S1, Y3)» Water Resource Management (S1, Y3)» Hydrogeology (S1, Y3)» Surface Hydrology (S1, Y3)» Advanced Water Quality (S2, Y3)» Flood Hydrology (S2, Y3)» Soil –Plant Water Relations (S2, Y3)

What is a BUGE???

• A course designed to Broaden your Undergraduate Education.

• Do I need one?– Yes

• Can I do lots?– No

• Give me some examples?

The BUGE MatrixExamples Biodiversity Park Planning

Outdoor Recreation

Yes No Yes

Enviro Economics

Yes Yes No

EMS Yes Yes No

Italian Yes Yes Yes

Wildlife Ecology

No No Yes

Cross-Institutional Enrolment• You can complete courses at other Universities

and still receive credit toward this degree.• To do this:

– Find the course you are interested in and show the relevant UniSA team leader the objectives and outline of the course. They will make the decision on whether it is an appropriate elective or not.

• NOTE: The course must be equivalent to a UniSA 4.5 unit course and must not be redundant with anything else you have covered. At Flinders Uni, the degrees are worth 108 units (same as UniSA) but the courses may be worth 3, 4.5 or 6 units. Courses worth 3 units are not be sufficient.

– Call the other institute and ask if you would be able to sit the course (tell them you are a UniSA student and what you have already done)

– If it is ok with the other institute, complete the cross-institutional enrolment form

– When you have finished the course, complete a credit application form.

Credit Applications• You can receive credit if you have completed

relevant courses at another institution.• To do this you must complete a credit

application form and attach details explaining how the course you completed is equivalent to the the course you are applying for credit– You must include your transcript– You must how the number of hours of lectures and

pracs and the total number of weeks involved in the course.

– You must show the objectives of the course and provide an outline of what topics were covered.

• Submit credit forms to Delene

International Exchange

• You can complete a semester overseas at one of a variety of different Universities and receive credit toward this degree.

• The most common places our students select are Colorado State University and Northern Arizona University.

• Joan Gibbs is the liaison person for this program.

• You pay fees at your home institute not the international university and there is some assistance available for airfares.

General Tips

• Enrol early – it helps you to get a place and it helps us to plan. – Note: timetables are created for key

pathways.

• Use your electives to build a major

• You are already getting a broad education through your core courses so 10 introductory courses is not appropriate or smart!

General Tips

• Make sure you check pre-requisites

• Study the selection criteria posted for dream jobs.

• Supplement your study with work experience.

• Develop industry networks now!

Checklist for Graduation Eligibility•  You have completed 108 units (= 24 courses of 4.5

units)

•  You have not included more than 1 BUGE course in your 108 units

•  You have completed all core courses

•  You have completed courses consistent with a specified program plan (or have obtain approval for variation)

•  If you completed any cross-institutional courses, you have filled in an application for credit for these courses.

•  If you were eligible for status for any other course work you have completed, you have completed an application for credit for those courses.

•  A minimum of 54 pts must have been completed within the School of ERM (unless you have received approval from the program director to take other UniSA courses)

Future of ERM

• We are expecting that we will merge to form a larger school from 2004.

• Likely name of school, “School of Natural and Built Environments”.

• New school will encompass our program, planning and geoinformatics and civil and water engineering

• Not likely to be any negative impacts,or in fact any major changes, for students

Final Comments

• Please sign up in P2-50 ASAP!

• This does not constitute a formal enrolment in the course – you will still need to enrol on Medici

• If you need further information, talk to people early.