Future Students

Botany

The major thrusts of teaching and research continue to focus on the importance of the Western Australian flora, which increases as we understand more about its richness and the reasons for its diversity, and the need to understand more about how plants function in our environments. 

If you are interested in our unique and exciting flora, either from an environmental or biological point of view, the study of Botany is the best way to learn more about its organisms, how they function and factors affecting their distribution, and increasingly, their possible extinction.

Level 1
You will follow a foundation package and study Core Concepts in Biology; Plant and Animal Biology; Molecular Biology of the Cell; Chemistry; Maths and/or Stats. You will choose units from Physics and Earth and Environmental Science.

Level 2
You will study Plant Physiology, and Land Plant Diversity and Systematics and choose from units such as Aquatic Botany, Ecology, Genetics. At Level 2 you also take units toward a second major.

Level 3
In Level 3 you will specialise further in Botany, choosing units such as  Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology; Plant Physiological Ecology; Australian Vegetation, and Ecosystem Biogeochemistry. You may also choose units suh as Biological Oceanography, Management Decision Tools, Environmental Change and Genetics and Plant Breeding. You will also take units in your second major if you elect to pursue a double major.

If you are interested in finding out which subjects you will study then have a look at the Course Outline. This will show you the core units and the options for the course, along with course rules.

You will notice that each unit has a unit code, for example BIOL1130. The first number in the unit code indicates the level of the unit - in this case level one. For a more detailed description of a particular unit, click on the unit code.

Career opportunities

With the increase in environmental awareness the range of career prospects for good graduates has been extended. Many companies now employ botanists as environmental scientists, as plants form the major biological determinant of habitats. Graduates have also found jobs with environmental consultants, the mining industry and with state government departments (Department of Environment and Conservation, Department of Agriculture and Food, and the Department of Water). There are also positions for botanically-trained research assistants and technicians within universities and CSIRO. Graduates may also go on to do a teaching qualification and become school teachers, or work in farming, horticulture and floriculture industries.