Science (International) - 3987
Program Summary
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Contact: http://www.science.unsw.edu.au
Campus: Sydney
Career: Undergraduate
Typical Duration: 4 Years
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
Min UOC Per Semester: 6
Max UOC Per Semester: 24
Min UOC For Award: 192
UAC Code: 429420
Domestic Entry Cut-off: 89.00 
International Entry Requirements: See International Entry Requirements
Award(s):
Bachelor of Science (International) (Major)
View program information for previous years
Program Description
The Bachelor of Science (International) recognises that science involves a global network, which is faced with and addresses global issues and often operates within companies and agencies that have an international focus. The BSc (International) is thus aimed at providing for the needs of students by preparing them for an increasingly globalised work environment.
The program is designed for students wishing to obtain a strong and highly regarded Science program coupled with specific emphasis on cross-cultural skills, knowledge and understanding. The program also provides the knowledge and skills essential for understanding and working in the rapidly changing global environment. It will provide a wide range of career opportunities in global scientific organisations and companies, international government and non-government agencies and in scientific research. The program requires students to undertake a coherent scientific program, achieved by completing a science-based major and adds a series of directed electives to provide a suite of attributes associated with ‘global education’. The program also places emphasis on cross cultural understanding, competencies in languages and incorporates a period of overseas study. The Faculty provides a contribution to the expenses of this exchange.
The program is designed for students wishing to obtain a strong and highly regarded Science program coupled with specific emphasis on cross-cultural skills, knowledge and understanding. The program also provides the knowledge and skills essential for understanding and working in the rapidly changing global environment. It will provide a wide range of career opportunities in global scientific organisations and companies, international government and non-government agencies and in scientific research. The program requires students to undertake a coherent scientific program, achieved by completing a science-based major and adds a series of directed electives to provide a suite of attributes associated with ‘global education’. The program also places emphasis on cross cultural understanding, competencies in languages and incorporates a period of overseas study. The Faculty provides a contribution to the expenses of this exchange.
Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes
The objectives of the program are:
- To graduate scientists with both a breadth and depth of scientific knowledge and professional skills;
- To develop the capacity for critical thinking and independent learning;
- To provide training in the practice and management of research and instil a research ethos;
- To expose students to the social context of science, to the globalization of science, the global issues in science and provide a greater appreciation and sensitivity to the cultural context of knowledge and learning in science;
- To foster greater cross cultural understanding and the development of international professional networks.
Program Structure
Where completing the Bachelor of Science (International) as a single degree, students must complete a minimum of 192 units of credit comprised of:
- an approved Bachelor of Science (International) major;
- SCIF3003 Global Citizenship in Science (6 UOC);
- science elective courses such that the major plus SCIF3003 plus science courses total 96 units of credit;
- a minor in a language of 36 units of credit;
- 24 units of credit of directed electives which cover topics on cultural studies, development studies, environmental studies, geography, globalisation and international business. Approved directed electives are found in Table 2. These may be Science or non-Science courses;
- free electives. The number of free electives a student can take depends on whether the directed electives chosen are Science or non-Science courses.
Where a student studies the Bachelor of Science (International) as part of a dual degree with another UNSW undergraduate degree program, they are required to complete 168 units of credit of courses as follows:
- an approved Bachelor of Science (International) major;
- SCIF3003 Global Citizenship in Science (6 UOC);
- science elective courses such that the major plus SCIF3003 plus science courses total 96 units of credit;
- a minor in a language of 36 units of credit;
- 24 units of credit of directed electives which cover topics on cultural studies, development studies, environmental studies, geography, globalisation and international business. Approved directed electives are found in Table 2. These may be Science or non-Science courses;
- free electives. The number of free electives a student can take depends on whether the directed electives chosen are Science or non-Science courses.
For students undertaking the Bachelor of Science (International) in either single or dual degree mode, one year (48 units of credit) of the program requirements will be completed overseas at a partner university of UNSW.
Single Degree Program Rules
Academic rules relating to the Bachelor of Science (International) are as follows:
1. Students must complete a minimum of 192 units of credit for the single degree program;
2. Students must complete at least one approved Bachelor of Science (International) major, and this must be declared before enrolling in level II courses.
Students do not need to declare a major in their first year as they are encouraged to try a variety of level 1 Science courses to enable them to select an appropriate major before commencing level II courses. Information on how to declare a major can be found on the Science Student Centre website.
3. Approved majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) program are:
1. Students must complete a minimum of 192 units of credit for the single degree program;
2. Students must complete at least one approved Bachelor of Science (International) major, and this must be declared before enrolling in level II courses.
Students do not need to declare a major in their first year as they are encouraged to try a variety of level 1 Science courses to enable them to select an appropriate major before commencing level II courses. Information on how to declare a major can be found on the Science Student Centre website.
3. Approved majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) program are:
4. SCIF3003 Global Citizenship in Science must be completed in a student's final semester of study.
5. In addition to the courses required for a student's chosen major and SCIF3003, students must take science courses so that the major plus SCIF3003, plus 'science' courses total at least 96 units of credit.
Majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) range from 54 units of credit to 90 units of credit, and SCIF3003 is 6 units of credit, and therefore students will typically need to take 0 to 36 units of credit of additional 'science' courses depending on the major chosen. Some of these additional science courses may need to be at level I depending on whether a major meets rule 6 below. Where a student chooses to complete a double major, this requirement will typically be met through completion of the requirements for the two majors.
'Science' courses are courses offered by the following Schools. The course prefixes that are associated with each School are in bold:
Table 1: Definition of 'Science' courses
5. In addition to the courses required for a student's chosen major and SCIF3003, students must take science courses so that the major plus SCIF3003, plus 'science' courses total at least 96 units of credit.
Majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) range from 54 units of credit to 90 units of credit, and SCIF3003 is 6 units of credit, and therefore students will typically need to take 0 to 36 units of credit of additional 'science' courses depending on the major chosen. Some of these additional science courses may need to be at level I depending on whether a major meets rule 6 below. Where a student chooses to complete a double major, this requirement will typically be met through completion of the requirements for the two majors.
'Science' courses are courses offered by the following Schools. The course prefixes that are associated with each School are in bold:
Table 1: Definition of 'Science' courses
| Aviation | AVIA |
| Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences | BIOS, BEES, CLIM, GEOS, IEST, MSCI, ENVS |
| Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences | BABS, BIOC, BIOT, MICR |
| Chemistry | CHEM |
| Computer Science | COMP |
| Food Science | FOOD |
| Materials Science and Engineering | MATS |
| Mathematics and Statistics | MATH |
| Medical Sciences | ANAT, NEUR, PATH, PHAR, PHSL, SOMS |
| Psychology | PSYC |
| Physics | PHYS |
| Optometry and Vision Science | OPTM, VISN |
| Science Faculty | SCIF, BSSM |
6. A minimum of 24 units of credit of Science level I courses must be completed.
Most majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) already satisfy this requirement, for example, the Molecular Biology major requires BIOS1101, BABS1201, CHEM1011, CHEM1021 and 6 units of credit of Mathematics. This is a total of 30 units of credit of 'science' level I courses, therefore, no more are required. Where a major does not include at least 24 units of credit of 'science' level I courses, students will need to choose additional level I science courses to bring the total to 24 units of credit. For example, Psychology requires PSYC1001 and PSYC1011, therefore students will need to choose an additional 12 UOC of science level I courses.
7. A minor of 36 units of credit in a language must be completed. These minors are defined by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and details of the courses required for each minor can be found at the following links:
Most majors in the Bachelor of Science (International) already satisfy this requirement, for example, the Molecular Biology major requires BIOS1101, BABS1201, CHEM1011, CHEM1021 and 6 units of credit of Mathematics. This is a total of 30 units of credit of 'science' level I courses, therefore, no more are required. Where a major does not include at least 24 units of credit of 'science' level I courses, students will need to choose additional level I science courses to bring the total to 24 units of credit. For example, Psychology requires PSYC1001 and PSYC1011, therefore students will need to choose an additional 12 UOC of science level I courses.
7. A minor of 36 units of credit in a language must be completed. These minors are defined by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and details of the courses required for each minor can be found at the following links:
- Chinese Studies;
- French Studies;
- German Studies;
- Hispanic Studies;
- Japanese Studies;
- Korean Studies;
- Indonesian Studies.
In order to complete the minor, one course for the minor should be taken each semester for the first 5 semesters. The remaining course can be taken overseas or in a student's final semester of study. This will ensure that students have a good language background before travelling overseas on exchange, ideally to a country related to their language study.
8. A student must complete at least 24 units of credit of directed electives from the following list of approved courses.
Table 2: Approved Directed Electives
8. A student must complete at least 24 units of credit of directed electives from the following list of approved courses.
Table 2: Approved Directed Electives
- ARTS1210 Concepts of Asia (6 UOC)
- ARTS1211 Australia's Asian Context (6 UOC)
- ARTS1750 Intro to Development Studies (6 UOC)
- ARTS1751 Poor World, Rich World (6 UOC)
- ARTS1810 Int'l Rel: Con & Cha (6 UOC)
- ARTS1811 International Relations (6 UOC)
- ARTS2811 International Law (6 UOC)
- ARTS2812 Politics of Intl Organisation (6 UOC)
- ARTS2813 International Security (6 UOC)
- ARTS2814 Internat'l Relations Theories (6 UOC)
- FINS3616 International Business Finance (6 UOC)
- GEOS1601 Geog. of Australian Identities (6 UOC)
- GEOS3611 Geographies of Asia-Pacific (6 UOC)
- GEOS3651 Geographies of Intl Migration (6 UOC)
- MARK3071 International&Global Marketing ( UOC)
- MGMT1101 Global Business Environment (6 UOC)
- MGMT2101 Int Bus & Multinat Operations (6 UOC)
- MGMT2102 Managing Across Cultures (6 UOC)
- MGMT3102 Asia-Pacific Business (6 UOC)
Note: Some of these courses require completion of prerequisite courses. If students wish to take these courses they are expected to use their free electives to complete necessary prerequisites.
Students may apply for additional courses to be considered for this list through the Science Student Centre. Courses will be considered by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) or nominee if they fulfill the objectives of the Bachelor of Science (International) program.
9. Students must complete an international exchange of 48 units of credit over two semesters at an approved UNSW overseas partner university. A list of partner universities can be found at www.international.unsw.edu.au/outbound-exchanges/exchange-partners/. The exchange is governed by the following rules:
Students may apply for additional courses to be considered for this list through the Science Student Centre. Courses will be considered by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) or nominee if they fulfill the objectives of the Bachelor of Science (International) program.
9. Students must complete an international exchange of 48 units of credit over two semesters at an approved UNSW overseas partner university. A list of partner universities can be found at www.international.unsw.edu.au/outbound-exchanges/exchange-partners/. The exchange is governed by the following rules:
- To proceed on exchange students must have achieved satisfactory academic progress in their first and second years of study and must fulfil the requirements of the University's exchange program;
- Students must complete 120 units of credit before they can go on exchange, ie the exchange program is completed in Year 3 semester 2, and Year 4 semester 1;
- Students who undertake the international exchange of 48 units of credit will be eligible for a Faculty of Science Travel Bursary;
- Students must apply to go on exchange through the Global Education and Student Exchange Office 9 months in advanced of their intended exchange. For details on how to apply for exchange, please see www.international.unsw.edu.au/outbound-exchanges/apply/.
There are no restrictions on a student's selection of courses whilst on exchange, however, students should be enrolled full-time and all courses taken must count towards meeting the degree requirements such that the degree can be completed in the minimum time. Students should note that it can sometimes be difficult finding exact matches to core courses for a major at foreign universities, and it may be easier to take elective courses (science electives, free electives or directed electives) whilst on exchange. Therefore students should plan their enrolment over the four years of the Bachelor of Science (International) degree accordingly.
10. A maximum of 72 units of credit of level I courses can be taken throughout the entire degree program.
11. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed.
12. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit.
13. Progression to stages 2,3 and 4 is subject to satisfactory progress. Students who do not meet a minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 65 at the end of stage 2 will be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science. Students who are otherwise deemed ineligible to proceed on exchange will also be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science
10. A maximum of 72 units of credit of level I courses can be taken throughout the entire degree program.
11. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed.
12. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit.
13. Progression to stages 2,3 and 4 is subject to satisfactory progress. Students who do not meet a minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 65 at the end of stage 2 will be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science. Students who are otherwise deemed ineligible to proceed on exchange will also be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science
Dual Degree Program Rules
Where a student undertakes a Bachelor of Science (International) degree program as part of a dual degree with another undergraduate degree at UNSW, the program rules for the Bachelor of Science (International) are as follows (please see the relevant rule in the single degree program for further information):
1. Students must complete a minimum of 168 units of credit;
2. Students must complete at least one approved Bachelor of Science (International) major, and this must be declared before enrolling in level II courses;
3. SCIF3003 Global Citizenship in Science must be completed in a student's final semester of study;
4. In addition to the courses required for a student's chosen major and SCIF3003, students must take science courses so that the major plus SCIF3003, plus 'science' courses total at least 96 units of credit;
5. A minimum of 24 units of credit of Science level I courses must be completed;
6. A minor of 36 units of credit in a language must be completed;
7. A student must complete at least 24 units of credit of directed electives from the list of approved courses in Table 2;
8. Students must complete an international exchange of 48 units of credit over two semesters at an approved UNSW overseas partner university.
9. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed.
10. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit.
11. Progression to stages 2,3 and 4 is subject to satisfactory progress. Students who do not meet a minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 65 at the end of stage 2 will be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science. Students who are otherwise deemed ineligible to proceed on exchange will also be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science.
Students taking the Bachelor of Science (International) as part of a dual degree will also have free electives to bring the total units of credit to 168 units. The number of free electives a student can take depends on whether the directed electives chosen are science or non-science courses.
Students wishing to complete a double major in the Bachelor of Science (International) when taken as part of a dual degree with another degree program at UNSW, should be aware that it will be very difficult to complete two majors within 168 units of credit. Therefore where a dual degree student would like to undertake a double major, they should be aware that it may involve extra time and cost to complete, and may have visa implications for international students.
1. Students must complete a minimum of 168 units of credit;
2. Students must complete at least one approved Bachelor of Science (International) major, and this must be declared before enrolling in level II courses;
3. SCIF3003 Global Citizenship in Science must be completed in a student's final semester of study;
4. In addition to the courses required for a student's chosen major and SCIF3003, students must take science courses so that the major plus SCIF3003, plus 'science' courses total at least 96 units of credit;
5. A minimum of 24 units of credit of Science level I courses must be completed;
6. A minor of 36 units of credit in a language must be completed;
7. A student must complete at least 24 units of credit of directed electives from the list of approved courses in Table 2;
8. Students must complete an international exchange of 48 units of credit over two semesters at an approved UNSW overseas partner university.
9. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed.
10. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit.
11. Progression to stages 2,3 and 4 is subject to satisfactory progress. Students who do not meet a minimum weighted average mark (WAM) of 65 at the end of stage 2 will be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science. Students who are otherwise deemed ineligible to proceed on exchange will also be required to transfer to program 3970 Bachelor of Science.
Students taking the Bachelor of Science (International) as part of a dual degree will also have free electives to bring the total units of credit to 168 units. The number of free electives a student can take depends on whether the directed electives chosen are science or non-science courses.
Students wishing to complete a double major in the Bachelor of Science (International) when taken as part of a dual degree with another degree program at UNSW, should be aware that it will be very difficult to complete two majors within 168 units of credit. Therefore where a dual degree student would like to undertake a double major, they should be aware that it may involve extra time and cost to complete, and may have visa implications for international students.
Honours
Progression to stage 4 Honours is subject to academic performance, the academic requirements for a particular Honours program, and the number of places available in a School's Honours program. Typically students require a minimum overall WAM (weighted average mark) of a credit for entry into honours, although due to the competitive nature of honours in some Schools, the level of academic performance required may be higher. Where students have an overall WAM that is less than, but close to a credit, Schools may take into consideration a student's academic performance in their major area of study when assessing an application for honours. Students seeking to enrol in honours are required to have completed a total of 144 units of credit and all the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (including all level I, major, and general education requirements), and satisfied prerequisite requirements for honours as specified by the relevant School. Students should check prerequisite requirements for honours with the relevant School as early as possible in their second year of study. Students who have not qualified for the Bachelor of Science at pass level, will not be permitted to enrol in honours. Students must apply to the relevant School for admission to honours, and admission requirements as well as the number of places available, are determined by the Head of School or nominee.
NOTES:
From 2014 Honours in Biology, Climate Science, Earth Science, Ecology, Geography, Marine Science, Medical Science (including Anatomy, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology) and Palaeoscience will be offered through 4500 Bachelor of Science (Honours). Students seeking to enrol into Honours in one of these disciplines should refer to program 4500 Science (Honours) and the relevant plan page listed in the Handbook.
Students who wish to undertake Honours in Food Science will be required to graduate from the Bachelor of Science, and apply for admission into program 3065 Food Science (Honours) through the School of Chemical Engineering.
For 2014 only all other Science disciplines not included in program 4500 Science (Honours) will be offered through 3987 as an additional year of study.
NOTES:
From 2014 Honours in Biology, Climate Science, Earth Science, Ecology, Geography, Marine Science, Medical Science (including Anatomy, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology) and Palaeoscience will be offered through 4500 Bachelor of Science (Honours). Students seeking to enrol into Honours in one of these disciplines should refer to program 4500 Science (Honours) and the relevant plan page listed in the Handbook.
Students who wish to undertake Honours in Food Science will be required to graduate from the Bachelor of Science, and apply for admission into program 3065 Food Science (Honours) through the School of Chemical Engineering.
For 2014 only all other Science disciplines not included in program 4500 Science (Honours) will be offered through 3987 as an additional year of study.
Academic Rules
Please refer to Single Degree and Dual Degree Program Rules above.
Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website: https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html
Choosing Electives
In addition to choosing science elective courses, and directed elective courses as per the academic rules above, students have free electives in this program, where not undertaking a double major. These free electives can be taken from any Faculty at UNSW subject to the rule that no more than 72 units of credit of level I courses can be taken throughout the degree program. Therefore students may choose to undertake further science courses, or may explore subject areas from outside of science. History and Philosophy of Science courses offered by the School of History and Philosophy of Science are recommended free electives for Science students.
General Education Requirements
The UNSW General Education Requirements are deemed to have been met in this program by the inclusion of a language component and directed electives which cover cultural studies, development studies, environmental studies, globalisation and international business. Therefore students are not required to take any general education courses for this program.
Double Major
Where students choose to undertake a double major, elective courses are utilised to undertake courses for the second major. Whilst some majors are in cognate areas and have some overlap which will enable the two majors to be completed in less than 192 units of credit, other major combinations may require a student to do more than the minimum 192 units of credit for the degree. This will result in additional cost and time to complete the degree requirements for the student and may have visa implications for international students.
Award with Distinction
The Faculty of Science will award a Pass degree with Distinction to students who obtain a minimum WAM of 75 across their program and complete at least 72 units of credit at UNSW. Distinction awards will not be issued to students who continue to enrol in an honours program.
Area(s) of Specialisation
- Anatomy
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biological Science
- Biotechnology
- Chemistry
- Chinese Studies
- Food Science and Technology
- French Studies
- Genetics
- Geography
- Geology
- German Studies
- Hispanic Studies
- Indonesian Studies
- Japanese Studies
- Korean Studies
- Marine Science
- Materials Science
- Mathematics
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Oceanography
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physics
- Physiology
- Psychology
- Remote Sensing
- Statistics
- Vision Science
