Offered By	ANU Joint Colleges of Science
Academic Contact	Dr D.C. "Bear" McPhail and Dr. Sara Beavis
Areas of Interest	Earth and Marine Sciences, Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies - Sustainability, Policy Studies, and Resource Management and Environmental Science

Description:

Water is a critical issue for the environment in Australia, the Australasian region and many other parts of the world. Effective use and management of water resources will continue to be one of the highest priorities for local, regional and federal authorities due to increased pressure from population growth, agricultural, commercial and industrial growth, and environmental and climate change.The major in Water Science provides students with the opportunity to develop their understanding of water resources, including surface water and groundwater in terrestrial and coastal environments. This is important in understanding interactions between, and impacts on, the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere, all part of Earth Systems. Students completing this major will have the expertise to interpret quantitatively surface and groundwater flow and water quality data, design monitoring programs for water resources and provide the technical results to underpin effective management strategies and policies for the use of water resources.

There are many career opportunities for students that complete this major. Those include positions in catchment management authorities, rural and urban water agencies, state and federal water departments and offices, agricultural organisations, minerals industry and environmental consulting in a wide range of companies. There are also many opportunities in Honours, post-graduate, research and academic positions. In all cases there are excellent opportunities in Australia and overseas.

Learning Goals:

On completion of the major in Water Science students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand the distribution, quality and use of water resources in Australia, the Australasian region and the world.
2. Make quantitative predictions relevant for surface water and groundwater budgets and flow.
3. Understand the impacts of climate, land use, and agricultural, commercial and industrial activity on the quality of surface water and groundwater, including interactions with biology, atmosphere, regolith and rocks.
4. Appreciate the difference between observation and interpretation, in order to analyse critically quantitative and qualitative data relevant to water quantity and quality.
5. Integrate information across a range of scientific and engineering disciplines into comprehensive analysis of water issues.
6. Communicate effectively through writing scientific and technical reports and oral presentations.
7. Conduct themselves in a way that reflects professional expectations within the discipline.

Requirements

This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:

A total of 24 units from the following compulsory courses:

EMSC1006  The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science

ENVS2020  Hydrology and Landforms for Natural Resource Management

ENVS3005  Water Resource Management

EMSC3025  Groundwater

A total of 24 units to be chosen from the following courses including:

• 6 units chosen from the following 1000 level courses:

CHEM1101  Chemistry 1

PHYS1001  Foundations of Physics

PHYS1101  Physics 1

MATH1003  Algebra and Calculus Methods

MATH1013  Mathematics and Applications 1

MATH1115  Mathematics and Applications 1 Honours

• 6 to 12 units chosen from the following 2000 level courses:

CHEM2202  Chemical Structure and Reactivity 1

EMSC2014  Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

EMSC2021  Fundamentals of Climate System Science

MATH2305  Differential Equations  Applications

MATH2405  Maths Methods 1 Honours

• A minimum of 6 units from the following 3000 level courses:

EMSC3023  Marine Biogeochemistry

EMSC3027  Palaeoclimatology and Climate Change

EMSC3028  Coastal Environmental Earth Science

ENVS3004  Land and Catchment Management

PHYS3034  Physics of Fluid Flows

• A maximum of 6 units of courses chosen from:

BIOL3208  Biology Research Project

CHEM3060  Research Project in Chemistry

EMSC3050  Special Topics in Earth Sciences

ENVS3016  Special Topic

Advice to Students:

What 1st year courses should you enrol in?  EMSC1006

Students are encouraged in first year to take appropriate foundation courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology earth sciences, environmental science, and/or engineering. This will give students a broader understanding of science and help them decide on the areas they want to study further. Many of the required second-year and third-year courses in this major require one or two first-year courses as pre-requisites, in particular in mathematics, chemistry, biology and physics. Students are advised to consult at least one of the academic conveners of this Water Science major in order to and choose the most appropriate courses/pre-requisites within and outside the major.

Students enrolling in BIOL3208 must undertake the research project in a relevant field of study.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2013 website applies to the 2013 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2012 website.