BlogScienceWhat It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Science at Monash University

What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Science at Monash University

Bachelor of Science Monash - Fact Sheet

Are you intrigued by science or a keen experimenter and considering studying at Monash University? Choosing to pursue a Bachelor of Science at Monash could be just the pick for you!

To help you decide, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about studying Science at Monash — from majors and career paths to the culture and best societies to join.

Let’s dive in!

What is a Bachelor of Science at Monash?
Core Units and Majors
How to Get into a Bachelor of Science at Monash
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

What is a Bachelor of Science at Monash?

A Bachelor of Science from Monash will give you a broad education in science and specialist knowledge in one or more disciplines. As Science is such a broad subject area, there are a variety of areas that you can choose to major in — and at Monash, you’ve got many options to choose from.

Can this degree be studied with another?

A Bachelor of Science at Monash University can be studied as a single or dual degree, with the option to combine it with another undergraduate degree in:

  • Arts
  • Biomedical Science
  • Commerce
  • Computer Science
  • Education (Honours)
  • Engineering (Honours)
  • Global Studies
  • Information Technology
  • Laws (Honours)
  • Music

To complete a Bachelor of Science as a double degree, you’ll replace your free electives with subjects from your other degree, and end up finishing both degrees faster than if you studied them individually!

Honours

Students can consider completing a one-year honours program after completing their Bachelor of Science. This can be a great way to get a taste of academic research and hone your skills in research and communication.

To be eligible for Honours, you must have obtained a distinction grade average or higher across four of your third-year subjects. Three of these subjects must also be in the same discipline that you want to undertake Honours in.

Career Paths

Since a Bachelor of Science encompasses so many different subject areas, there are plenty of careers you can pursue once you graduate! These can include jobs from across a variety of different industries, such as:

  • Public policy 
  • Occupational health and safety 
  • Food manufacturing 
  • Market research and product development
  • Management, technical and environmental consulting
  • Data analytics 
  • Science communication
  • Journalism
  • Teaching

To see just where a Science degree can take you, head here!

Core Units and Majors

Studying a Bachelor of Science will require you to complete units from three areas:

  • 48 credit points of Science specified study
  • 48 credit points towards a Science major
  • 48 credit points of free electives

Most subjects are worth six credit points, so you will complete 24 subjects over the entire degree.

What are the Core Units?

In first year, you will be taking introductory units in maths and science, including one mathematics subject and two science subjects from one of these broad subject areas:

  • Biological sciences
  • Chemistry
  • Computational science
  • Earth, atmosphere and environment
  • Geographical science
  • Mathematics and statistics
  • Physics
  • Psychology

Some of these introductory subjects will count towards the completion of your chosen major.

Second and third year will see you studying general science units — which can include an internship unit — as well as intermediate and senior units in the major.

What are the Majors?

With a whopping 28 majors to choose from, you’ll be sure to find an area of study that will interest you! 

If you can’t quite decide on one area to major in, you can choose to major in one subject and minor in another. Majors require the completion of eight subjects over the degree, while minors only require you to complete four.

To give you an idea of what you can expect, here are a few that you can choose from.

Developmental Biology

This rapidly developing area of biomedical science involves the study of how single cells can develop into an adult organism. Studying developmental biology can lead to important discoveries, such as the causes for diseases and birth defects.

Bachelor of Science Monash - Quote

Atmospheric Science

Studying atmospheric science at Monash sees students learning about the structure and evolution of the atmosphere. As an interdisciplinary subject, it draws on environmental science, applied mathematics, geography, and concepts from physics and chemistry. 

Students can expect to broaden their theory-based knowledge and practical skills through field work, data analysis, theoretical research and modelling.

Pharmacology

Relating to the effects of drugs on living things, pharmacology is critically important for ensuring medicines are used safely and effectively, and in the identification of new ways to treat people.

Pharmacology students learn about major pharmacological concepts and how to apply this knowledge to the development and use of drugs to treat specific diseases.

Internships

Though internships aren’t compulsory, Monash offers several options for those wanting some practical experience while they study.

Students can choose to take a science research project unit, which is similar to an Honours project but is condensed into just one semester. Students will gain skills in academic research while working on the project under a supervisor, usually during a summer or winter semester.

To undertake one of these units, students will need to have a high GPA and may need written permission from the unit coordinator to enrol. 

You can find out more about these units here!

Or, students can complete a science internship unit for credit. This unit allows students to source their own internship or apply for a position sourced by Monash. To receive credit, students must complete 120 hours or more of practical learning and attend pre-placement workshops.

How to Get into a Bachelor of Science at Monash

To get into a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, you’ll need an ATAR of 75 or higher. 

Prerequisites

To study Science at Monash University, you will need to have studied and scored 27 or higher in VCE English and 25 or higher in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, or Psychology in Year 12 (or equivalent). 

Scholarships

With over 200 scholarships available, Monash has a range of different schemes available for undergraduate students across the different faculties and from first year all the way through to third year.

These include:

  • The Imagine Scholarship: Two scholarships with a value of $8,000 are available each year, eligible students must be a commencing or current student enrolled in a single or double degree in the Faculty of Science, Engineering, or Information Technology, and either live in a remote or rural area or receive a low income.
  • Rowe Scientific Chemistry Scholarship: Value of $5,000 is available each year, eligible students must be enrolled in their third year of study in a Bachelor of Science or Advanced Science, majoring in chemistry, and falling within one of Monash University’s equity categories.

There are plenty more scholarships available within the Faculty and the wider university, which you can find here!

What’s the Teaching Format?

Studying Science at Monash will see you complete 6-8 units across two semesters, with the option to take a limited selection of subjects during condensed summer and winter semesters.

Class Structure

The Bachelor of Science at Monash is a contact-heavy degree, which will require you to attend lectures, labs, and either tutorials or workshops.

Bachelor of Science - Class Structure

Lectures

These classes will be where you will be introduced to and learn about core concepts and are the biggest that you’ll attend, with a maximum of about 100 people attending each session.

You will generally attend two one-hour lectures per week for each subject.

Labs

Labs are the most hands-on classes that you’ll attend and generally run for about three hours, with 80 to 100 people attending each session.

These classes are where you will consolidate the knowledge you have learned in lectures through practical experiments.

Tutorials and Workshops

Most subjects will offer either tutorials and workshops as another form of practical learning. These classes are much smaller and more tailored, with about 20 to 30 people attending.

There will usually be one class per week that runs for two hours. These classes provide the opportunity for you to engage with the content, ask questions, and work on assessments.

How many hours do you have to go to university?

While the hours will vary subject to subject, you can generally expect to attend two one-hour lectures, one three-hour lab, and one two-hour workshop each week for every subject you take.

For a full-time student studying three units per semester, you can expect to be on campus 3 to 4 days a week, while students studying four units will likely be on campus five days a week.

What are the assessments like?

Although the specific selection of assessments can vary from subject to subject, you can expect to be assessed through a combination of literature reviews, quizzes, oral presentations, lab presentations, and exams.

Literature reviews

Literature reviews are written assessments that require you to explore the literature that has been published about a certain topic or subject area. These assessments are usually worth about 20% of your final mark.

Quizzes

These assessments are also quite common, and can take the form of online, weekly quizzes or mid-semester tests.

The weekly quizzes are often worth only a small percentage of your final mark, such as 1-2% per quiz, but getting marks in these assessments can help take the pressure off when exam time rolls around.

Mid-semester tests are worth around 20% of your final grade, and often test the content you have completed during the first half of the semester.

Oral presentations

This kind of assessment helps you develop your public speaking and presentation skills, which can be quite useful in your working life. 

You may be asked to prepare a presentation by yourself or with a group of other students, and then present it to tutors, lecturers, and other students. These assessments are generally worth about 15% of your grade.

Lab assessments

As you might have guessed, these assessments are based around the work you do in labs. 

They can take the form of weekly quizzes you must complete and pass before your practical classes, or written reports and executive summaries about the experiment you have completed in class.

In total, lab assessments can be worth up to 40% of your grade, with some units requiring you to achieve a certain mark in order to pass the whole subject.

Exams

Most Science subjects will assess you through final exams. 

These are held during the exam period at the end of semester and cover all of the topics you have studied. This means that these exams are worth up to 50% of your final mark and often require you to score over a certain mark in order to pass the subject.

Skills That You Refine and Learn

Bachelor of Science - Skills

Working in the sciences will often require you to be able to problem solve, follow directions, and communicate with others. After completing a Bachelor of Science at Monash, not only will you gain knowledge in the scientific specialty you pursue, but you also develop your communication skills — both orally and in writing – and critical thinking skills.

Since you spend a lot of time in labs, you will also learn how to use different tools in the labs, follow protocols, and be safe while performing experiments. The practical components of Science subjects see you develop your teamwork skills, which are especially handy once you enter the workforce.

What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?

Faculty and Culture

Studying Science at Monash means that you will learn from faculty engaged in a wide range of research. The lecturers and tutors are very approachable, supportive of students, and want to see their students do well!

“They do all sorts of things at Monash: zebrafish, fruit flies, planarians and flatworms, lots of different things. So researchers are doing some pretty amazing work.” — Holly Wolfe

As for the culture, you’ll find it to be quite supportive too. A Science degree will see you meet lots of different people across your subjects, who are often passionate about their studies and happy to help each other out. 

Monash also has a specific area for Science students called the Science Student Learning Lounge. Open 24/7, the lounge is a perfect spot to study, work on group assignments or simply take some time out with fellow students.

Societies

Joining a society can be a great way to meet new people, pursue a hobby or special interest, and network with other Science students, and Monash has more than 100 that you can choose to join.

For Science students, joining the Monash Science Society is a great place to start. As one of the largest faculty-based societies at Monash, the society offers all sorts of events, including a first-year camp, a ball, and a Science Industry Week packed with seminars from people in the science industry.

Students can also join societies for their specific major, such as the Monash Biological Society, the Society of Chemistry Students, and the Neuroscience and Psychology Society.

Support Programs

At Monash, there are several support programs available for students so they can adjust to university life and perform well academically.

The Science Peer Mentoring Program is offered to first-year students to help you settle in and make friends at the start of your studies. Running over six weeks, first-years will be matched with a senior Science student and get to meet other Science students socially.

The university also offers drop-in study centres for first-year students, where they can access free tutoring and academic support. The tutors at the centres can assist with class content, how to develop a study plan, and can offer study tips and information about accessing support services!


Rachel Fieldhouse is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and has just completed a double degree in Science and Arts at The University of Sydney, majoring in Chemistry, English, and Linguistics. Rachel’s writing has been published in Concrete Playground, Inside Enterprise, Planting Seeds, and SURG FM, and she currently writes blog posts for Remi AI, a Sydney-based Artificial Intelligence firm. When she’s not writing, you can find Rachel playing her saxophone or flute, or relaxing with some sudoku.

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