Wayfinder - Program Guide

Welcome to Science at UNSW

At UNSW Science, our mission is to positively impact society through Science. Our eight schools are home to award-winning educators who are passionate about equipping you with the skills, knowledge and experiences you need to achieve your goals.

Click “Let’s go!” to find your place in this diverse and exciting faculty!

Welcome to a new chapter of your life, and welcome to UNSW Science. Together, let's make your university experience not only educational, but also truly unforgettable.
- Scientia Professor Sven Rogge, Dean of UNSW Science

View Orientation Events

What's your Science Persona?

Welcome to the science faculty, a place as diverse as its students. Curious about where you fit in? You'll find your spot here!
Check out our Science Persona Quiz. It'll help you find clubs, societies, and study areas you'll love. Start your journey and discover your place in our science world!

Persona Quiz

How your Science degree works

Units of Credit (UoC)

A unit of credit (UoC) helps measure how much you learn in a course and program. Most courses are 6 UoC. As a full-time student, you'll usually do 12-18 UoC each term. For more info, check out this link: Unit of Credit Details.

Discipline core - Core courses and prescribed electives

These are courses you must pass to get your qualification. Core courses are mandatory and specific, while prescribed electives are mandatory but let you choose from a list. In the Bachelor of Science, there are core and prescribed electives that all students must take, and ones just for a given major or minor.

Your Science degree program is made up of several components, including:

Program Core

The program core provides crucial opportunities for professional development and engagement with industry.

Program core courses: You must complete a short (0 UoC) core courses for personal and professional development at the beginning (SCIF0000) and end (SCIF3001) of your program. You must also take the project based SCIF1000 course at the end of your first year.

Program prescribed electives: In your second and third years you must choose two courses (12UoC) from the list of Employability Experiences.

Science Major

All students must complete a major in the Bachelor of Science, this is your area of specialisation. Each major has a list of core courses and or prescribed electives consisting of 12-30 UoC at level 1 and 48 UoC at level 2/3. The structure of each major is listed in the Handbook and within this guide. You may complete up to two majors, if there is space in your program.
You must follow the structure of the major as it was published in the handbook the year you commenced your program.

Science Minor

(single degrees only)
Minors are a smaller body of study than a major but is still a recognized specialisation. In a single degree BSc, you may complete either one major and up to two minors, or two majors and one minor. Minors are an excellent way to make informed choices to group your electives to broaden your qualification and tailor it to your career pathway. Your program has an exciting list of minors to consider that you can explore in the program store.

Science Electives

To get your science degree, you need to complete at least 96 UoC of science courses. This includes your program core and your major's courses. If you need more UoC, you can pick science electives. But, some majors already meet the 96 UoC without extra electives.

General Electives

(single degrees only)
At UNSW, if you're in a single program, you need to take at least 12 UoC outside your faculty to broaden your education. Some courses from other faculties don't count as GEs for science students. These are courses starting with COMP, FOOD, NEUR, PATH, PHAR, SOMS, OPTM, VISN. You can use GE courses for a minor if they fit these rules.

Free Electives

(single degrees only)
These are courses that you can choose to take from any subject area, giving you the opportunity to explore topics outside of your Science major.

Throughout your Science degree program, you'll be assessed on your performance in your courses through a variety of methods, including exams, essays, presentations, and practical assessments.

Once you've completed your Science degree program, you'll graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and be prepared to pursue a career in your chosen scientific field or continue on to further study.

You must follow the program structure as it was published in the handbook the year you commenced your program.

View Handbook

Your degree structure - 144 UoC

Single Degree

Dual Degree

It is important that you understand the structure and rules of your program. These are listed in detail in the Handbook. You are required to follow the structure of your program, including majors and minors, as published in the handbook for the year you commenced your program.

For your first-year important rules to be aware of are:

You must complete a minimum of 24 UoC (4 courses) in level 1 Science courses before you can enrol in a higher-level course. This is to ensure you are prepared for the more advanced level of study.

There is a maximum of 72 UoC (12 courses) of level 1 courses (any level one, not just science) that can be attributed to your degree.

Right click to save and print the table above to add courses and explore your options.

Review the Science Progression Plans for structure templates.

Make an appointment through The Nucleus Student Hub for further advice on program planning.

First Year - 48 UoC

Studying a full load means you will complete 8 courses = 48 UoC this year. Full time study is classified as completing 2 or 3 courses in a term.

To get started you need to enrol in SCIF0000 plus two or three other courses for your first term. SCIF0000 is an introduction to university short course to make sure you have the tools and information you need for success at university.

To know what other courses to enrol in you can use this guide to help choose a major or, if you’re not sure yet – an area of study.

Finally, you must enrol in SCIF1000 (this is completed after you have completed a minimum of 24 UoC of first year courses). This course is an essential transition to your higher years of study and all students in the Bachelor of Science should complete it in their first year.

Single program students: You may find after selecting your core courses, and courses for your major, that you still have a few courses to fill with electives. We recommend taking the time now to review the minor options in the program store and consider what minors might compliment your area of study, to direct your choice of electives.

Single Degree

Dual Degree

How to use the Program Store

Filter Options

The Program Store is just like online shopping! Use the filters to narrow your results based on key areas, such as your Science Persona, interests, goals and the UN SDGs.

Info Cards

Get an overview of all out science majors using our interactive info cards. Here you can get a brief understanding of each major, view UoC required to complete each major and discover career pathways related to each major.

Majors, Minors and Electives

The Program Store shows you all the majors and minors available. You can also view the elective courses offered by each school to help make your course choices a little easier.

Program Store

Here's some flexible options for you to choose from:

UNSW Science courses can be categorised into the following general study areas, Biological, Biomedical, Environmental, Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Click the general areas below to see which majors are part of that study area. Click “View courses for this flexible option” to see which courses to enrol in to keep your options open within that study area. Food Science and Psychology are specialist majors so they are not listed here but you can find their specific course profiles on the program store.

Biological

Biomedical

Environmental

Mathematics

Physical

Neuroscience

School of Biomedical Sciences

84 UoC

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system, from single cells, to circuits and whole brain activity. Explore the physical basis of behaviour and cognition, and diseases of the nervous system such as schizophrenia and epilepsy.