新英格兰大学

Providing food and fibre for growing populations in Australia and worldwide in a challenging climatic environment demands graduates capable of understanding and integrating whole agricultural systems. This degree produces graduates with the scientific and communication skills and confidence to solve practical agricultural problems at farm, catchment and national level. Students who complete a research project in the fourth year will be considered for the award of Honours.

The degree may be awarded with Honours. The Honours level is based on grades achieved in the fourth year of the degree including RUSC490 which is completed in the final year. The BRurSc(Hons) graduates who achieve the appropriate level of Honours are eligible to apply to enrol for a research Master degree or the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

This course is only offered in part-time mode for online students.

Career Opportunities

Graduates from this degree can expect to be sought by employers, before completion of their degree, for careers in the following areas: advisory, regulatory and research posts in all agricultural fields in both the private and public sectors, management and consulting in the crop and animal industries, agribusiness, banking and marketing, primary production, government policy, plant and animal breeding, land care and soil conservation.

Course Aims

The Bachelor of Rural Science degree aims to produce graduates with the scientific and communication skills and confidence to solve practical agricultural problems at farm, catchment and national levels. These students should have the ability to apply their knowledge to a diverse range of agricultural and scientific endeavours and to 'problem solve' for resource use issues and technical aspects of food and fibre production. This degree provides a specialist/generalist agricultural training that equips students with the scientific background to solve agricultural and natural resource problems using a systems approach. Students who complete a research project in the fourth year will be considered for the award of Honours. The Bachelor of Rural Science with Honours degree aims to produce graduates with the skills listed above, as well as having knowledge of research principles and methods and the ability to plan and conduct an independent research project.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

BRurSc: demonstrate a coherent understanding of rural science by articulating the methods of rural science and explaining why current scientific knowledge is both contestable and testable by further inquiry and by explaining the role and relevance of rural science in society;

exhibit depth and breadth of knowledge of rural science by demonstrating well-developed knowledge in at least one disciplinary area and by demonstrating knowledge in at least one other disciplinary area;

critically analyse and solve problems in rural science by gathering, synthesising and critically evaluating information from a range of sources, designing and planning an investigation, selecting and applying practical and/or theoretical techniques or tools in order to conduct an investigation and collecting, accurately recording, interpreting and drawing conclusions from data;