Bachelor of Science in Genetics

at La Trobe University - Melbourne Campus Australia

Food is crucial to our very existence, but what happens before it hits the table? The food production industry is in a state of flux due to technological breakthroughs, climate change, rapid urbanisation, shifts in economic power and sustainability. To feed ten billion people by 2050, we need an agricultural revolution.

Study La Trobe's Bachelor of Agriculture to make your mark in agriculture.

You'll get a solid grounding in science fundamentals, including biology, chemistry and animal sciences, taught by our leading academics and industry experts. You'll also delve deeper into discipline-specific topics such as plant and soil science, animal nutrition, pest control, animal health and biochemistry.

Throughout your degree, you'll explore the issues that are set to dominate the future of agriculture, including unpredictable water supply, climate change, food security, environmental impacts of agriculture, and sustainable cropping and grazing systems. You'll get a true, practical understanding of these challenges through real-world case studies. And with access to Reid Labs and AgriBio, Victoria's largest agricultural science research centre, you'll be learning in a truly world-class environment.

Theory is good, but hands-on experience is even better. Your degree includes a range of practical learning opportunities and industry experiences, so you can see first-hand how your skills and knowledge apply in real-world settings. These experiences will give you the opportunity to begin building your network of industry contacts – something you'll be able to draw on throughout your career.

Your third and final year is all about applying the skills and knowledge you've learned in an agricultural context. Harness and hone all you've learned in La Trobe's laboratories and in-field work to prepare for your next step after graduation.

Whether you want to forge a career in agriculture in a laboratory, on farms or in an office, our Bachelor of Agriculture will provide you with the skills and knowledge to take on the challenges facing the next generation.

If you can't let go of unanswered questions. If you love learning. If you're passionate about the world around you. Then it's time to start your journey at La Trobe.

With our flexible Bachelor of Arts, you can choose from an incredible array of majors and minors. You'll have access to around 50 majors and minors from humanities, social sciences, business, health and science, keeping your career options open. Pursue your passion and your profession.

Shape your own future with this interdisciplinary degree. You'll choose one arts major, then explore your interests or build an essential skill when you choose secondary majors, minors and electives from across the university. You'll graduate with your primary major on your academic transcript, so future employers can recognise your expertise.

Create your own path. Want to major in sociology, with a second major in psychology, then take Chinese as an elective? Go for it. Or perhaps you'd like to pair economics and English. Or crime, justice and legal studies with linguistics. Build your own future – we're here to help you achieve your dream. No matter which path you choose, you'll learn from world-class academics and leading researchers.

In your first year, you'll explore your interests and passions. Try a language; or get a taste for history, English, politics or creative writing. In your second and third years, you'll delve deeper while also choosing electives and minors that broaden your skills and knowledge. You may also choose to develop professional skillsets in areas like psychology, public health, marketing, science, sport management and more.

This flexible degree also offers a range of study options. You can choose to study face-to-face at our Melbourne Campus and enjoy our on-campus facilities, or you can study online – knowing your experience will mirror on-campus students, with tutorials delivered in a synchronous manner. Unlike many other online degrees, at La Trobe you can login to live sessions and engage directly with academics and your fellow students in real time.

Gain real-world experience and build valuable connections that will shape your career. Take on an industry placement at organisations like SBS Radio, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or the United Nations Association of Australia or travel overseas for an international sustainability experience.* Many of our exchange programs are financially supported. Your dedicated course advisor will help you to find your path and explore new opportunities.

The world is waiting for you. Step into it.

In the Italian Studies major you will combine the study of the language with the study of Italian culture, literature, cinema, history and translation. The primary focus of this major is on contemporary Italy, but you can explore aspects of early modern, Renaissance and twentieth-century Italy in selected subjects. A major in Italian Studies provides you with the opportunity to develop your written, spoken and comprehension skills in Italian to a high level, while enhancing your critical thinking skills, and becoming proficient at analysing texts and at presenting reasoned arguments. Studying Italian will equip you with valuable communication skills. Recent graduates of Italian studies have found employment in teaching, diplomacy, government, social work, art history and restoration, international business, publishing, journalism, tourism, and translating and interpreting. Students of Italian are encouraged to consider spending one or two semesters studying at an Italian university as part of an approved exchange program. (Please note: overseas programs may be impacted by travel restrictions.) Italian is taught at a number of levels starting from beginners. For those with prior knowledge of and/or qualifications in the language, a placement test and interview may be used to determine the appropriate stream for a student.

Explore your passions and build a rewarding career.

Today’s workplaces are rapidly evolving. Governments, businesses and law firms need passionate professionals who not only have advanced legal expertise, but also the ability to think critically, analytically and creatively.*

La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts lets you enrich your legal education by pursuing your interests and passions. Open doors to a diverse range of rewarding careers, while exploring how to make a difference in your community.

Learn the fundamentals of criminal, constitutional, property and company law. Explore the legal system and understand how it can be used as a powerful and positive force in society. Develop key skills in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution.

You'll also choose from our list of arts majors and explore your area of interest. Broaden your knowledge and experience by studying areas like politics, languages, sociology, history, philosophy and media studies. Learn how to communicate effectively and think critically, analytically and creatively.

You can also choose to complete law electives that complement your arts specialisation. For example, a politics major can be matched with related subjects like public international law and human rights law. While a language or philosophy major could be augmented by subjects in areas like Indigenous Australians and the law, intellectual property law or family, society and law.

Enhance your classroom learning by taking advantage of optional internships, work experience, and our study abroad program*. Gain hands-on experience working with community legal centres, law firms and government agencies. Find out what it takes to interview clients, prepare legal advice and work with senior lawyers to develop legal solutions.

Graduate ready to make a positive difference. With combined expertise in law and arts, you can build a career as a solicitor or barrister, in-house counsel or corporate consultant, working in commercial law firms or community legal centres. You could also work in the public service as a government lawyer or support social justice initiatives in the not-for-profit sector.

With a Japanese studies major, you'll build competence in the modern Japanese language and study Japanese society, civilisation and culture.  You will learn to see the world from multiple perspectives through the study of language and culture. You will be taught by enthusiastic staff who specialise in sociology and anthropology of education, minorities, Koreans in Japan, gender, literary studies and popular culture. Japanese Studies major graduates have found employment in teaching, hospitality industry, diplomacy, government, international business, publishing, tourism, and translating, both in Japan and Australia. Japanese is one of the major LOTE subjects in Australian schools. You are encouraged to participate in an exchange program (one or two semesters) at one of the many universities with which La Trobe has exchange agreement. (Please note: overseas programs may be impacted by travel restrictions.) Japanese is taught at a number of levels, from beginners through to advanced. A placement test and interview may be used to determine a student’s suitability for entry level.

Life in today's world brings harsh challenges. Poverty, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence and personal crisis can severely impact a person's ability to feel safe, find a stable home and pursue opportunities.

The world is drawing closer together. As the speed and quality of digital technologies continues to evolve, we need more passionate professionals who can create meaningful solutions and connections.

Designed to help you build our digital future, La Trobe's Bachelor of Information Technology equips you with skills across programming, networking, databases, systems analysis and design, and project management.

Along with building a strong set of core IT skills you can choose to major in one of several areas aligned to future industry growth including artificial intelligence, cloud analytics, cybersecurity, network engineering or information systems.

Broaden your knowledge and capabilities further through a wide range of electives. Combine your core IT skills with business, social sciences, humanities, web engineering, computer technology, security, and information systems analysis subjects. Plus you could develop a software program of your own, which you could present at the annual Engineering and IT Showcase to potential employers.

With industry-based projects and CISCO certification embedded in the course, you'll receive professional mentoring opportunities as you build career-ready skills. You'll also gain access to our expert research centres, including the Centre for Technology Infusion and our state-of-the-art Technology Innovation Lab for the Internet of Things – developed in collaboration with Microsoft and CISCO.

Cloud analytics

Learn how to use cloud-based analytic algorithms to identify patterns in and extract insights from data. You’ll examine the different analytics tools available and explore how you can leverage their capabilities to analyse huge amounts of data, inform decision-making and enhance collaboration.

The world is drawing closer together. As the speed and quality of digital technologies continues to evolve, we need more passionate professionals who can create meaningful solutions and connections.

Designed to help you build our digital future, La Trobe's Bachelor of Information Technology equips you with skills across programming, networking, databases, systems analysis and design, and project management.

Along with building a strong set of core IT skills you can choose to major in one of several areas aligned to future industry growth including artificial intelligence, cloud analytics, cybersecurity, network engineering or information systems.

Broaden your knowledge and capabilities further through a wide range of electives. Combine your core IT skills with business, social sciences, humanities, web engineering, computer technology, security and information systems analysis subjects. Plus you could develop a software program of your own, which you could present at the annual Engineering and IT Showcase to potential employers.

With industry-based projects and CISCO certification embedded in the course, you'll receive professional mentoring opportunities as you build career ready skills. You'll also gain access to our expert research centres, including the Centre for Technology Infusion and our state-of-the-art Technology Innovation Lab for the Internet of Things – developed in collaboration with Microsoft and CISCO.

Network engineering

Computer networks are part of our daily life – so much so that an hour-long outage can cost organisations hundreds and millions of dollars. Designed to help you build our digital future, La Trobe's networking major equips you with skills across basic programming, networking, databases, systems analysis and design, and project management. Network engineers are responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, and managing the local and wide area networks of an organisation to ensure maximum uptime for users. The role can include designing system configurations, documenting and managing the installation of a new network, and maintaining and upgrading existing systems as necessary. Network engineers also ensure network firewalls and security are up to date. With data driven and cloud-driven approaches coming into picture, the role a network engineer is always evolving. In this major, you’ll learn to design and develop new systems and hone your expertise in computer networks, signal processing, network security, and mobile communication network design – all using the latest technology. You’ll develop fundamental skills in programming, web and network security, entrepreneurship in information technology, network design, wireless networking engineering and project management. With industry-based projects and certification embedded in the course, you’ll receive professional mentoring opportunities as you build career-ready skills. You’ll also have access to our expert research centres, including the Centre for Technology Infusion and our state-of-the-art Technology Innovation Lab for the Internet of Things – developed in collaboration with Microsoft and CISCO. By majoring in network engineering, you have the opportunity to work in almost any industry in a team. With more companies making the shift to big data and cloud computing, it’s a field experiencing growing demand.

Rapid evolutions in science and technology mean our advancements sometimes outpace the law. Get the skills to stay ahead.

In La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws(Honours)/Bachelor of Science, you can pursue multiple interests and gain a powerful combination of legal skills and cutting-edge scientific knowledge.

From stem cell research to how personal information is collected, stored and shared, advances in science and technology have real human impacts. This double degree uniquely prepares you to address contemporary challenges from a scientific, legal and ethical perspective.

Benefit from our progressive approach to legal education with a law degree you can shape to your own career goals. You'll get a solid grounding in the basics of law and hone your expertise in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution – skills valued by employers across industries.

Your science degree offers you huge flexibility, with an extensive range of majors to choose from. Follow your interests in emerging areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data science or traditional fields including chemistry, botany and genetics. Bring knowledge to life in world-class facilities, including the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), and learn from academics who are leaders in their fields.

Take your skills into the real world while you study. You'll have the opportunity to do placements in a range of legal settings, including community legal centres, law firms, government agencies, and judges and magistrates (subject to availability). On the science side, you could complete a placement with one of our industry partners – previous students have worked with CSIRO, Bayer Crop Science, and various government departments.

You will graduate ready to start your career as an expert legal practitioner, with an advanced understanding of scientific concepts or a science professional with a solid understanding of regulatory environments and how they impact scientific work.

Applied cybersecurity

Cybercrime continues to pose a major threat, not only to individuals, but also to corporations and governments worldwide. This threat can only be combated by highly skilled specialists with the technical expertise to adapt to new challenges. Our applied cybersecurity major gives you the skills and knowledge to face these challenges, which include safeguarding data and critical infrastructures against malicious cyber-threats. It opens up a world of opportunities, addresses the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals and prepares you with diverse skills across network engineering, forensics and strategic communication. In this major, you’ll be introduced to the basic principles of cybersecurity, look at current practices used to protect organisations from threats, explore models and architectures of the internet and other networks, and study strategies for effective crisis communication. You’ll also build specialist knowledge in information and data security and learn how digital forensic investigation techniques are employed across different scenarios. The skills you build in this major will prepare you to appraise cybersecurity problems, construct cyber-attack defences such as firewalls, examine the roles of protocols and services in different operating environments and perform forensic analysis in a digital environment. Importantly, you’ll be equipped to respond to and manage emerging crisis situations, such as cybercrime and terrorism. Graduate with a broad portfolio of valuable and practical cybersecurity knowledge and expertise. You’ll understand current practices in cyber defence, be able to adapt to evolving real-world cybersecurity problems and have the knowledge to solve those problems. Cybersecurity is one of the most rapidly expanding global industries and experts are sought after in a range of different roles.

Due to the global effects of population growth and the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people living with chronic conditions is on the rise. As a result, the demand for nurses in all specialised fields is expected to rapidly increase.*

La Trobe's Master of Nursing lets you match your study to your career aspirations. Enhance your knowledge and skills in specialist areas by choosing from a range of clinical and non-clinical subjects.

If you're a registered nurse working in Australia, you'll have access to a wide variety of specialisations. Enjoy a flexible, blended learning approach that combines face-to-face workshops with online study that you can fit around your work commitments and access from anywhere. For a clinical specialisation you will also undertake advanced clinical training in your own hospital's relevant work setting.

If you're looking to pursue a career as nursing educator, academic or manager, you'll have access to our online non-clinical specialisations. Develop advanced knowledge of nursing research along with the critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills you need to thrive as a nursing researcher, educator or leader.

Explore your passions and build a rewarding career.

Today’s workplaces are rapidly evolving. Governments, businesses and law firms need passionate professionals who not only have advanced legal expertise, but also the ability to think critically, analytically and creatively.*

La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts lets you enrich your legal education by pursuing your interests and passions. Open doors to a diverse range of rewarding careers, while exploring how to make a difference in your community.

Learn the fundamentals of criminal, constitutional, property and company law. Explore the legal system and understand how it can be used as a powerful and positive force in society. Develop key skills in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution.

You'll also choose from our list of arts majors and explore your area of interest. Broaden your knowledge and experience by studying areas like politics, languages, sociology, history, philosophy and media studies. Learn how to communicate effectively and think critically, analytically and creatively.

You can also choose to complete law electives that complement your arts specialisation. For example, a politics major can be matched with related subjects like public international law and human rights law. While a language or philosophy major could be augmented by subjects in areas like Indigenous Australians and the law, intellectual property law or family, society and law.

Enhance your classroom learning by taking advantage of optional internships, work experience, and our study abroad program*. Gain hands-on experience working with community legal centres, law firms and government agencies. Find out what it takes to interview clients, prepare legal advice and work with senior lawyers to develop legal solutions.

Graduate ready to make a positive difference. With combined expertise in law and arts, you can build a career as a solicitor or barrister, in-house counsel or corporate consultant, working in commercial law firms or community legal centres. You could also work in the public service as a government lawyer or support social justice initiatives in the not-for-profit sector.

The Aboriginal Studies Major provides students with the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and community. In this major you will be exposed to a range of academic disciplines including history, archaeology, politics, public health, anthropology, media studies and linguistics. Throughout the major you will engage with topics focussed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that promote strong cultural awareness, Indigenous knowledges, community development and social advocacy.

You will study different aspects of Aboriginal societies including, Aboriginal history and languages, the contemporary politics of Indigenous Australia, Aboriginal self-determination and the impact of government policy on Indigenous Australians. This will give you an in-depth understanding of the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in mainstream Australia and introduce you to social research methods aimed at promoting local community engagement, wellbeing and empowerment in Aboriginal communities.

The rapid globalisation of our society means international relations are more important – and more complex – than ever. Want to be a leader in this evolving world? Combine a global perspective with in-depth legal expertise.

La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Global Studies is an immersive and flexible double degree giving you the skills and knowledge to succeed.

Become a legal expert with valuable expertise in global affairs. You'll develop your legal knowledge and skills as you build a deep understanding of global issues, diplomacy, politics, and international trade.

Your law degree will introduce you to the fundamentals of legal practice and build your skills in advocacy, negotiation, and dispute resolution – all highly valued by employers across a range of industries.

At the same time, your global studies degree will immerse you in a wide range of global issues, including international relations and geopolitics, contemporary security issues, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and contemporary armed conflict and terrorism. Tailor your studies to your interests with a choice of five curated majors – international relations, conflict and negotiation, Asian politics and security, government and policy, and human rights.

When it comes to learning, there's no substitute for hands-on experience. You'll have the opportunity to take on real-world work placements in settings such as community legal centres, law firms, government agencies, and with judges and magistrates (subject to availability) and bolster your education with a practical global studies placement subject. You could also put your legal skills to the test in law competitions, both locally and internationally.

Greek studies beginners

The Greek Studies major offers you the opportunity to study aspects of Greek language, culture, history and politics from the ancient world to contemporary Greece. In this major you will develop a critical understanding of the evolution of Greek culture in its original homeland and the diaspora, including multicultural Australia. Melbourne’s large Greek community provides you with a stimulating cultural and social environment in which to observe and practice what you learn. You can pair language subjects at a variety of levels with cultural subjects focussed on ancient and modern Greek literature, history and society. The skills obtained in this major will prepare you for a variety of work opportunities including teaching, translating, interpreting, health, banking, tourism, and related industries in Australia and overseas. You will also be encouraged to study in Greece or Cyprus through exchange programs or La Trobe’s overseas short study program “Connecting with Language and Culture in Greece.” (Please note: overseas programs may be impacted by travel restrictions.) Depending on your prior knowledge and/or qualifications in the Greek language, you may commence at Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced (post-VCE) or Extended levels.