Diploma
Build the foundations you need for further study in life sciences as you begin a lifelong journey of investigation, exploration and following your passion.
La Trobe's Diploma of Biological Sciences gives you a supported pathway into a degree in biological sciences - the perfect start to potential careers in fields as diverse as life itself.
Explore the essential elements of life sciences, including biology and chemistry, and build the skills to write and speak about basic scientific ideas to a wide range of audiences.
As you get a taste of your future in science, you'll also be immersed in university life, studying alongside students of our Bachelor's degrees. This Diploma gives you up to one year's worth of course credit (also called advanced standing), which means you could progress directly into the second year of our Bachelor's degrees in biological sciences, depending on your degree and major.
At every step, we'll give you support to succeed. You'll receive personalised advice from a dedicated Senior Support Adviser and have access to peer mentors from your discipline. We'll be here to help you enrol, choose subjects and navigate university processes. And our careers service will empower you with skills that you'll carry throughout your life - including advice and assistance with resume building, interview preparation and career planning.
You'll learn about:
The qualification awarded on graduation is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as Level 5 - Diploma.
Please note, the following course structure is indicative and subject to change depending on your course location, offer year or how you tailor your course with specialisations, majors, minors and electives. Structures for the following year are not normally finalised until October, so the sample provided is based on the most recently approved structure. For more information, please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook.
To qualify for the award of Diploma of Biological Sciences , students must complete a total of 120 credit points across 1 year.
Year 1 requires the completion of 120 credit points including:
Core subjects are required subjects in your course. You need to complete these subjects to attain your degree.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points ACADEMIC INTEGRITY MODULE LTU0AIM 1 0 WOMINJEKA LA TROBE: INDIGENOUS CULTURAL LITERACY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ABS0WOM 1 0 ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE BIO1AP 1 15 INFECTIONS, PANDEMICS and EPIDEMICS MIC1IPE 1 15 MAKING SENSE OF DATA STM1001 1 15 MOLECULES, GENES AND CELLS BIO1MGC 1 15
A range of standalone elective subjects is available in this course. Some electives are recommended for your course, but you may also be able to choose from a range of University-wide electives or electives from other interest areas or disciplines. Note these electives may have their own prerequisites and other requirements. Please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook for the subjects available.
Core choice subjects are one or more subject groups you need to select in your course. Core choice subjects may be specific to your course, major, minor, specialisation or other learning requirements.
Subject name Subject code Year Credit points CHEMISTRY 1A CHE1C1A 1 15 CHEMISTRY FOUNDATIONS CHE1CHF 1 15The Handbook contains detailed course information designed for enrolled students, including course structures, electives and options. The delivery of this course can vary between campuses.
To view other campus handbook course details, please select relevant campus in the drop down.
This Diploma offers you a pathway into our related Bachelor's degrees, where you can choose from an extensive suite of majors and electives to prepare for a career within a diverse range of industries.
After further study in biological sciences, your future careers could include:
You'll learn about: