The Bachelor of Applied Geographical Information Systems requires three years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time) and the honours program an additional year (or the equivalent part-time).

The course is offered by the School of the Environment, within the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Enrolment in the honours program may be offered to a student who meets certain academic criteria and subject to appropriate resources and staff being available to supervise the program of study.

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.

Course aims

The Bachelor of Applied GIS is designed to prepare students for a variety of career paths related to the capture, synthesis, analysis and communication of spatially related information.

Learning outcomes

Graduates will be expected to be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the nature of GIS, its historical development, capacity, advantages and disadvantages
  • capture spatial information using a range of data capture techniques, validate and document this information and integrate it into a spatially related database
  • analyse relationships between spatial and aspatial entities using GIS and a range of cartographic and statistical techniques, and communicate this information using a variety of digital and analogue techniques
  • undertake modelling approaches for decision making and risk assessment
  • demonstrate an understanding of remote sensing theory and its relationship with GIS
  • design and implement a remote sensing or GIS project
  • extract digital image information through a range of multispectral transformations, band ratios, and classification methodologies
  • communicate results effectively in written and verbal form
  • apply GIS knowledge and skills to the specific discipline area studied in the major
  • appreciate the importance of ethical behaviour in scholarship and professional activity

Program of study

To qualify for the Bachelor of Applied Geographical Information Systems a student must complete 108 units, with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below.   

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Students must complete the compulsory topics listed and the requirements for one Bachelor of Arts major (36 units). To complete the 108 units, other topics may be selected from any offered by the University provided entry and course requirements are met and that at least 27 units of First Year topics are included.

Core - Year 1 topics

18 units comprising:

 COMP1102  Computer Programming 1  (4.5 units)
 GEOG1003  Introduction to Geographical Information Systems  (4.5 units)
 GEOG1004  GIS Field Camp  (4.5 units)

plus one of

 STAT1121  Data Science  (4.5 units)
 STAT1122  Biostatistics  (4.5 units)

plus 9 units from the selected Bachelor of Arts major

plus 9 units of Elective topics

Core - Year 2 topics

22.5 units comprising:

 ENVS3760  Environment Agency Placement  (4.5 units)*
 GEOG2701  Introduction to Remote Sensing  (4.5 units)
 GEOG2702  Image Analysis in Remote Sensing  (4.5 units)
 GEOG3701  Spatial Information Management  (4.5 units)
 STAT1132  Statistics 1  (4.5 units)

*Students must enrol in the NS2 availability of the Environment Agency Placement.

plus 13.5 units from the selected Bachelor of Arts major

Core - Year 3 topics

22.5 units comprising:

 ENVS3770  Environmental Research Project  (4.5 units)
 ENVS3771  Extended Environmental Research Project
 GEOG3711  Advanced Digital Image Analysis  (4.5 units)
 GEOG3731  GIS Modelling  (4.5 units)
 GEOG3751  Advanced Spatial Statistics  (4.5 units)

plus 13.5 units from the selected Bachelor of Arts major

Bachelor of Arts Major (36 units)

Students undertake a 36 unit Bachelor of Arts major selected from the following:

Honours

Refer to Bachelor of Applied Geographical Information Systems (Honours)

Combined Degrees

The Bachelor of Applied Geographical Information Systems may also be studied in a combined degrees program with any Bachelor degree in the Faculty of Science and Engineering