Overview

•  As climate change, agriculture, forestry, urban development, and mining disturbs landscapes, pest animal numbers are set to rise, leading to increased risk of disease, environmental problems and wildlife issues. Be prepared for this growing demand for highly skilled wildlife and pest management professionals.
• Study Australia’s only specialised major in vertebrate pests, blending the theoretical and practical elements of managing wildlife and pest animals, embedded within broad environmental and ecological knowledge.
• Study animal health, welfare and behaviour and learn how to implement game, pest and wildlife management plans.
• Undertake a 2-week field trip from your first year, to a local site abundant with native and introduced wildlife species such as deer, wild dogs, ibis, kangaroos, bettongs, potoroos, bandicoots, and brushtail possums.
• Learn about the environment, wildlife, vertebrate pests and biosecurity, resolving human-wildlife conflict, as well as a wide range of ecological methods, sensors and technology.
• In an elective within your final year of study (dependent on COVID-19) you may have the opportunity to travel to southern Africa to extend your skills and knowledge by being involved in wildlife and pest animal research (e.g. lion and monkeys).

Further study

Graduates may choose to undertake further study in environmental science or wildlife management (e.g. Bachelor of Science (Honours), Master of Science, or PhD) in collaboration with one of our closely aligned research centres: Centre for Applied Climate Sciences and Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems.

Career outcomes

• Graduates may work as a biosecurity officer, ranger, pest control officer, wildlife ecologist, wildlife scientist, and game management officer.
• Graduates may work for resources/mining industries, national parks, universities, defence organisations, CSIRO, State and Federal Government departments, and other organisations contributing to sustainable utilisation and management of our natural resources.