Study Biological & Physical Sciences at USQ

The Department of Biological & Physical Sciences (B&PS) was formed in January 1998 following the merger of the departments of Biology and Physical Sciences (Physics & Chemistry). The merged Department continues to teach units in the disciplines of Biology, Physics and Chemistry. In 2002, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science was introduced to meet the growing demand for studies in this area.

Currently the Department consists of twenty fulltime academic staff, a number of part-time and casual academic staff, ten technical staff and four postdoctoral researchers and seven research staff. In addition, there are five research associates and a growing number of Honours and postgraduate research students. 

In 2001, the Department taught over 200 on-campus undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Science program with majors in Biology, Chemistry, Climatology and Physics. Members of the Department also service teach a large number units (or parts of units) to over 1000 undergraduate students, predominantly from within the Faculty of Sciences, but also from the faculties of Engineering & Surveying, Education, and Arts.

Biology

Courses in Biology have been offered at USQ since its establishment in the late 1960's as the Queensland Institute of Technology. These Diploma courses developed into full Applied Science degrees in the 1970's and 1980's at the renamed Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE). The Institute was granted full University Status in 1991 as the University of Southern Queensland. Soon afterwards the Bachelor of Science (Biology) degree program was established. Since 1992, the Bachelor of Science (Honours), Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs in Biology have been established. 1993-1997 saw the evolution of five distinct majors within the Bachelor of Science (Biology) degree program

In 2002, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science was introduced to meet the growing demand for studies in this area. The new program is designed to provide the necessary background in preparation for GAMSAT (Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test) allowing further studies in medicine and clinical sciences, as well providing an employable degree in its own right.

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Chemistry

Courses in Chemistry have been offered at USQ since its establishment in the late 1960's as the Queensland Institute of Technology. These Diploma courses developed into full Applied Science degrees in the 1970's and 1980's at the renamed Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE). The Institute was granted full University Status in 1991 as the University of Southern Queensland. Soon afterwards the Bachelor of Science (Science) degree program was established. 

The Department has since established programs in Bachelor of Science (Honours), Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs in Chemistry.

Facilities supporting Chemistry teaching and research include an undergraduate teaching laboratory and a new computing laboratory. Throughout the chemistry course students will gain experience on GC, HPLC, IR, UV, AAS, NMR, Polarimetry, and Refractive Index machines.

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Climatology

Climatology is a rapidly evolving science that explores the nature of the global climate system. Climatologists are trained to analyse observed distributions of climate elements such as air and sea surface temperature, winds, and ocean currents. These elements describe the state of the climate system. Subsequently, statistical methods are applied to data to identify spatial and temporal patterns. Physical models are developed and adopted to explore the exact dynamical nature of underlying mechanisms.

Climatology is a new discipline within the Department of Biological & Physical Sciences at USQ, with programs and courses in Climate Studies and Climatology first being offered in 2001. Climatology is a new and dynamic discipline of science that incorporates physical 

The first certificate-level to be offered by the Faculty of Sciences, Certificate in Climate Studies (CertClimSt) was introduced in 2001. The Bachelor of Science (Climatology) (BSc. (Clim.)) was also introduced in that year and represents the first program of its type in Australia. The Department is in the process of establishing graduate programs in Bachelor of Science (Honours), Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs in Climatology.

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Physics

Physics at USQ allows you to explore the Laws of Nature giving you the opportunity to discover the fundamental physics principles of the natural world. If you want to learn about .....

• Astronomy, Remote Sensing and Meteorology

• How science fosters improved technology

• Why the laws of nature affects all that we do

• The future of the ozone layer and global warming

• How the sun affects life and climate on earth

Courses in Physics have been offered at USQ since its establishment in the late 1960's as the Queensland Institute of Technology. These Diploma courses developed into full Applied Science degrees in the 1970's and 1980's at the renamed Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE). The Institute was granted full University Status in 1991 as the University of Southern Queensland. Soon afterwards the Bachelor of Science (Science) degree program was established. Since 1992, the Bachelor of Science (Honours), Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD programs in Physics have been established.

Facilities supporting Physics teaching and research include well-equipped modern undergraduate teaching laboratories incorporating the latest in computer-assisted learning, a dedicated computing laboratory, well-equipped research laboratories, Mt Kent Observatory, and an on-campus state-of-the-art climate/weather station.

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Faculty of Sciences

University of Southern Queensland

 Toowoomba Qld AUSTRALIA 4350

Telephone:

(07) 4631 1540

 fax:

(07) 4631 2721

email:

pye@usq.edu.au

website:

www.usq.edu.au