Major
About this major
Soil and water security are major human existential challenges to the planet and more so in Australia, being the driest continent with highly weathered soils.
The Soil Science and Hydrology major provides students with training in three key areas; soil, water and climate, and their links with functional, resilient and productive ecosystems.
Soil, water and climate define the physical constraints to ecosystems, and the interpretation of these along with their costs and benefits supports the development of policy and sustainable management strategies.
This knowledge will help secure our soil and water resources to maintain healthy, functional and productive ecosystems. We will explore the complex interaction between soil, water and climate, and the way we manage our landscapes. Ecosystems are considered across paddock to catchment scales and include all sectors from agriculture to forestry to mining to nature reserves.
This major has a strong emphasis on field-based learning through field schools and emphasis on field measurement and modelling through analysis of non-spatial and spatial data. Working with case studies and projects, you will identify and analyse real-world problems with the aim of identifying options to maintain the functionality of these interrelated systems. Students will develop generic skills in GIS, laboratory and data analysis that will enable students to contribute to water and soil security.
Graduate opportunities
Soil scientists are employed in a wide range of occupations in the public and private sector, working in basic and applied research in land and soil management. Students who have graduated with a soil science major are employed in state departments of agriculture, the CSIRO, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Sydney Water, the Department of Planning, chemical companies, land care groups, and in the private sector in environmental consultancies.
Courses that offer this major
The course information on this website applies only to future students. Ï㽶ֱ²¥ should refer to faculty handbooks for current or past course information.
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