Bachelor of Ecotourism

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Bachelor of Ecotourism

  • Objectives The course aims to produce multidisciplinary graduates suited to careers as development officers, wildlife carers, operators, guides or planners in sustainable tourism. Students will understand the key issues in biodiversity and conservation, will have skills to analyse and evaluate business and science data, and can apply their communication and business skills to create interpretive material for the sustainable tourism industry. Graduates have: * a grounding in the natural sciences and related areas such as geography and environmental studies in addition to an introduction to Aboriginal studies; * business management and marketing skills necessary for the industry; * good communication skills; * at least eight weeks' experience working in the industry. Learning outcomes On completion of their degree students will be able to: * interpret and clarify the patterns and processes that generate biodiversity and current threats to conservation; * identify and explain the role of sustainable tourism development for conservation; * use a business framework to plan and implement sustainable tourism; * demonstrate a comprehensive and well-founded knowledge in their science discipline and a range of transferable professional skills. Subject knowledge Graduates of the course are expected to be able to: * demonstrate specialist skills in the natural sciences and use scientific knowledge to explain and interpret nature; * understand the role of ecotourism for sustainable development; * apply relevant business management and marketing skills to implement, maintain, and promote sustainable tourism. Transferable professional skills Graduates of the course are expected to be able to: * employ scientific methodologies such as experimental design and data analysis; * communicate and present information clearly and fluently in both written and spoken forms; * interact effectively as part of a team in order to work towards a common outcome; * work and learn independently; * reason critically and logically and make independent judgements; * engage effectively with information and communication technologies; * demonstrate research skills appropriate for further study and employment; and * appreciate the need for continuing professional development.
  • Entry requirements Domestic students Prerequisites: None You can qualify for undergraduate courses through: * year 12 qualifications * mature age entry (STAT) * TAFE/VET qualifications * higher education transfers. Flinders also offers a range of special access schemes. International Students English language requirements
  • Academic title Bachelor of Ecotourism
  • Course description The program of study for this course changed in 2008 and again in 2009. Students who commenced prior to this time who wish to complete according to the previous rule should view the revised program of study and consult with the Course Coordinator at the time of enrolment.

    The Bachelor of Ecotourism combines the study of:

        * earth sciences and biology, complemented by selected topics from archaeology, geography and environmental studies
        * tourism and business material, including the practical skills required to successfully manage a tourism venture.

    Extended fieldwork in national parks and remote areas is included and you'll spend 4 weeks on work experience during the summer breaks following 1st and 2nd year.

    Students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to deliver technical information in an accessible, jargon-free way.

    What is Ecotourism?

    The national industry body Ecotourism Australia defines Ecotourism as, ‘Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation'.

    Ecotourism normally involves educating people about the natural environment by interpreting and explaining nature. It often has a degree of overlap with adventure tourism.  
    Why study Ecotourism at Flinders?

        * Introduced at Flinders in 1996, after consultation with the tourism industry and relevant government agencies, our Bachelor of Ecotourism has previously been a joint winner of the South Australian Tourism Award for Best Industry Education with the Flinders Bachelor of Cultural Tourism.

        * Our course is firmly based in the Faculty of Science and Engineering rather than - as is common at other universities - within a business, tourism or hospitality school. This means our course has a unique science emphasis, focusing on the importance of the natural sciences and related conservation issues.

        * Flinders is an excellent base for the Ecotourism program because there are a wide variety of habitats within easy reach of the campus. Students gain experience in a broad range of ecosystems such as marine and freshwater, arid lands and forests.

        * A strong research program complements our teaching. For example, we have assessed the role of the National Ecotourism Accreditation Program in the industry and the impacts of a tour that takes tourists to swim with sea lions and dolphins. As a part of the course, students conduct small research projects on the environmental and social impacts of ecotourism and the implementation of effective interpretation through signage and brochures.


    Duration (full-time equivalent)
    Bachelor of Innovation and Enterprise      4 years

    Refer to Ecotourism combined degrees for further information.

     The Bachelor of Ecotourism 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 Faculty of Science and Engineering.

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

    PROGRAM OF STUDY [December, 2008]

    To qualify for the Bachelor of Ecotourism, 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.

    Except with the permission of the Faculty Board, students may not enrol in Second Year topics until they have completed 18 units of First Year topics and may not enrol in Third Year topics until they have completed all First Year requirements for their Second and Third Year programs. No more than 45 units of First Year level topics may be included in the 108 units for the degree.

    First Year

    36 units comprising:

    ECOT1101
        

    Ecotourism 1
        

    4.5

    BUSN1001
        

    Accounting for Managers
        

    4.5

    BIOL1102
        

    Molecular Basis of Life, OR
        

    4.5

    BIOL1112
        

    Biology and Society
        

    4.5

    EASC1101
        

    Earth and Environment 1
        

    4.5

    AUST1004
        

    An Introduction to Aboriginal Studies
        

    4.5

    ENVS1702
        

    Environment, Economy and Culture
        

    4.5

    BIOL1101
        

    Evolution of Biological Diversity
        

    4.5

    BUSN1005
        

    Introduction to Management
        

    4.5

    Second and Third Year

    comprising:


    ECOT2001
        

    Ecotourism Practicum 1
        

    3

    ECOT2101
        

    Ecotourism 2
        

    6

    BIOL2162
        

    Functional Biology and Experimental Design
        

    6

    ECOT3001
        

    Ecotourism Practicum 2
        

    3

    ECOT3101A
        

    Ecotourism 3 Part A, and
        

    3

    ECOT3101B
        

    Ecotourism 3 PartB §
        

    3

        

    At least 18 units from the BIOL, CPES and CHEM selective list *
        

    18

        

    Electives *
        

    30

    * Students intending to enrol in the BSc (Honours) program in the Biological Sciences must complete a minimum of 36 units of BIOL topics in Second and Third Year. Students are advised to consult with the Course Coordinator about the selection of topics that will meet the BSc (Honours) program admission requirements.

    § Students must enrol in, and complete, Part A and Part B of this topic in one calendar year as both topics are taught and assessed as a continuum.

    In their choice of electives, students may focus their electives in particular areas of study, or opt for a broad range of electives across disciplines. For more focused study, students may opt for an emphasis in Business, Development Studies, Education, Language, Tourism, Environmental Management, or Biology.

    THIRD YEAR PROGRAM FOR CONTINUING STUDENTS COMPLETED ACCORDING TO THE PRE-2009 COURSE RULE

    Third Year

    36 units comprising:

    ECOT3001
        

    Ecotourism Practicum 2
        

    3

    ECOT3101A
        

    Ecotourism 3 Part A, and
        

    3

    ECOT3101B
        

    Ecotourism 3 Part B §
        

    3

    PROF2102A
        

    Business Planning for Projects
        

    6

        

    12 units of Biology and Earth Sciences topics from Selected List
        

    12

        

    6 units of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Studies topics from Selected List
        

    6

        

    3 units of Electives
        

    3

    § Students must enrol in, and complete, Part A and Part B of this topic in one calendar year as both topics are taught and assessed as a continuum.

    # Students who completed the Second Year topic ECOT2312 prior to 2007 are encouraged to enrol in the core topic PROF2102A but will find they are revising some material from ECOT2312. If preferred they may select another 6 units of PROF topics in place of PROF2102A in consultation with the Course Coordinator.

    SELECTIVE LIST OF BIOL, CPES, and CHEM TOPICS

    18 units from the following list in Second or Third Year:

    BIOL1102
        

    Molecular Basis of Life, OR #
        

    4.5

    BIOL1112
        

    Biology and Society #
        

    4.5

    BIOL1201
        

    Introduction to Aquaculture #
        

    4.5

    BIOL2112
        

    Aquatic Life Histories
        

    3

    BIOL2121
        

    Genetics, Evolution and Biodiversity
        

    6

    BIOL2122
        

    Comparative Physiology
        

    6

    BIOL2142
        

    Disease and Immunology
        

    6

    BIOL2161
        

    Plant and Algal Biology: From Environment to Biotechnology
        

    6

    BIOL2171
        

    Behaviour and Ecology
        

    6

    BIOL2271
        

    Marine and Terrestrial Animal Diversity
        

    3

    BIOL2272
        

    Marine Biology and Ecology
        

    3

    BIOL2341
        

    Animal Disease and Defence
        

    3

    BIOL2424
        

    Physiological Systems
        

    3

    BIOL3003
        

    Research Project in Biology A
        

    3

    BIOL3004
        

    Research Project in Biology B
        

    3

    BIOL3101
        

    Marine Ecological Processes
        

    6

    BIOL3102
        

    Marine Vertebrates
        

    6

    BIOL3151
        

    Plant Ecology and Evolution
        

    6

    BIOL3152
        

    Conservation and Restoration
        

    6

    BIOL3380
        

    Animal Behaviour
        

    3

    BIOL3390
        

    Vertebrate Palaeontology
        

    6

    STAT2304
        

    Statistics for Biology
        

    3

    CHEM1101
        

    Chemistry 1A #
        

    4.5

    CHEM1102
        

    Chemistry 1B #
        

    4.5

    CHEM1201
        

    Introduction to ChemistryA #
        

    4.5

    CHEM1202
        

    Introduction to Chemistry B #
        

    4.5

    CPES1102
        

    Science and Society #
        

    4.5

    CPES1201
        

    Physics for the Life Sciences A #
        

    4.5

    CPES1202
        

    Physics for the Life Sciences B #
        

    4.5

    CPES2015
        

    Water and Environment
        

    3

    CPES2020
        

    Geological Processes
        

    6

    CPES2023
        

    Sedimentary Processes
        

    6

    CPES2032
        

    Physical Basis of Biological Systems A
        

    3

    CPES2033
        

    Physical Basis of Biological Systems B
        

    3

    CPES2039
        

    Earth and Environment 1A
        

    3

    CPES2101
        

    Fundamentals of Advanced Chemistry
        

    6

    CPES2102
        

    Analytical Chemistry 2
        

    6

    CPES2131
        

    Coasts and Oceans
        

    6

    CPES2152
        

    Global Climate Change and Natural Hazards
        

    6

    # No more than 45 units of first year topics can be taken.

    RECOMENDED ELECTIVES

    Students are free to select 30 units of electives from any area of the university where they meet the prerequisites. Examples of possible elective topics grouped according to area of study are listed below.

    ARCHAEOLOGY

    ARCH1002A
        

    World Archaeology
        

    6

    ARCH2001
        

    Archaeology of Indigenous Australia
        

    6

    ARCH2002
        

    Historical Archaeology of Australia
        

    6

    ARCH2003
        

    Cultural Heritage Management
        

    6

    ARCH2004
        

    Australian Maritime Archaeology
        

    6

    ARCH2005
        

    Human Evolution: Bio-Cultural Perspectives
        

    6

    ARCH2301
        

    The Museum
        

    6

    ARCH3004
        

    Historical Archaeology in Global Perspective
        

    6

    ARCH3005
        

    Underwater and Coastal Archaeology
        

    6

    ARCH3013
        

    The Archaeological Imagination: Fact, Fantasy and Fiction in Archaeological Interpretation
        

    6

    AUSTRALIAN STUDIES

    AUST1004A
        

    An Introduction to Aboriginal Studies
        

    6

    AUST2000
        

    Australian Languages: Issues and Debates
        

    6

    AUST2004
        

    Indigenous Australian Art Today
        

    6

    AUST2006
        

    Reconciliation and Indigenous Knowledges
        

    6

    AUST3998
        

    Issues for Australians
        

    6

    ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

    EASC1102
        

    Marine Sciences 1
        

    4.5

    ENVS1701
        

    Environmental Studies
        

    4.5

    ENVS2704
        

    Environmental Systems
        

    6

    ENVS3721
        

    Issues in Environmental Management
        

    6

    GEOGRAPHY

    GEOG1001
        

    Water Resources and Society
        

    4.5

    GEOG1002
        

    Cities as Human Environments
        

    4.5

    GEOG2005
        

    Asian Regional Development
        

    6

    GEOG2006
        

    Australian Environmental Change
        

    6

    GEOG2010
        

    Computing Methods in Geography
        

    6

    GEOG3007
        

    Cities, Geography and Policy
        

    6

    GEOG3008
        

    Regional Development
        

    6

    GEOG3013
        

    Geographical Information Systems
        

    6

    GEOG3014
        

    Introduction to Remote Sensing
        

    6

    GEOG3015
        

    Image Analysis in Remote Sensing
        

    6

    GEOG3017
        

    Advanced GIS
        

    6

    GEOG3018
        

    Advanced Digital Image Analysis
        

    6

    TOURISM

    TOUR1001
        

    An Introduction to Cultural Tourism and Ecotourism
        

    4.5

    TOUR1002
        

    Interpretive Guiding and Marketing
        

    4.5

    TOUR1003
        

    Essentials of Tour Guiding
        

    4.5

    CUTU1005
        

    International Cultural Tourism Management
        

    4.5

    CUTU1006A
        

    Event Design and Practice
        

    6

    CUTU2000
        

    Place, Culture and Tourism
        

    6

    CUTU3000
        

    International Principles and Practices for Sustainable Tourism
        

    6

    CUTU3002
        

    Cultural Theory: Tourism Perspectives
        

    6

    BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL

    BUSN1007
        

    Introductory Microeconomics
        

    4.5

    BUSN2004
        

    Cost and Management Accounting
        

    6

    BUSN2009
        

    Human Resource Management
        

    6

    BUSN2010
        

    International Business Management
        

    6

    BUSN2012
        

    Introductory Environmental Economics
        

    6

    BUSN3009
        

    Environmental Economics
        

    6

    BUSN3020
        

    Multinational Corporations: America, Japan and Australia
        

    6

    LEGL2100
        

    Small Business: Legal Issues
        

    6

    LEGL2101
        

    Small Business: Legal Foundations
        

    3

    LEGL2102
        

    Small Business: Legal Applications
        

    3

    LEGL2103
        

    Technology, Regulation and Society
        

    6

    LEGL3106
        

    Law and Urban Change: The Impact of Built Heritage
        

    6

    LEGL3023
        

    Cultural Heritage and the Law
        

    6

    LEGL3028
        

    Regulating Environmental Change
        

    6

    PROF2101
        

    Professional Writing
        

    6

    PROF2102
        

    Business Planning for Projects
        

    3

    PROF2103
        

    Managing Project Budgets
        

    3

    PROF2104
        

    Finding Money: Researching and Submitting Grant Proposals
        

    3

    PROF2105
        

    Tenders: Understanding the Tender Process
        

    3

    PROF2106
        

    Preparing Professional Presentations
        

    3

    PROF2107
        

    Project Management Essentials
        

    3

    GLOBALISATION

    GLOB1001
        

    Introduction to Globalisation
        

    4.5

    GLOB1002
        

    Making Globalisation
        

    4.5

    GLOB2002
        

    Globalisation and Environmental Issues
        

    6

    GLOB2003
        

    Globalisation and Business
        

    6

    GLOB3001
        

    Media, Power and Globalisation
        

    6

    GLOB3002
        

    Globalisation Practicum
        

    6

    HIST2054
        

    Globalisation in History
        

    6

    POLI3060
        

    Globalisation and Ethics
        

    6

    DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

    DVST1001
        

    The Political Economy of International Development
        

    4.5

    DVST1002
        

    Culture and Development
        

    4.5

    DVST2001
        

    Sustainable Development
        

    6

    DVST3002
        

    Intellectual Traditions in International Development
        

    6

    POLI2014
        

    The Politics of Third World States
        

    6

    POLI3049
        

    Environmental Politics
        

    6

    POLI3054
        

    Power and Political Violence in Latin America
        

    6

    POLI3055
        

    Indigenous People and Politics
        

    6

    POLI3057
        

    Music and Politics in the Americas
        

    6

    PPHR2001
        

    Demography
        

    6

    WMST2003
        

    Gender and Development
        

    6

    LANGUAGES AND COMMUNICATION

    ENGL1001A
        

    Professional English
        

    6

    ENGL2110
        

    Writing and Designing for the Web
        

    6

    ENGL2503
        

    Introduction to Creative Writing
        

    6

    ENGL2705
        

    'Wish you were here': Workshopping Travel Writing
        

    6

    FREN1121
        

    French 1, Part 1
        

    4.5

    FREN1122
        

    French 1, Part 2
        

    4.5

    FREN2121
        

    Upper Level French A, Part 1
        

    6

    HUMN2201
        

    Settling in Australia: The Italian, Greek and French Experience
        

    6

    ITAL1121
        

    Italian 1, Part 1
        

    4.5

    ITAL1122
        

    Italian 1, Part 2
        

    4.5

    ITAL2121
        

    Italian 2, Part 1
        

    6

    ITAL3502
        

    Italians in Australia
        

    6

    LING2702A
        

    Language, Culture and Communication
        

    3

    MGRE1121
        

    Modern Greek 1, Part 1
        

    4.5

    MGRE1122
        

    Modern Greek 1, Part 2
        

    4.5

    MGRE2121
        

    Upper Level Modern Greek A, Part 1
        

    6

    MGRE2502
        

    Special Topic in Modern Greek Culture
        

    6

    SCRN2007
        

    Multimedia Design
        

    6

    SCRN3000
        

    Cross-cultural Media
        

    6

    SPAN1121
        

    Spanish 1, Part 1
        

    4.5

    SPAN1122
        

    Spanish 1, Part 2
        

    4.5

    SPAN2121A
        

    Spanish 2, Part 1
        

    6

    HONOURS PROGRAM

    A student who has completed all the requirements of the Bachelor of Ecotourism, or another qualification which the Faculty Board agrees is equivalent, may be accepted as a candidate for the honours degree providing a sufficiently high standard has been achieved in fulfilling the requirements for the bachelors degree.

    To qualify for the honours degree, a student must complete satisfactorily 36 units of study in an approved program.

    36 units comprising:

    ECOT7001 Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (24 units). Students should enrol in a combination of sub-topics chosen from the following, ensuring that they enrol in 24 units overall.

    ECOT7001A
        

    Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (6/24 units)
        

    6

    ECOT7001B
        

    Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (9/24 units)
        

    9

    ECOT7001C
        

    Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (18/24 units)
        

    18

    ECOT7001D
        

    Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (12/24 units)
        

    12

    ECOT7001E
        

    Bachelor of Ecotourism Honours Research Project (15/24 units)
        

    15

    plus 12 units as follows:

    BIOL7005
        

    Critical Readings in Biology
        

    3

    and a further 9 units from other higher level undergraduate or honours level topics that are relevant to their studies, as approved by their assessment panel in consultation with the student.



         
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