Bachelor of Agriculture

Agriculture’s focus on science and sustainability is how we will adapt to our changing climate, declining environmental health and increasing demand for safe food production to feed our growing populations.

BE IN DEMAND

A Bachelor of Agriculture is your opportunity to use science, technology and business to tackle critical sustainability issues and build a career with lasting impact.

If you’d like to understand how to harness natural processes to sustainably feed our growing population, improve natural resource management and contribute to Australia’s growing agricultural industry, the Bachelor of Agriculture is an ideal choice. Graduates with a degree in agriculture are highly sought after in Australia, with an employment rate of over 92 per cent.

You’ll learn the science necessary to produce safe, high-quality and ethical food and fibre as well as the economics underpinning Australia’s important role in international trade. Australia is a major global supplier of agricultural goods – around $40 billion of Australia’s projected $60 billion of agricultural production in 2019–20 was exported.

LEARN IN THE LAB AND THE FIELD

An agriculture degree lets you apply biology, chemistry, physics, and economics and see the real-world results of your actions. Whether you start your post-university career in a laboratory, on farms or in a bank, you’ll be making a real impact on the world. You’ll complement your lab and classroom learning with fieldwork, and you can even choose to spend a semester learning at our agricultural research and teaching campus at Dookie, giving you additional hands-on experience and knowledge of farm operations.

APPLY THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

Agriculture is at the beginning of a technological revolution, with research by Melbourne academics playing a leading role.
Drone-based sensors can monitor plants for disease and water stress across areas equivalent to hundreds of football fields in under an hour. ‘Big data’ and machine learning will give you tools to help farmers grow more food while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact. Study the science and economics underpinning these innovations and enter the workforce ready to contribute to sustainable and profitable agriculture.

IMPROVE CROP AND ANIMAL HEALTH

Plants and animals provide more food and fibre when we protect their health and welfare. Our academics determine the best ways to maintain the welfare of farm animals, develop diets to help livestock thrive in hot and dry conditions, discover the origin, spread and effects of disease and develop new medicines. Our scientists are using precision gene-editing tools to develop crops that can survive disease, drought and heat. Develop an understanding of plant and animal health and welfare to prepare you for a career in the agricultural industry or for further study in veterinary medicine.

MAKE OUR FOOD SUPPLY SUSTAINABLE

Farmers manage 48 per cent of Australia’s landmass, and each year, on average, an Australian farmer will feed 600 people. But in a changing climate we need to maintain a healthy environment too. Benefit from the knowledge and expertise of our researchers as they find ways to make farming more drought-resilient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health and re-use waste while producing high-quality food. You’ll learn how to monitor and optimise the transfer of nutrients from soils to plants to animals and how to make land and water use more sustainable by applying agricultural science and economics.

Pathway into the Bachelor of Agriculture

Students who complete the Diploma in General Studies pathway program will be eligible for substantial credit towards their Bachelor of Agriculture degree.

• Completed secondary education recently (within the past two years)

• This is information for applicants with recent secondary education (within the past two years)

  Applicants are selected according to academic merit, in the form of the ATAR or notional ATAR calculated by the relevant Tertiary Admissions Centre. Courses which select primarily on ATAR will have minimum ATARs set in advance, and you can only be selected below this point if you have additional criteria to be considered.

  The standard required to receive an offer may be above the minimum ATAR. It is determined by the number of applications and the number of places available.

  External assessment is a key component required in all qualifications approved as entry pathways to the University of Melbourne. For this reason, you’ll need an ATAR or notional ATAR for courses which select primarily on ATAR, and study scores to satisfy prerequisites (not simply completing the subject).

  Please note: The University of Melbourne does not make ATAR adjustments for VCE graduates who have met the requirements of the VCE - Baccalaureate. For more information about this award, refer to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

  Prerequisites

  All applicants must satisfy the course prerequisites. Usually this is achieved through the relevant Australian Year 12 subject but there are other ways you can satisfy prerequisites.

  Criteria that may apply in addition to ATAR

  If you’re not clearly-in, factors may be taken into consideration in addition to your ATAR or notional ATAR:

  Access Melbourne

  Circumstances described in your SEAS application. For some applicants, selection guarantees may apply. For all applicants eligible for Access Melbourne, offers are regularly made significantly below the lowest selection rank offered to and the minimum ATAR. Check if you are eligible for Access Melbourne

  Year 11/12 Special Consideration

  If you’re applying while in Year 12, additional consideration based on circumstances which have occurred in the last two years described in your SEAS application could add up to 10 points to your aggregate, and a new ATAR would effectively apply for that course. Find out more about Special Consideration.

  Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers Entry Scheme

  Additional consideration is given on an individual basis based on the circumstances described in your Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers Entry Scheme application. For some applicants, selection guarantees may apply. For all applicants eligible for the Elite Athletes and Artistic Performers Entry Scheme, offers may be made below the lowest selection rank offered to. Find out about the scheme.

  Adjustments for the following criteria are already made as part of the ATAR calculation and we do not adjust for:

  • Extension studies undertaken as part of Year 12
  • Bonus points for completed language subjects.

  Personal statements

  Only relevant work and community experience will be considered and only where work experience is specified in the course selection criteria.

  Applicants with relevant work experience may be given additional consideration. Details must be provided via the VTAC Personal Statement.

  ATAR-based admission information in Semester 1, 2024

  ATAR-based admission for the Bachelor of Agriculture (includes data also for any Bachelor of Agriculture Graduate Degree Package offers, if applicable).	ATAR
  Lowest ATAR where a recent Year 12 student offer was made (excluding students made offers through special entry schemes)	70.55
  Lowest ATAR to which an offer was made (including students made offers through special entry schemes)	53.40
  Minimum ATAR required for consideration (only applicants eligible for special entry schemes were admitted below the minimum)	N/A for this course
  Guaranteed ATAR for applicants who completed Year 12 and were eligible for the Access Melbourne categories of rural or isolated and/or disadvantaged financial background*	68.00
  Guaranteed ATAR for Indigenous applicants who completed Year 12	66.00
  Guaranteed ATAR for Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars who completed Year 12 and attended an under-represented school*	N/A for this course
  Guaranteed ATAR for Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars who completed Year 12 and did not attend an under-represented school*	N/A for this course

  _{*All students who achieve the specified guaranteed ATAR and meet the course prerequisites will be offered a place}

  ATAR profile of those offered places in the Bachelor of Agriculture wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in Semester 1, 2024 (includes data also for any Bachelor of Agriculture Graduate Degree Package offers, if applicable). Does not include consideration of student background and equity.

  ATAR-based offers only, across all offer rounds	ATAR
  Highest rank to receive an offer	97.85
  Median rank to receive an offer	81.05
  Lowest rank to receive an offer	70.55

• Completed some or all of a higher education qualification

• This information is for applicants with higher education study from the last seven years (excluding extension studies taken as part of Year 12).

  If your last study was more than seven years ago, see the information about the non-school leaver entry pathway in the section for applicants with work and life experience below.

  Applicants are selected according to academic merit, usually in the form of the weighted average mark.

  Your weighted average mark (WAM)

  If you have completed any higher education study, a weighted average mark (WAM) (weighted according to the point value of the individual subjects) is calculated. Your WAM is calculated across any undergraduate and graduate coursework study you have undertaken. Any research study undertaken is considered in addition to your WAM. Instructions on how to calculate a WAM

  If you have less than a year (1 EFTSL) of higher education study

  Your entire academic record is considered and both your ATAR (or other final secondary result) and your WAM will be considered.

  If you’ve completed less than a year (1 EFTSL) of higher education study and don’t have a secondary qualification assessed by the University as equivalent to the VCE, you won’t be eligible for entry. You may be eligible, however, under the non-school leaver entry pathway, see the section for applicants with work and life experience below.

  If you have a year (1 EFTSL) of higher education study

  Generally, your WAM will be primary factor in assessment, particularly if your study is in a relevant discipline.

  If you have more than a year (1 EFTSL) of higher education study

  WAMs will be calculated across all your higher education study and across the last year (1 EFTSL) and the higher of the two will be considered in assessment. If the points equating to the last EFTSL fall within a study period (e.g. a semester) then all subjects within that study period will be included in the calculation.

  The information provided in your VTAC personal statement regarding your motivation in applying for the course and your study and career goals will also be taken into consideration.

  VTAC personal statements

  Applicants with relevant work experience may be given additional consideration. Details must be provided via the VTAC Personal Statement.

  Some elements of your VTAC personal statement may be considered during assessment:

  • Relevant work and community experience will be considered only where work experience is specified as part of the course selection criteria
  • Explanations about why the WAM does not truly represent your potential:
    • Difficult circumstances - we would typically assume that these have been dealt with via special consideration and other internal mechanisms at your previous institution. If this is not the case, you can describe the issue and the impact it had in a personal statement and attach independent supporting documentation to corroborate your claim.
    • Please note: if you have previous higher education study you are not eligible for Access Melbourne (excluding extension studies done as part of Year 12 and applicants eligible for the non-school leaver entry pathway). For most applicants with higher education study we do not look at information provided in the VTAC SEAS application, only at information provided in the personal statement.
  • If you believe your performance was impacted by the discipline you were studying and you are now seeking a ‘fresh start’, you can mention this in this form. If your higher education study was consecutive, recent, not more than a year, and your secondary results are above the level required for entry, then in some cases you may be assessed mainly on your secondary results.

  If you have completed more than a year of tertiary study, details about your motivation in applying for the course and your future study and career goals will be considered.

  Prerequisites

  All applicants must satisfy the course prerequisites. Usually this is achieved through the relevant Australian Year 12 subject but there are other ways you can satisfy prerequisites, including through the completion of approved tertiary subjects

  There is no time limit for satisfying an English prerequisite but other prerequisites must generally be satisfied within the last 10 years to ensure the knowledge is current.

  Advanced standing (credit)

  Advanced standing (sometimes known as credit or recognition of prior learning) may be awarded based on prior study. It is not awarded for work experience in undergraduate degrees. Learn more about Advanced Standing.

• Completed some or all of a VET qualification

• This information is for applications who have completed all or some vocational education and training (VET) study from the last seven years.

  Applicants who have completed the Diploma in General Studies may be eligible for guaranteed selection.

  If your last study was more than seven years ago, see the information about the non-school leaver entry pathway in the section for applicants with work and life experience below.

  To be considered for entry, your study must be at Diploma or Advanced Diploma level and in a discipline relevant to the course you are applying for. If this is not the case, assessment will be based on other study completed (typically secondary results).

  Applicants are selected according to academic merit, usually in the form of the weighted average mark.

  Your weighted average mark (WAM)

  If you have completed a Diploma or Advanced Diploma in a relevant discipline a weighted average mark (WAM) (weighted according to the point value of the individual subject) will be calculated. Qualifications which are not graded (for example, where only competency results are awarded) are not suitable for entry as assessment is based on the WAM. Instructions on how to calculate a WAM

  Access Melbourne

  If you’ve undertaken vocational education and training (VET), you can apply through Access Melbourne, our special entry scheme.

  Personal statements

  Only relevant work and community experience will be considered and only where work experience is specified as part of the course selection criteria.

  Applicants with relevant work experience may be given additional consideration. Details must be provided via the VTAC Personal Statement.

  Prerequisites

  All applicants must satisfy the course prerequisites. Usually this is achieved through the relevant Australian Year 12 subject but there are other ways you can satisfy prerequisites.

  There is no time limit for satisfying an English prerequisite but other prerequisites must generally be satisfied within the last 10 years to ensure the knowledge is current.

  Advanced standing (credit)

  Advanced standing (sometimes known as credit or recognition of prior learning) may be awarded based on prior study. It is not awarded for work experience in undergraduate degrees. Learn more about Advanced Standing.

• Applicants with work and/or life experience

• Applicants in this category typically fall into one of the following categories:

  • Non-school leaver entry pathway for applicants whose secondary education was completed over two years ago and/or any tertiary study was more than seven years ago
  • Applicants with an overseas secondary qualification
  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicants who don’t fit into the above categories but are assessed as likely to succeed in the proposed course. (See additional information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the section below).