Introduction & Overview

The School offers units at first-, second- and third-year levels. Courses can be designed to lead to a major in Anatomy & Human Biology in third year, to continue on to fourth-year honours, to supplement other majors or to combine as double majors with many other disciplines.
Postgraduate studies can be undertaken in any of the major fields that are drawn together in the undergraduate curriculum in Anatomy & Human Biology.  A list of undergraduate units is available on the University Handbook website.

In the first year, Human Biology I (Becoming Human) and Human Biology II (Being Human) provide a rigorous multidisciplinary study of the biology of humans. Many fields are represented in these units: morphology and function; evolution; genetics; ecology and adaptation; reproduction; neuroscience; demography; behaviour; primates; nutrition; and health. The primary emphasis is on their integration and synthesis in the holistic understanding of the human condition.

Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in oral and written communication, as well as practical work and group learning strategies. Students' research skills are enhanced through an introduction to a web-based computer-aided learning facility and the use of library resources.

In the second year, the multidisciplinary approach begun in the first year is continued. Students wishing to major in the School are required to complete at least 12 points of second-year Anatomy & Human Biology units.  Students not taking a major may also elect to enrol in one or more of our units (Human Structure and Development, Human Functional Anatomy, Human Organs and Systems, Biological Anthropology (Human Variation), Human Reproductive Biology, Human Neurobiology) in which the various fields within Human Biology are offered.  In the second year, skills are further enhanced through the use of a much wider range of teaching strategies.

In the third year, a curriculum has been developed which takes the individual fields of second year to a further level of understanding and integrates them, as in first year, but to greater depth and breadth, taking into account new knowledge in human biology developed during the last decade. Three units, Biological Anthropology, Human Evolutionary Ecology and Human Reproduction, continue the holistic and integrative approach of the major first- and second-year units,  focusing more on the nature, development and causes of human variation, growth, development, behaviour and evolution. The histology studied in second year is extended into an advanced unit investigating the organisation of human cells and tissues (Cell & Tissue Organisation) and the functional anatomy into a dissection-based unit (Human Functional Morphology) which explores the biomechanical applications and implications of the human form.   In advanced neuroscience the neurobiology of second year is studied more deeply in third year (Advanced Neuroscience) and is placed within the broader context of cellular physiology.

The process of understanding the linkages between, and the intersections among, all of the component parts of human biology is further pursued as part of Biological Anthropology, Human Ecology and Evolution, Human Reproduction, Cell & Tissue Organisation and Human Functional Morphology in third year. Without being confined to any specific field of study, these classes address the social context of science and aim to produce scientifically literate citizens as well as future researchers. 

Emphasis is placed on the working of science in the third year. Students are encouraged in a team environment to develop and test hypotheses, think creatively, and critically review information. These skills are developed within the research expertise of the School, but provide students with fundamental problem-solving skills.

A student may choose a broad selection of these units to produce a well-rounded course in Anatomy & Human Biology suitable for careers in teaching, industry, government and a variety of biomedical, technical, technological and health-related professions, as well as academic careers in Anatomy & Human Biology itself and related biomedical disciplines. Alternatively, a smaller selection of units can be taken to complement studies in most other faculties and majors in many other fields.

The School also has a unit, Developmental Biology, as a summer or third semester offering.  Students will be introduced to molecular aspects of developmental processes which complement and extend many other existing cell, molecular and gene-based third year units.

Summer Vacation Scholarships are also available in limited numbers each year for students intending to progress to Honours.