梅西大学

From molecules to forests, ecology is a broad discipline that teaches you how to make sense of the interactions between organisms and their environment.

The Bachelor of Science (Ecology) at Massey offers some of the best courses on ecology in New Zealand - making it the number one choice if you want a broad knowledge in the discipline.

• Our ecology staff are world-leading and their cutting edge research feature heavily in the teaching.
• You can expect to learn about the latest research findings in lectures.
• Our ecology programme is the longest running programme of its kind in New Zealand (over 20 years).
• Practical labs and fieldtrips are an important part of all ecology courses.

Hands-on experience

Practical labs and fieldtrips are an important part of all the ecology courses. You might learn how to identify fish and invertebrates for monitoring water quality, how to build a computer model to predict the recovery of an endangered species or set a sustainable quota for a fishery, or how to survey biodiversity in a forest or the ocean.

Broad range of topics

The courses taught in the ecology major include:

• biodiversity of New Zealand
• ecology and conservation
• biological evolution
• ecosystem health
• freshwater ecology
• conservation science
• plant-biotic interactions
• molecular ecology
• and you might be interested in courses from related subjects entomology
• behavioural and evolutionary ecology
• ornithology.

Careers

Many of our graduates work with the Department of Conservation or other government agencies. There are great opportunities for graduates in ecology to work with managed ecosystems (e.g. farming, forestry, fisheries). The interactions between scientists interested in managed and natural ecosystems is a particular focus at Massey University.

Many of our graduates go on to positions with central and local government or their agencies (such as regional and district councils), Crown Research Institutes, environmental or conservation organisations, ecological consultancy, school teaching, or technical and advisory work.

A postgraduate qualification in ecology will allow you to approach many environmental research and management issues from a strong theoretical and practical base. You might work:

• with an interdisciplinary team in a private environmental consulting firm
• in a government research laboratory
• working with a regional council managing water quality
• with a fish and game council concerned with the impacts of water quality on trout.

Other possible career areas include forestry, fisheries, eco-tourism and education.

Further study

Many of our students go onto postgraduate study in programmes such as the Bachelor of Science (Honours), Master of Science or a PhD in ecology or conservation biology. This really helps get you into a career as a research scientist or higher level management and policy where you can make a real difference.