Bachelor of Science
Studying a Bachelor of Science is guaranteed to quench your thirst for knowledge about the world, and will be the start of a lifelong career in science.
Study with us and you have access to some of the best lecturers in Aotearoa New Zealand and state-of-the-art equipment. You’ll have lots of opportunities to apply your knowledge in the lab or on field trips, and our science degree integrates mātauranga Māori. Our strong links with the scientific community extend right across the world – making it easy for you to transition from university to your career.
Talk to us about your study options
Thinking about studying at AUT? Book a time with us to discuss your study options.
Download programme guides
Minimum entry requirements
If you have New Zealand qualifications
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall with all bands 5.5 or higher; or equivalent
Useful New Zealand school subjects
- Analytics, Mathematical Modelling and Computation majors: Calculus, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics
- Biological Science, Biomedical Science majors: Biology, Level 3 Chemistry and other science subjects
- Chemistry, Food Science majors: Level 3 Chemistry, Mathematics and other science subjects
- Environmental Science, Marine Science majors: Biology and other science subjects
Don’t meet the entry requirements?
Consider starting with our:
You can build your degree in a way that suits you and your interests, and include subjects from outside of science as part of your studies.
To graduate with a Bachelor of Science you need to complete:
Core courses (120 points)
All Bachelor of Science students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.
Choose one of:
- DIGD507 Mahitahi | Collaborative Practices
- SCIE504 Science and Society
And choose one natural sciences course
- ASTR500 Introductory Astronomy
- BIOL500 Foundations of Life
- BMED500 Introduction to Biomedical Science
- CHEM500 Chemistry in Our World
- CHEM501 Principles of Chemistry#
- CHEM502 Biological and Solution Chemistry
- CONS500 Biodiversity
- EASC500 Our Dynamic Earth
- ENVS502 Environmental Science Skills
- ENVS503 Our Total Environment
- FOOD502 Food Science
- FOOD503 Food Technology
- GESC500 Mapping Our Environment
- HEAL505 Human Anatomy and Physiology
- HEAL507 Health and Environment
- MAOH501 Hauora Māori and Environment
- MASC500 Introduction to Marine Science
- MASC501 Marine Science Techniques
- MELS501 Histology and Cytology
- MICR501 Microbial Life
- PHYS501 Physics for Scientists and Engineers
- SOSC585 Climate Action
And one mathematical and computer sciences course
- COMP500 Programming Concepts and Techniques*
- COMP503 Object Oriented Programming*
- MATH502 Algebra and Discrete Mathematics
- MATH504 Introductory Mathematics for Science
- MATH505 Algebra and Calculus I
- STAT500 Applied Statistics
- STAT502 Introductory Probability and Statistics
*Only available to students in the Analytics and Mathematical Modelling and Computation majors
#Please note that this course is designed for students with chemistry knowledge from high school. If you're unsure about your level of knowledge, you can take an optional pre-test here.
And one course from either the natural sciences or mathematical and computer science courses above.
Complete the following course:
- SCIE606 Vision Mātauranga: Science Practice in Aotearoa
And one of:
- CHEM604 Instrumental Analysis
- SCIE600 Scientific Inquiry
In Year 3, you complete a project in an area related to your major. This project gives you an important competitive edge for your career, and is good preparation for postgraduate study.
Courses you complete for this project:
- SCIE707 Science Capstone Project A
- SCIE708 Science Capstone Project B
These courses give you a basic understanding of different areas of science, and help you decide which subject to focus on later in your studies. One of the core courses is the capstone project, a research or industry project you complete in your third year.
Your chosen major (120 points)
Your major is the subject area you want to specialise in. This makes up one third of your degree, and usually consists of eight courses related to your chosen subject. You can view the list of majors in this degree in the ‘Majors’ tab.
Flexible component (120 points)
You can choose one of the following options:*
- A minor (60 points) and elective courses (60 points); or
- Two minors (60 points each); or
- A second major (120 points)
Your second major, minor(s) and elective courses can be from different AUT degrees; they don’t need to be from science.
*Depending on your chosen combination of majors and minors it may take you longer than three years to complete your degree.
Build your degree
Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.
Students who started at AUT before 2023
If you started your studies at AUT before 2023, the courses you need to study to complete the requirements for your programme are a little different. Find out more about what courses you should take.
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of the Bachelor of Science are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Your major is the subject area you want to specialise in. It makes up one third of your degree, and usually consists of eight courses related to your chosen subject.
Choose one of these majors as part of your degree
- Analytics
- Biological Science
- Biomedical Science
- Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Food Science
- Marine Science
- Mathematical Modelling and Computation
Add a second major to your Bachelor of Science
If you want to include a second major, you can choose another subject from the list above or view more options from different AUT degrees
A minor is smaller than a major. It usually consists of four courses.
Science minors you could choose
If you decide to include one or two minors in your degree, you could choose from:
- Analytics
- Astronomy and Space Science
- Bioanalytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Biomedical Science
- Chemical Science
- Earth System Science
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Sustainability
- Food Science
- Geospatial Science
- Marine Science
- Mathematical Modelling and Computation
- Microbiology
- Molecular Genetics
- Pharmaceutical Formulation
Add a minor from outside of science
You can also choose your minor(s) from subjects outside of science to complement your degree.
Other undergraduate study options
Postgraduate study options
($7,726 - $7,966 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
($39,500 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
Science: $41,092 (for 120 points)
($39,900 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
- Fees-free study may be available for domestic students
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.