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Information for Prospective Students

Welcome to the School of Molecular & Biomedical Sciences.

The School offers Undergraduate, Honours and Postgraduate programs in the fundamental disciplines of Biochemistry, Genetics, Physiology, Microbiology and Immunology. Further information about programs at each of these levels is available via the links at the left, or by contacting the Academic Programs Manager:

Jennifer Peters (Ph +61 8 83034732)

Biochemistry is concerned with highly organised processes in the form of chemical reactions, that underlie the process of life in all organisms. Thus, Biochemistry studies all aspects of these metabolic processes as well as gene structure and activity, the growth and differentiation of cells and the interactions between cells to form whole organisms.

Genetics is concerned with the nature of the genetic material, its replication, transmission, organisation, expression and its role in development, behaviour, ecology and evolution. The genetic information controls the development, behaviour and reproduction of all biological organisms. Variation in this genetic information underpins biological evolution and heredity including the inheritance of genetic disease. Consequently, Genetics is a unifying discipline of biology because genes are the principal determinants of all life processes.

Microbiology is concerned with all aspects of the various groups of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoan and metozoan parasites. Immunology involves a study of host responses to infectious agents, tumours and substances that are recognised by the body as foreign or "non-self". Many of the fundamental concepts of immunology were developed by study of natural host reactions to infectious microorganisms, and knowledge of both microbiology and immunology is necessary for the study of infectious diseases.

Physiology is the study of the functions of the body, or how the body works. Consequently, physiology is a scientific discipline of the widest scope and application and is the major scientific foundation of all careers related to human health and physical performance. A knowledge of physiology underpins all advances in biomedical research and discoveries in physiology impact on medicine, agriculture, industry and environmental science.