A new Oceans, Ice & Climate major that focuses on Australia’s connection to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean kicks off in 2025, bringing together oceanography, glaciology, carbon cycle science, geoscience and climate change to create an exciting new degree pathway.
The University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) will offer the major in the Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Studies, with courses centred around a growing number of Antarctic themes with high social relevance, connected to climate change and the world we are in today.
This specialisation is unique for Australian universities, giving students the opportunity to learn how oceans, the atmosphere and ice sheets are connected – and how these connections produce intricate feedbacks with potentially severe impacts for Australia when tipping points are reached.
Students will learn what happened in the past and how drought, wildfire and other extremes in Australia can be reconstructed from Antarctic ice cores, and will be trained to observe and analyse data, develop models, use proxies, address uncertainty, and solve complex problems.
A Bachelor degree in Marine and Antarctic Science with a major in Oceans, Ice & Climate will open doors to employment opportunities in a growing number of ‘planet-friendly’ jobs, in the private industry, environmental organisations, and national and state governments.
With this interdisciplinary specialisation, our graduates may find work as a climate risk analyst or be involved in the emerging field of carbon management.
Future job opportunities also include coastal adaptation practices, with sea level rise increasing flood risk everywhere along the Australian coastline – or even the chance to become part of Australia’s Antarctic workforce, almost exclusively based in Hobart.
Courses are taught at IMAS, Australia’s leading centre of excellence in Antarctic research and education. The University of Tasmania is ranked #1 in climate action globally, and recognises Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as core to its mission and vital for securing Australia’s future.
It’s a major that will set graduates on a pathway to careers that make a difference, wherever they are in the world.
Cover image: Conducting radar surveys by Skidoo
on Larsen C ice shelf. Credit: Adrian Luckman