Minor in Aquatic Ecology / 2nd Major in Marine & Freshwater Ecology

The minor and 2nd major are offered by the Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with Department of Geography.

Updated November 2025 – The Second Major in Marine & Freshwater Ecology will be offered from AY25/26 Semester 2 for cohorts AY24/25 onwards.

Updated 12 July 2024 – Students reading the BES XDP from Cohort AY2021/2022 may now declare to read the Minor in Aquatic Ecology.

Updated 12 July 2024 – For Cohorts AY2021/2022 onwards, LSM2251 is regarded as an elective option. However, LSM2251 is a pre-requisite for the essential course, LSM3254. Please refer to the revised requirements for the Minor in Aquatic Ecology below.

The revised set of Minor requirements accommodates the previous set of requirements. Students who have been following the previous set of requirements are expected to fulfill the Minor.

Updated 12 July 2024 – Two courses have been added as elective options for Cohorts AY2021/2022 onwards.

GE3216 Applications of GIS & Remote Sensing
HS2906 Saltwater: Society and the Sea

    The Minor in Aquatic Ecology and the Second Major in Marine & Freshwater Ecology aim to expose students to the important disciplines of marine and freshwater ecological studies while developing relevant specific skills, knowledge, and experience among them. With the increasing governmental, private, and societal interests in aquatic sciences, there is a growing demand for manpower with expertise in freshwater and/or marine ecology. These programmes aptly complement the primary disciplines of students from the Life Sciences Major and Geography Major. They will also enhance the training for students keen in related career opportunities at relevant governmental and private institutions in Singapore, including Public Utilities Board (PUB), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), DHI Group, and Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (SDWA).

    To be awarded the Minor, the following requirements (20 units) are to be fulfilled (for Cohorts AY2021/2022 onwards):

    Click on the course for its details at NUSMods. 

    1. Essential Courses – Pass all the following (Total 12 units)

    2. Elective Courses – Pass 2 of the following (Total 8 units)

    a. For students reading Life Sciences Major/Second Major/Minor, at most one LSM-prefixed course is allowed.
    b. For students reading Geography Major/Second Major, at most one GE-prefixed course is allowed    .
    c. For students reading BES XDP, please select from HS2906, GE3216 and LSM4260    .

    • Up to 8 units (i.e., two courses) may be double counted and used to meet (i) the Minor requirement and (ii) another requirement, e.g., General Education (only for students admitted from AY2021/2022 onwards), College (e.g., Common Curriculum), Faculty, Major, Second Major, Minor, Specialisation or other requirement, i.e., at least 12 units of the Minor must be distinct and not overlapping.
    • At least 12 units for any Minor must be taken from outside the entire set of courses that are listed for the major(s)/another minor that the student is taking/ has taken.
    • A minimum of 60% of the Minor requirements must be earned from courses read at NUS. Courses read at NUS include all courses taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty member(s). These consist of graded courses or courses with an ‘S’ or ‘CS’ grade. The remaining units may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from courses deemed relevant to the particular Minor.

     

    To be awarded the 2nd Major, the following requirements (40 units) are to be fulfilled (for Cohorts AY2024/2025 onwards):

    Click on the course for its details at NUSMods. 

    1. Essential Courses – Pass all the following (Total 16 units)

    2. Elective Courses – Pass 6 of the following (Total 24 units)

     

        • Up to 16 Units may be double-counted and used to meet (i) the Second Major requirement and (ii) another requirement , e.g., General Education, College (e.g., Common Curriculum), Faculty, Major, Second Major, Minor, Specialisation, or other requirement, i.e., at least 24 Units of the Second Major must be distinct and not overlapping.
        • At least 12 Units must be at Level 3000 or above.
        • A minimum of 60% of the Second Major requirements must be earned from courses read at NUS. Courses read at NUS include all courses taught, co-taught, supervised or co-supervised by NUS faculty member(s). These consist of graded courses or courses with an ‘S’ or ‘CS’ grade. The remaining units may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement and exemptions, from courses deemed relevant to the particular Second Major.

        Application

        The Minor in Aquatic Ecology is an open minor and available to undergraduate students from all disciplines, except those who are reading the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) degree from Cohorts AY2020/21 and earlier.

        The Second Major in Marine and Freshwater Ecology is an open 2nd major to undergraduate students from all disciplines from Cohorts AY2024/25 onwards.

        Students may transfer from the Minor in Aquatic Ecology to the 2nd Major in Marine and Freshwater Ecology, and from the 2nd Major to the Minor. The two programmes are mutually exclusive.

        Declaration is via EduRec. Please refer to the Academic Plan Application/Declaration (APAD) website for more details. The declaration to join the 2nd Major should be made by the start of the fifth semester of the undergraduate candidature.

        For enquiries on the programme, you may contact the Programme Coordinator, Assoc Prof Peter Todd dbspat@nus.edu.sg.