1999 Science Handbook - Structure and organisation of the faculty

Structure and organisation of the faculty

The faculty comprises six departments and one school, each of which is responsible for carrying out teaching and research activities within the areas of expertise of their academic staff. A number of departments from other faculties, primarily from the Faculty of Medicine, also contribute significantly to the teaching and research programs of the faculty.
The departments within the faculty are Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, and Psychology. Science disciplines are also offered by the departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemical Engineering, Geography and Environmental Science, Microbiology, Pathology and Immunology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Physiology and the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering.
The School of Applied Sciences operates on the Gippsland, Berwick and Peninsula campuses and offers studies in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics (including applied statistics and operations research), microbiology, psychology and resource/environmental management. Computing studies are offered by the Gippsland School of Computing and Information Technology towards the BSc.
The academic operations of the faculty are governed by the faculty board. The dean of the faculty, whose role is to exercise a general superintendence over the academic and administrative affairs of the faculty, chairs the board. The dean is assisted by three associate deans. The heads of departments are ex-officio members of the board and there are elected members representing various groups of staff within the departments of the faculty and the School of Applied Sciences, as well as representatives of undergraduate, graduate and distance education students. Student representatives may be contacted through the appropriate campus student organisation. Representatives from other faculties and of extra-faculty departments teaching science students also make up the membership of the board. The board seeks advice from a number of standing committees, such as the faculty's Education Committee and the Committee on Graduate Matters.
The faculty registrar (Science), with the assistance of administrative officers, is responsible for the activities of the faculty office and works closely with the dean in the provision of administrative support to the faculty. The faculty office, located on the ground floor of the central science building at Clayton and in building 3W at Gippsland, is the first point of call for students seeking assistance or advice. Assistance may also be obtained at the departmental offices.