Do you love fish? Keeping them as pets or on your dish?

If your passion for keeping marine or freshwater fish is great, we have a course for you! Learn all that you need to know about keeping fish for a hobby, or starting a hobby or commercial fish farm. Why not mix it up, and keep a self sustained eco-system by trying aquaponics? Learn how to create the perfect balance between plants and fish and water, a beautiful art.
Aquarium Management

Aquaculture
Marine Aquaculture
Marine Studies I
Marine Studies II

Meet our new staff member: Gabriella Vogt
Gabriella has a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience degree from The University of Sydney. Majoring in animal welfare and behaviour she has recently been involved with research into layer hen welfare with the University of Sydney Poultry Research Unit.
She has worked in both the domestic animal and production animal (mainly beef and poultry) industries for a number of years.
She was employed for three years by The University of Sydney Marketing and Student Recruitment Unit. She is currently completing her teaching qualifications at Southern Cross University.

On the Marine theme.. have you considered becoming a Marine Biologist?
What do they do?
Marine Biologists usually study organisms which live in marine environments, and their interactions with each other and the surrounding environment. Work can be specific, such as dealing with specific fish species e.g. the effect of the Crown of Thorns Star Fish on the Great Barrier Reef, or less specific - such as examining the effect of human activities on marine environments (eg. sediment runoff, pollution, resource removal).

How to become a Marine Biologist
When starting out in this industry it is beneficial to offer your expertise as a volunteer with either government or non-government organisations. This not only gives you the experience which is so highly desired by employers, but also provides opportunities for future employment.

Varying your skills can also set you apart and broaden your opportunities for further employment. It is good to have a speciality, however this can be limiting when looking for work.

To work as a contractor in this field, you should consider personal indemnity insurance. A Professional Indemnity policy aims to shield the professional's assets in the event of a claim, therefore ensuring that s/he is able to carry on their business. Most of the roles mentioned above are not filled by contractors and are more commonly recruited as casual or permanent positions. To minimise risk of liability, you must investigate and learn about the legal and professional requirements for practicing in this field.

To become a Marine Biologist you will need at least three years undergraduate qualifications and most likely either a Masters or PhD. However, if you would like to start out in this field or try it out before committing yourself to full-time study, you can look to complete vocational courses.

There is also scope for working as a guide or similar in a marine environment without a University qualification, such as a snorkel guide, whale watching guide, scuba guide, whale shark spotter and guide etc.

Get started by studying the Certificate in Marine and Wildlife Management with us.

Treat yourself this Winter

Kick start your 2014 with some new knowledge & skills for your career or personal development.
Do you have some spare time this winter? Is it too cold and dark to be outside? Take advantage of the chilly weather and go back inside and sign up to one of our short courses.
You can start anytime you like, study in the comfort of your own home and study what you like- we have over 600 courses to choose from. From personal development courses to professional development, there is a course that we have that suits your lifestyle and development needs.
If you were to study one of our 100 hour courses for 10 hours per week, you would be finished in 10 weeks! See what's on offer.

ACS Australian Affiliates meet at our Australian Office
The ACS Distance Education Affiliates met at the Gold Coast Offices on Wednesday for the annual meeting. It was great to see everyone and some really great ideas came out of the meeting.