Environmental Science, BSc (Hons), with industry placement

Course summary

Environmental scientists are critical to addressing global environmental challenges. Your degree will provide you with the knowledge and skills to identify and develop solutions to a wide range of environmental challenges on land and in our oceans, including climate change, biodiversity loss, conservation and sustainability. Applying the latest techniques in the laboratory and the field, you will graduate ready to shape the future of fields from ecosystem management to environmental monitoring.

• In the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS), 98 per cent of students agreed that staff were good at explaining things and 97 per cent were satisfied with the quality of the course.

• Benefit from enthusiastic, supportive staff and teaching informed by our renowned research.

• Take part in fieldwork in the UK and/or overseas in a variety of locations.

• Flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software, access to microscopes, microscope cameras and bespoke resources.

• Work placements – enhance your employability by gaining work experience via an optional 6 week or 6–12 month work placement in the UK, EU or further overseas.

• Take the opportunity to spend your second year studying abroad in Europe, Canada, Australia, USA or elsewhere through our bilateral and ISEP exchange programmes.

• Qualify as a professional diver (HSE SCUBA) as part of your third year of study.

• Benefit from an Environmental Science Careers Fair to build your all-important employer networks and share career success stories from our graduates.

• Our tutorial programme provides invaluable transferable skills, small group and one-to-one support. Our externally recognised Peer Assisted Learning (PALS) scheme helps increase your confidence with support from student mentors.

In your first year, you'll establish solid foundations across a range of scientific, legal and economic subject areas in order to explore environmental challenges and enable you to propose solutions. Field and laboratory work are key, and our residential field course promotes team building and provides you with an opportunity to gain experience with scientific equipment and data interpretation. Your personal tutor will support and guide you throughout the course. Year 2 covers core themes including economics and resources, sustainable development, environmental law and policy. Your scientific knowledge and research skills will develop through a residential field course in Malaysia, Malta or Cornwall. Our optional diving module will qualify you for underwater work with the HSE SCUBA certification. You'll also have the opportunity to study the following topics: biodiversity and conservation; climate change; marine conservation; environmental management. You can take an optional placement year before completing your degree, an invaluable opportunity to gain workplace experience from research institutes, companies and government organisations. Previous placements have included the Marine Biological Association (marine ecology, surveying and conservation), Pell Frischmann (environmental consultancy), the National Trust (landscape and habitat conservation), Kew Royal Botanic Gardens (species inventories), and the Eden Project (ecological studies). In the final year, you will develop an understanding of concepts and practice of environmental impact assessment. You’ll learn how to debate and evaluate contemporary environmental issues, and your research project will see you working alongside world-leading scientists in state-of-the-art facilities. A choice of modules across four pathways allows you to pursue interests within the areas of climate change, environmental management and sustainability, biodiversity and conservation, and marine conservation. The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.