Our BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation course aims to introduce students to the main issues in managing and conserving biodiversity at national and global scales.

In the first two years you will be trained in key field practical and analytical skills alongside learning about both biological and environmental systems and processes. There is increasing flexibility in the third and fourth years – alongside modules in Environmental Policy and Management and Population and Community Ecology there is a wide range of optional specialist skills modules available for you to choose from allowing you to pursue your specific interests. This includes Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for creating managing interpreting and visualising spatial data remote sensing techniques and advanced statistical approaches using the software R.

In the fourth year you will work with an individual member of staff on an independent research project to address an ecological or environmental question. There are a wide range of topics to choose from which may involve field and laboratory work or computer simulations and collation and analysis of existing datasets.

Recent projects have included:

assessing the implications of rewilding for freshwater biodiversity
evaluating the effectiveness of conservation conflicts using online games
associations between tropical exotic plants within oil-palm dominated landscapes
quantifying the response of biological communities to woodland restoration
use of camera trapping data for assessing species ecology health and distribution.
Some students design their own topics with guidance from our staff.

Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the current academic year (September 2022). Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.

Year 1 Semester 1
Compulsory module

Module Credits
Ecology: An Introduction (BIOU1IE) 20 credits
prior to 2021 2 BIOU1EC was taken instead

Compulsory module

Select 20 credits from AQUU1OP ENVU1BP or GEOU1PP list

Module Credits
Our Blue Planet (AQUU1OP) 20 credits
Building Planet Earth (ENVU1BP) 20 credits
People and the Environment (GEOU1PP) 20 credits
Compulsory module

Module Credits
Introduction to Cell Biology (BIOU1CE) 20 credits
Prior to 2021 2 BIOU1CB was taken instead prior to 2020 1 SCIU1LS was taken in year 1

You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it