BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation with Placement Year

The world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, which threaten the future of plants, animals and people. You'll focus on ecological concepts, the natural world, and how we conserve it, through exploring community and ecosystem ecology of habitats, plants and the people who use them. This course will help you explore practical solutions to these problems, through a range of lectures, practicals and fieldwork, preparing you for a career in ecology and conservation.

Our 200-hectare rural campus offers a unique learning environment where you will put theory into practice and gain hands-on ecology and conservation experience. We utilise this outdoor classroom in many of our modules, for example, by undertaking species and habitat surveys across the campus. You will be taught by lecturers that have vast experience in the conservation sector and in ecological research.

Throughout the course, you will have the chance to participate in many exciting field courses. You will have the opportunity to visit South Africa, southern Spain and Pembrokeshire, where you will learn about the unique biodiversity of savannah, Mediterranean and coastal ecosystems, respectively.

You will also experience a range of non-residential field trips to various local and national sites of importance to nature. For example, in your first year, you will study the behaviour of British wildlife such as red deer and grey seals; as well as exotic animals such as Barbary macaques.

You will have the opportunity to undertake a year-long industry sandwich placement in the conservation sector between your second and final year, providing an excellent opportunity to explore an aspect of ecology or conservation that interests you while increasing your employability prospects.

If you have any questions about the BSc (Hons) Ecology & Conservation course, you can contact the course leader Dr Adam Bates.