Ecology and Environmental Science

On this Institution of Environmental Sciences-accredited degree, focus on key themes and issues within ecological, conservation and environmental science, and prepare for a career addressing the challenges that face our natural world.

You’ll choose from themes reflecting our research specialisms in applied ecology, conservation, monitoring & management, ecological theory, environmental change, water and global sustainability.

Developing advanced skills in lab work, ecological surveying and geographic information systems, you’ll progress from UK field training to field research in the savannah of South Africa, tropical rainforests of Costa Rica or the montane environments of the Swiss Alps.

With a focus on small class sizes, practical and field learning, you will be assessed entirely through coursework to gain a truly representative measure of graduate attributes sought by future employers and for postgraduate study.

We offer fee waivers, bursaries and awards, for both UK and international students. If you choose to pursue a postgraduate courses at UoG, you’ll receive a priority offer and an alumni fees discount.

Our Institution of Environmental Sciences-accredited course is available in a standard 3 year format and as a 4 year course with placement.

You’ll focus on our key themes and research specialisms within not only applied ecology, but also water and global sustainability, environmental change, ecological theory and conservation monitoring & management.

Against this backdrop of academic themes, we also have skills pathways on research & fieldwork, GIS & remote sensing, data analytics & visualisation and artificial intelligence. We’ll introduce these in your first year, then choice becomes available.

In lectures we’ll engage you through our interactive presentation platform, in seminars you’ll work with your peers, in practicals you’ll be hands on throughout, in science communication you’ll role play – just a snapshot of why our students are the most consistently satisfied Bioscience students in the UK. 

In all of this, your performance will be assessed entirely through a rich range of coursework types to provide a true reflection of graduate attributes valued by future employers and for further postgraduate study. 

Our focus on small class, practical and field learning means our course is delivered entirely face-to-face, with options for short online meetings if you choose. In Year 1, you can expect to be on campus at least 4 days per week, with your weekly calendar shifting in later years depending on your choice of modules.

Introducing, preparing and helping you to secure progression to graduate employment or a higher degree is embedded into our course. In addition to the modules that form our academic themes and skill pathways, we have work-based learning modules in Years 2 and 3 in the form of short, 10 day internships and longer, 9-12 month placements. These modules can not only contribute to your overall degree grade, but enable you to sample different careers, gain experience for future applications and can often lead to a foot in the door with the company that you secure a graduate role with.

We purposely build in a broad and rounded skill set to ensure you are not pigeon-holed by your degree. Our students go onto an incredible range of careers, be they directly related to the subject of Ecology & Environmental Science or to sectors that draw on the extensive, transferable skills that you will graduate with. See our Students’ Stories for an insight into your potential future.