BSc (Hons) Environmental Science

Summary 2012/13

• Join a department where Geography is ranked second in the UK for overall student satisfaction (National Student Survey, 2011);
• Confront the major environmental issues that face us using scientific approaches to understand the earth’s systems and relationships between them;
• Travel to a variety of fieldwork destinations and develop your skills using the latest technology;
• Develop a wide range of field and laboratory skills that will enhance your employability potential;

The increasing concern about what is happening to our environment offers exciting challenges to the environmental scientist. As such, we will increasingly see the need for more science-based approaches to understand the interactions and relationships between components of the planet's systems and the impact of human activity. This degree programme will give you a thorough grounding in the emerging environmental problems and their potential solutions.

2012 Entry Requirements

240 UCAS tariff points, normally to include Geography, Biology or Environmental Science, or a related subject, plus GCSE Mathematics at grade C or equivalent.

Details

Who is this course for?

The curious and, some might say, the adventurous! You will need a keen interest in the environment around you and the ability to plan meticulously. If you want the opportunity to travel to a variety of fieldwork destinations and to use science-based approaches to develop your understanding of our planet and environment, this is the course for you.

What will I gain from this programme?

By combining the rigour of the scientific methods offered by geology, biology, physical geography and environmental science, this programme provides you with the means to address, from a scientific perspective, the major environmental issues and problems which confront us. It also allows for the assessment of the environmental 'footprint' of modern society via a variety of scientific approaches.

What will I study?

Year 1 provides a foundation in environmental science and geological science as well as developing a range of subject specific skills including fieldwork and laboratory skills, and generic key skills. A residential field course will also be part of your first year.

In Year 2 you will study core modules alongside further developing your subject-specific research skills through fieldwork in the UK and overseas. Year 2 also provides you with an opportunity to practice and further enhance your skills within an environmental organisation through our work-based learning module.

Year 3 adds a more applied dimension to your knowledge and understanding of the environment. You will complete an independent research project (dissertation) and our Geo-careers module will give you an opportunity to develop your career planning and management skills. This will give you a big advantage at the time when you will be applying for jobs.

How will I study?

Teaching is through a combination of laboratory and workshop practical activities, lectures and seminars, directed independent study, dissertation supervision, tutorials and fieldwork. We want to strengthen the employment potential of our graduates through the acquisition of a range of subject-specific, key and career management skills, as well as the development of knowledge and understanding in the environmental sciences. The work-based learning module provides an opportunity to experience working in an environmental organisation and should improve your employment prospects.

Fieldwork is one of the most beneficial and enjoyable aspects of the degree. Current fieldwork locations include Cumbria, Mallorca and the Western Isles, as well as local sites.

Placement

Our optional Year 2 work-based learning module provides you with an opportunity to spend time in a professional setting in which you can apply and simultaneously extend and refine the knowledge and skills acquired during your degree in a professional setting. It may play a key role in enhancing your career prospects.

Who will be teaching me?

You will be taught by an enthusiastic and experienced team who are all research active, which means that they keep up-to-date with current developments in their areas of interest and pass this knowledge onto their students. We are not a large department so you won't get lost in the crowd. We have small class sizes and tutors are readily available to give help and advice. We are a friendly, approachable department where you won't get lost in the crowd and we respond to our students' needs.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment methods allow you to display your knowledge and understanding and to develop and demonstrate your competence in subject-specific and key skills. Modules are assessed by either a mixture of coursework and examination or coursework only. Exams never count for more than 40% of the marks for any module. A number of modules are assessed by coursework only. Coursework includes practical portfolios, essays and project reports, field notebooks, individual and group oral presentations and poster presentations.

What are my career prospects?

The Environmental Science programme produces graduates with a range of specialist and key skills which make them attractive to employers in many fields. Such graduates may find their way into a variety of interesting careers including environmental management, environmental consultancy, planning, environmental monitoring, extractive and waste industries, countryside rangers and environmental education. You will also be well placed for postgraduate study and to train for a career in teaching by completing a PGCE.

Further study at Edge Hill University

MSc Conservation Management

A Great Study Environment

The Department of Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences provides a wide range of learning opportunities in a positive, friendly and supportive environment. Teaching facilities include lecture rooms and laboratories for physical and human geography, environmental science, geology, information technology, remote sensing and geographical information systems, all of which have an extensive range of equipment and technical support.

Based in 160 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, the Ormskirk Campus is a unique and inspirational place to study. Industry standard resources and cutting edge technology combine to make an interactive and highly advanced teaching and learning environment. Everything you could want is on one site with 25 acres of sport and leisure facilities, more than 1,000 rooms in halls of residence and fantastic modern spaces in which you can study and socialise.

The University library gives you access to thousands of books, journals, online resources and extensive PC and media provision. You'll get all the support you need to succeed, reflected in Edge Hill University being ranked in the top two in England for students' personal development, and the top three in the country for assessment and feedback, in the 2011 National Student Survey. The University is also featured in the top four in England for graduate employment.

How do I apply?

Apply online through UCAS at www.ucas.ac.uk.

See our How to Apply pages for more information on the application process and our Admissions criteria.

Fees and Finance

For academic year 2012/13, Edge Hill University will charge £9,000 for full-time BA, BSc and LLB degrees. Eligible students will not have to pay upfront for their tuition. The cost of tuition will be paid by a loan which you will only start to repay once you have finished the course and are earning over £21,000.

Eligible full-time students can also apply for a maintenance grant, subject to household income, and a non-means-tested loan to help with living costs.

Edge Hill University offers a range of scholarships for prospective full-time students. These include £2,000 Entrance Scholarships rewarding determination, commitment and achievement in creative arts, performing arts, sport and volunteering. Eligible entrants with outstanding grades are recognised through the £1,000 High Achievers Scholarship.

The University will also be offering awards, worth £3,000 in cash benefits and fee/accommodation waivers for academic year 2012/13, to eligible prospective full-time students through the National Scholarship Programme.

For more information on scholarships, including eligibility criteria for each award, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/scholarships.

To find out more about fees, grants and loans for academic year 2012/13, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/undergradfees2012.

Please note, the above information is for UK and eligible EU students only. International students should check the fees and finance information at www.edgehill.ac.uk/internationalfees2012.

Not got the entry requirements?

Students returning to education may present their previous experience in work (paid or unpaid) to support their application.

Students with relevant study through either a professional body or appropriate academic course can apply to join the programme at an advanced stage.

If you do not have a Mathematics GCSE, or lack the required grade, you can sit an Edge Hill equivalency test to gain the equivalent qualification.

For personalised advice based on your circumstances, please contact us or come to an event.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like to receive a copy of our prospectus or be kept updated about forthcoming events, contact the Course Information, Advice and Guidance Team by emailing study@edgehill.ac.uk or calling 01695 657000.

If you want to attend one of our open events held throughout the year, visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/opendays to book your place.

You will also find Edge Hill University staff at many national careers fairs and UCAS events.

Still want more?

If you have any questions you would like to ask the programme leader about this course, please contact:

• Dr Nigel Richardson, Department of Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP
• Tel: 01695 584421
• Email: richardn@edgehill.ac.uk

Overseas students should visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/international or email international@edgehill.ac.uk for further information.

Modules

Year 1

Science of the Physical Environment considers the structure and composition of the physical environment, the processes and reactions that operate within and between the various compartments, and the interaction of humans. The module also introduces practical skills for characterising and analysing components (materials and processes) of the physical environment.

Practising Environmental Science provides an introduction to practical skills in environmental science. It covers a range of laboratory, practical and fieldwork investigations focusing on the effective recording, analysis and interpretation of environmental data.

Rocks, Minerals and Fossils provides a general introduction to the geological sciences. It includes aspects of mineralogy, petrology, palaeontology and stratigraphical study within an holistic framework for planet Earth.

You will also choose from the following optional modules:

Geographical Skills develops a number of geographical skills including map skills, aerial photography, satellite image interpretation, research skills, statistical analysis, and fieldwork skills. The module involves a residential field course.

Geo.com focuses on the handling, analysis and communication of spatial and graphical data and geo-information by providing an introduction to the principles, uses and practical skills of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), digital cartography and graphical software packages.

Year 2

Research Methods in Environmental Science. Using investigative research processes, this module enhances and develops essential research methods in environmental science. The module develops core environmental science skills explored in Year 1 within the framework of devising and implementing research programmes based on local fieldwork.

Digital Geographies is a fusion of Remote Sensing - the analysis and interpretation of aerial and satellite imagery, and Geographical Information Systems - the management, processing, analysis and presentation of spatial and non-spatial data from different sources. An understanding of these systems will help your career prospects and support your environmental learning.

Biogeography examines spatial and temporal aspects of ecology which underpin the distribution and diversity of life. Such aspects include diversity, dispersal, biogeography, colonisation, succession, species-area relationships, disturbance and human impact.

Environmental Pollution Chemistry considers the actual or possible effects that humans may have on natural chemical systems, over a variety of scales in time and space. The module also includes a significant practical component which will focus on how the effects of human perturbations on the environment can be measured, monitored and analysed.

Weather, Climate and Soils provides you with a detailed understanding of the climate system and the soil system. It covers a range of atmospheric processes through to the development of weather systems, with a specific focus on mid-latitude weather. The varying nature and properties of soils, and the soil processes which give rise to soil formation and development are then considered.

Fieldwork in Environmental Science. Within a foreign field setting, this module further enhances the field and research skills developed on the programme so far. You will explore the varied and often very different environments of an overseas location and will have the opportunity to apply techniques to new scenarios, investigate processes and explore a range of physical and anthropogenic environments.

Work-based Learning provides a professional setting in which you can apply and simultaneously extend and refine the knowledge and skills acquired during your degree. It may play a key role in enhancing your career prospects.

Year 3

Dissertation. Through the dissertation experience you develop and apply a range of research and transferable skills in the planning, execution, and reporting of an individual research project.

Geo-careers is designed to assist you in making the necessary transition from academia to the world of employment or postgraduate study. The module provides opportunities to develop career planning management skills and, therefore, should enhance your employability and career prospects.

Environmental Management: Environmental issues are of growing political and public interest. Environmental scientists play a key role in the understanding and assessment of such issues, and the amelioration of environmental damage through the design and implementation of appropriate traditional, and sometimes innovative, management strategies and techniques. The module provides an academic basis of the role of the environmental scientist in environmental management, supported by real-world examples of environmental management practice and contemporary environmental management challenges.

You will also choose from the following optional modules:

Pollution and Biomonitoring provides an overview of the biological and chemical effects of pollutants released into the environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of biological effects at the individual and community levels to monitor pollutants and on the impact of extensive pollution on natural habitats.

Geoenvironmental Engineering enables you to apply your learning to real world geoenvironmental science. The focus is on the bulk mineral industry and aspects of engineering geology. This furnishes you with a skill set and knowledge base currently in demand in the job market.

Managing the Geoenvironment focuses on real world environmental problems faced by environmental specialists relating to the reduction or management of construction waste, waste disposal facilities, cleanup of contaminated sites and the conservation of geodiversity.

Climatic Change considers the nature and causes of climate variability and the methods used to reconstruct the record of past climates. It includes a detailed consideration of the evidence for a human-induced impact on climate at the present day, and for the prediction of climate into the future and its potential impacts.

Coastal Zone Environments and Management examines recent and current changes affecting coastlines. Coastal zone environments are approached as repositories of recent environmental change and as dynamic systems responding to human activities.

Postglacial Environments considers the nature of postglacial environmental change by examining the evidence for change, potential causes, and the spatial and temporal responses. The module explores the major changes of the Late Glacial and Holocene periods and examines the relative contribution of forcing factors, such as climatic variability, and of anthropogenic activity. In addition it will critically consider the techniques and methodologies used in the reconstruction of environmental change through a specific range of case study scenarios.

Recent Environmental Change. The lake-watershed ecosystem, ombrotrophic peat bogs and near-shore marine environments are situations where there is a more or less continuous accumulation of sediment or peat. Application of a range of techniques to the sediments or peat allow the detailed reconstruction of a sequence of changes in the recent past and can be used in the direct interpretation and evaluation of contemporary environmental problems, and the present is seen as an expression of processes and trends which can be dated, interpreted and often quantified from the historical evidence contained in the various deposits.

Advanced Digital Geographies. Building on Digital Geographies in year 2, this module is a blend of GIS and remote sensing and is the systematic study and theory of digital representations of the Earth, and the processes that can be applied to that information. You will explore contemporary theory and research in GIS and remote sensing to better understand how technology can be used for environmental inquiry.