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Summary 2010/11

• Confront the major environmental issues that face us using scientific approaches to understand the Earth’s systems and the 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 concerns 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.

2010 Entry Requirements

220 points overall, normally to include Geography or Biology or Environmental Science or a related subject, plus GCSE Mathematics at grade C or equivalent. Each application is assessed on its own merits.

Details

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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. Modules you will study include science of the physical environment, practicing environmental science, rocks, minerals and fossils. A residential field course will also be part of your first year.

In Year 2 you will study core modules in environmental pollution chemistry, biogeography, research methods and weather, climate and soils, 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) together with a number of optional modules including climatic change, postglacial environments, recent environmental change, coastal zone environments and management, pollution and biomonitoring, environmental management, geoenvironmental engineering and managing the geoenvironment.

Our Geo-careers module in the third year will give you an opportunity to develop your career planning and management skills. This will give you a big advantage at a time when you will be applying for jobs.

How will I study?

Teaching on the course 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, the Western Isles, as well as local sites. All compulsory fieldwork is free of charge.

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 friendly, approachable and respond to our students' needs. Very quickly you'll know us and we'll know you.

How will I be assessed?

We use a range of methods of assessment to give you the opportunity to display your knowledge and understanding and to develop and demonstrate your competence in subject-specific and key skills. Most modules are assessed by a mixture of coursework and examination. Exams never count for more than 40% of the marks for any module, so if you don't feel confident about them, you can be reassured that not everything rests on them. 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 industry, administration, local government, environmental management, planning, environmental monitoring and consultancy, the extractive and waste industries, countryside rangers and environmental education. The course also provides a good foundation for postgraduate academic or professional study.

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 75 acres of spacious, landscaped grounds, our Ormskirk Campus combines original buildings and gardens from the 1930s with £60 million of modern resources and 25 acres of sport and leisure facilities. The Learning Resource Centre offers everything from spacious and well-stocked libraries to extensive PC and media provision. Cutting edge systems and technology, interlinked with learner support, make for a flexible and highly advanced learning environment.

How do I apply?

Apply online through UCAS for the full-time programme. For flexible study apply directly to Edge Hill.

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

Fees and Finance

The Edge Hill tuition fee for full-time undergraduate degree students is £3,290pa for academic year 2010/11. However, you will not have to pay this fee while you are studying. Instead you will be able to take out a tuition fee loan to cover the cost, which is not repayable until you have completed your course and are earning at least £15,000pa.

For more information about grants, loans, bursaries and scholarships, see our Fees and Bursaries pages. Please note, the above information is for UK and EU students only.

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, then complete our course enquiry form or contact the Course Enquiries Unit on freephone 0800 195 5063.

You can also register to attend one of the open days and evenings we run throughout the year. These are held at our main campus and at other venues across the region. You’ll also find University staff at many national careers fairs and UCAS events.

Still want more?

If you don’t find all the information you need on this website, please contact:

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

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

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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.