Programme overview
- led by some of the UK’s foremost biologists working in evolution, conservation and ecology
- field work opportunities in the UK and overseas
- close links with a wide range of conservation organisations
- state-of-the-art research facilities
- low student-staff ratio, so you won’t get lost in the crowd
- four year programme with study abroad available
- graduate with outstanding employment prospects
- MSci four year programme available from 2014
This degree programme offers you more direct field experience than any other Ecology course in the UK, in locations from Cornwall to Africa. Through this hands-on experience you’ll gain skills that are essential for working conservationists and ecologists, including wildlife identification and data handling.
In the first year, we take full advantage of Cornwall’s rich landscapes and you’ll have many one-day field trips around the South West peninsula. In the second year, wider experience comes as a result of a variety of field courses in the UK and Europe, while in the third year we go overseas – currently to Africa or Spain. Here you’ll use the skills you have built up over the previous two years and note the striking interplay between the world’s most spectacular wildlife and the growth of a developing nation. In all these locations we teach vital identification skills and census techniques while at the same time studying local ecology and conservation issues.
This programme is available as a four-year degree with the third year spent studying at a partner university abroad.
If you choose the four year MSci programme (available for 2014 entry) you will spend your fourth year on two projects focused on a specialised area aligned with one of our leading research groups, one of which will be in partnership with an external organisation, plus a two week intensive field course.
My non-uni friends and family are quite envious when I say that I've spent a few days at the Eden Project learning about environmental issues, and a day out whale watching to learn about ecotourism, and what better way to learn about nature reserve design and all that it entails than to spend two weeks in Africa!
Rebecca Huxham, BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology student
I chose to come to the Cornwall Campus because when I was deciding where to enrol the BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology programme offered the most fieldwork of any course I looked at, which for me is an essential part of the course. The Cornwall Campus is small and friendly and in a fantastic location. I really enjoyed learning how to conduct research, write papers, and identify plants and animals which were the best aspects of the programme for me. I thought the teaching was great as the lecturers are very engaging and some of them are quite funny.
Life as a student is brilliant as I’ve met so many like-minded people who also enjoy tramping around the countryside wearing wellies and watching birds and catching insects. I enjoyed getting involved with Ecosoc – one of the most active societies on campus which really gets you involved in the environmental sector, and fits perfectly alongside the programme. We were able to go all over Devon and Cornwall to see the amazing wildlife. Where else can you watch basking sharks and dolphins on your doorstep, with the occasional golden eagle or snowy owl passing through?
Once I finish studying I hope to get a conservation-based job in Cornwall. Failing that, I would like to go somewhere warm and exotic. The programme has made me aware of the types of job available and I have had the opportunity to gain experience and make contacts that will prove useful. I would then like to return to university to study for a PhD in conservation or zoology.
Emma Wood, BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology
