BSc (Hons) Environmental Science

Core units

• Chemistry: You will be provided with an understanding of some aspects and processes within fundamental chemistry and analytical chemistry and develop your laboratory skills. The unit will predominately be delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. The laboratory sessions will enable reinforcement of the theoretical concepts by dealing with experimentally generated data and will allow for one-to-one and small group discussions.

• Diversity of Life: Gain an understanding of the origin and diversity of life on earth, how the environment and selection have shaped the patterns of distribution of plants, animals and micro-organisms since life first originated some 3.5 billion years ago, and how it is increasingly being influenced by humans. You will have insights into the basis for classifying organisms and in dealing with the relationships among major groups, and examine the organisation and structure of major groups of living (and some fossil) organisms (microbes, protists, higher plants, invertebrates and vertebrates). You will cover aspects of body size and life history strategies.

• Scientific Research Skills: This unit builds the skills you need to succeed at uni and beyond. You’ll learn how to think critically, study independently, and understand how different science subjects connect. Through hands-on tasks, you’ll practise finding and using academic sources, building strong arguments, and sharing your ideas clearly in writing, presentations, and visuals. By the end, you’ll have a solid set of skills to carry out your own research and feel confident in both academic and professional settings.

• Fundamentals of Environmental Sciences: Introducing you to the field of environmental science; you will explore a range of topics which you may have the option to study in more detail in years 2 and 3. These may include transport and the storage of nutrients; biogeochemical cycles; eco-physiology; hydrology; atmosphere and climate change; sea level change and ocean acidification and Gaia theory/earth system science. You will discuss the concepts and topics involved in environmental sciences and tackle current issues and problems in lectures and tutorials.

• Physical Geography: Taking an earth systems approach we will look at the evolution of our planet’s lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere focusing on the dynamic interactions between different earth system and how these interactions lead to environmental change through a narrative-based lecture series. Key themes will include the earth’s geological processes; basic principles of our solar system; heat engine atmospheric and oceanographic systems; biogeographical systems and surface processes, focussing on the physics common to all geomorphological processes.

• Residential Field Trip: This unit allows you to learn important field skills for your discipline and demonstrate your ability to work effectively as part of a team through experiencing the necessary conditions to conduct field research (both academically and socially). You will have four days of activities related to your discipline, followed by a final project day, where you will work on a team designed project of your choice.

Core units

• Advanced Scientific Research Skills: Through small group discussions, this unit builds and refreshes the academic skills required to enable you to plan a successful independent research project and write a research proposal. It will also equip you with necessary survey, experimental design and data analysis techniques for completing the research project independently.

• Applications of Environmental Science: You will review a range of applied case studies in which environmental science is an important component. Topics likely to be covered are: air quality management, waste management and technology, Environmental Impact Assessment, renewable energy technology & policy, flood risk management & sustainable urban drainage systems, building efficiency & carbon management plans, environmental policy & legislation, concepts of sustainability, environmental economics.

• Environmental Pollution: On this unit you will learn to understand a range of polluting impacts that human activities have on the environment. It will provide an overview of the causes of environmental pollution, the harm caused to the environment and the strategies used to both reduce and ameliorate negative environmental impacts.

• Geospatial Science: Developing your expertise and knowledge in the area of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geo-spatial science, we will provide you with an understanding of the principles underpinning spatial information science and its associated technology as well as its use in the real world to answer a wide variety of questions. You will manipulate and interrogate spatial data of various kinds whilst developing expertise in GIS and modelling. Emphasis is placed on data capture, analysis and the application of spatial information science for geographic and environmental decision making.

Option units

Please note that if you choose to participate in the International Field Trip, you will choose either one option unit from each semester or two option units from semester 2 (but this will mean you have asymmetrical work loadings).

• Ecosystems: We will enable you to develop an awareness of the importance of a range of ecosystems and develop your understanding of how ecosystems can be managed to conserve them.

• Coasts and Coastal Adaptation: The geography of the marine environment will be covered in this unit through consideration of the key resources found in marine and coastal environments and their management frameworks, including key factors affecting marine and coastal biodiversity and aspects relevant to biogeography, characterisation of the physical environment and associated dynamic processes, environmental change and implications to the sustainable management of renewable and non-renewable resources. An important element of this unit is the collection and interpretation of marine and coastal data.

• Environmental & Societal Challenges: Whilst you consider the relationships between humanity and the environment, you will be introduced to some of the big challenges faced by society today that stem from the impact of humanity on the earth system. By discussions about your place in society and your role in providing solutions to these challenges this unit will further your knowledge of science policy and application.

• Introduction to Toxicology: Discover the basic principles of toxicology and gain a foundation of knowledge preparing you to study toxicology at higher levels. This is also suitable for those intending to study subjects peripheral to toxicology, or where a basic understanding of toxicology will be relevant

• Geomorphology: This unit forms the basis for an understanding of geomorphology, the study of the relationships between landforms and the processes that shape them. The unit builds upon the geology and geomorphology elements of the Physical Geography unit, as well as field survey and GIS elements of other units from year 1 of this course.

• International Field Trip: Information on each trip will be provided during option selection sessions in the previous year or semester. Each trip will have a key theme or themes (e.g. conservation in practice in China; preparation for climate change in farming communities in Nepal). Much of the work will involve field-based lectures, discussions and also local speakers, but the bulk of activities will involve work on individual projects focussed on specific tasks within these broad concepts. Tutorial sessions will be available daily when on field work with the unit tutors. Please note that you may incur additional costs not covered by your tuition fee if you choose to participate in the International Field Trip. 

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

You may choose to complete a 2-week placement during the course of your study and a minimum 30-week work placement on a sandwich-year course, which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement (sandwich) year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. Those not on a sandwich-year course will complete a 2-week and 4-week short placement during their course.

Core unit

• Independent Research Project: The independent research project provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement.

• Environmental Remote Sensing: The unit develops expertise and knowledge in the area of environmental remote sensing, providing a detailed understanding of the principles of remote sensing as a source of spatial information. You will learn to manipulate and interrogate remotely sensed data of various kinds whilst developing expertise in image analysis and integrated Geographical Information Systems. Emphasis is placed on data acquisition, analysis and the application of spatial information science for environmental assessment and decision making. Indicative topic areas include land cover mapping, climate change monitoring, coastal management, landscape ecology, habitat characterisation, urban modelling, archaeological prospecting, pollution or hazard mapping.

• Freshwater Resource Management: The aim of the unit is to present theory and practice for issues relating to the conservation and management of freshwater resources. It covers a range of aspects of freshwater resource management including sustainable development, conservation and key issues from a planning policy and decision making perspective. By providing a framework to actively make managerial decisions, the unit enables problems to be identified, analysed and solutions to be proposed including the promotion of sustainable communities and public participation in the planning process and environmental assessment.

Option units

• Marine Conservation: This unit aims to enable you to critically evaluate approaches to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity including fisheries and protected areas. You will also examine legal processes and mechanisms that are applied to the conservation of marine and coastal environments.

• Climate & Environmental Change: Combining the expertise of our lecturers and special guest lecturers, this unit will provide a scientific background in the causes of climatic change, both natural and anthropogenic, and the trends that characterise and attribute this. With a key focus on examining the environmental, social and economic impacts of climatic change, you will have the opportunity to explore and voice your predictions of future impacts and the inevitability of uncertainty of those predicted futures. Including a local field trip to investigate microclimates, this unit will allow you to critically evaluate the potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation and the role of policy makers in this.

• Environmental Law: You will need a critical understanding of the body of law that is concerned with threats to environmental quality and ecosystems. In a complex world, functioning legal rules and other governance tools are mainstays of the movement towards environmental protection, security and sustainable development. Laws on permitting, standards, compliance and enforcement mechanisms, voluntary instruments, liability regimes and citizens’ environmental rights all play a part in translating policies, goal and social objectives into reality. In this unit, we aim to critically consider the dynamics of the legal and policy applications of environmental law and its role in environmental protection.

• Sustainable Development and Globalisation: Exploring the inter-relationships between controversial and contested terms, sustainable development and globalisation, you will develop the knowledge and skills to analyse, interpret and evaluate, the current issues and debates related to both concepts. We will extend conceptual knowledge of how sustainable development might be achieved in a context where globalisation is the predominant development ethos and unsustainable development and social injustice are accepted. The concepts will be examined from a number of disciplinary perspectives to enable you to evaluate the potential for, and limits to, the development of alternative relationships between people and their environments in a rapidly globalising world.

• Quaternary Environments: Learn how Quaternary (last 2.6 million years) environments can be reconstructed using a broad range of different types of evidence. You will also explore the use of biological proxies as well as geomorphological elements in the landscape to reconstruct past climates.

• Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation: You will critically evaluate currently important topics in wildlife conservation from a range of perspectives and develop i) your skills in evaluating ecological data in the context of conservation ecology ii) your powers of reflection on your own perspective and ability to appreciate and integrate other perspectives within conservation ecology.

• Environmental Forensics: This unit provides you with an understanding of some fundamental aspects and processes within the area of Environmental Forensics, with emphasis on pollution monitoring and tracing, as well as crimes against animals both in the wild and those under the control of humans.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Fieldwork and site visits form an essential part of all our courses. We make use of our unrivalled local environment, which includes the World Heritage Site Jurassic Coast, East Devon World Heritage Coast, the Dorset area of outstanding natural beuty and the New Forest.

There are also opportunities for you to learn through fieldwork by joining staff-led research projects overseas. Projects in 2017 included a team of students working in the conservation of Madagascar’s wealth of wildlife and plantlife.

All fieldwork that is part of a credit-rated unit, with the exception of research projects, is included in your course fees. Overseas fieldwork is not included in your fees, but you can apply for travel bursaries each year to support you to gain such valuable experience. Fieldwork provides an opportunity for you to consolidate your learning through practical application.

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Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

All students are encouraged to complete work placements to gain valuable employment skills, contacts and real world experience with a wide range of local and international opportunities, making contacts for the future. You can opt to complete your first short 2-week placement before the start of your second year of study. You can then either complete another short 4-week placement or you enter your optional placement year which consists of a work placement of at least 30 weeks.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator.  

Through timetabled sessions and one-to-one appointments, they’ll help support you in your placement search including advice on finding a placement, information and advice on all aspects of job searching and job applications, as well as ensuring your proposed placement meets the requirements of your course.  

Our CareersBU service is also available throughout your time at BU, offering services like CV checking and careers fairs to meet employers.  

Placement Development Advisors will support you once you have started your sandwich placement – so you will be able to maintain contact with the university throughout.

• The Environment Agency
• Local authorities
• Environmental consultancy firms
• National and international wildlife organisations
• The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We are looking for students who are keen to develop their intellectual and professional skills by gaining a sound scientific understanding of environmental science. The course will be suited to students who wish to examine the influence of humans in the functioning of the biosphere and the natural processes that underpin the earth system.

We encourage applications from students who have an enthusiasm for investigating complex environmental systems and who enjoy problem-solving and research in order to gain new perspectives. Such analytical skills are important to many employers. Students on this course will typically have a wide range of interests with strong science backgrounds which could include biology, geography and chemistry.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

If you are unable to meet the entry requirements, we may be able to make you an offer through AccessBU if you meet certain criteria e.g. you have been in care or live in an area where fewer people typically progress to Higher Education. If you don't meet our published tariff, we will accept you at least 8 points below if your personal circumstances match our AccessBU criteria. 

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments.  Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others.  As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

Our graduates work in various roles across a range of organisations and sectors, including at Bournemouth and Poole College and Herbs in a Bottle. Among the jobs you can go into once you graduate are:

• Laboratory Assistant
• Science Technician
• Academic Researcher
• Environmental Consultant
• Sustainability Officer
• Water Quality Scientist
• Environmental Impact Assessor
• Policy Advisor
• Conservation Officer

Here are some examples of graduate employers:

• Environment agency
• Local and national government
• Scientific research agencies (e.g. CEH, CEFAS)
• Environmental (and other) consultancies
• Teaching and educational organisations
• Water/energy companies
• Environmental charities (e.g. The Rivers Trust/The Wildlife Trusts)
• The National Trust, and other conservation organisations

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of taught Master’s degrees (we offer two in this subject area) and Masters by Research degree. For details visit the dedicated MRes Degree pages and look under Life & Environmental Sciences for topic ideas. 

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course, including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Dr Franklin works on the microalgae that power almost all aquatic food webs. He studied for a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology at the University of Liverpool and for a PhD in Microalgal Ecophysiology at the Queens University of Belfast. He has worked on the ecosystem-scale process of coral bleaching in collaboration with colleagues in Queensland, Australia. 

After gaining a BSc in Biology from the University of Portsmouth in 1992, Dr Iain Green worked as an industrial chemist before re-entering academia with Bournemouth University in 1993. 

As Associate Lecturer in Biological Science at BU, Iain’s research coincides with his interests - “it encompasses so much biology from the molecular level to the community level, from relatively simple microbes to complex plants and invertebrates”. He is especially interested “in how the physiology of organisms influences the transfer of potentially toxic trace metals in soil-plant-arthropod food chains and how toxic effects of trace metals can affect invertebrate communities”.

Richard is an applied ecologist with an interest in predicting how environmental change and management influence animal populations. His research aims to advise policy makers, conservationists and industry on the best ways of reconciling the interests of wildlife with those of humans. 

Ross joined BU from the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in the Earth Observation team. Ross is a fellow of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society (RSPSoc) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). His research focuses on applying remote sensed data to model forest structure and species composition, so he can identify the factors determining habitat quality and measure how they change over time. 

Phillipa is a terrestrial biogeographer/ecologist working in the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at Bournemouth University. Over the past 13 years she has worked on several terrestrial ecological survey projects, mainly in the UK but also overseas, for various organisations. In general, her interests could be summed up as 'where species are found and why'.

Prof Britton is an aquatic ecologist who specialises in fish ecology. His research interests cover the impacts on aquatic fauna of anthropogenic stressors, including invasive alien species (including parasites), habitat loss and climate change. He works on issues ranging from the ecological consequences of biological invasions through to the predicting the impacts of climate change on fish life history traits - applying empirical approaches, including stable isotope analysis and aquatic telemetry and population genetics.