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Environmental Biology

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

To include Biology. Citizenship Studies, Critical Thinking, General Studies, Science and Society and Leisure Studies not accepted.

Access to HE Diploma

D:24,M:21

This qualification will be considered where appropriate biology content is being studied. The requirement is 60 credits- overall with 45 graded credits at Level 3. 24 credits must be achieved at Distinction plus 21 graded Level 3 credits at Merit, including 15 credits from biology units.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,M2,M3

To include Biology.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English and Maths grade C/4.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

To include Higher Level Biology at grade 5.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DD

This qualification will be considered alongside A Level grade B. Applications are considered on an individual basis to ensure sufficient biology has been studied. The required A Levels for mixed BTEC and A Level grade profiles depends on the science content studied in the BTEC.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

This qualification will be considered alongside A Level grades B,B. Applications are considered on an individual basis to ensure sufficient biology has been studied. The required A Levels for mixed BTEC and A Level grade profiles depends on the science content studied in the BTEC.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

Applications are considered on an individual basis to ensure sufficient biology has been studied.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B

To include Biology. This qualification is only accepted in combination with five Scottish Highers at grades ABBBB.

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,B

This qualification is only accepted in combination with two Scottish Advanced Highers at grades AB including Biology.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

A-B

This qualification is accepted alongside Biology plus one other additional A level or equivalent.

UCAS Tariff

104-141

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Environmental biology

Are you passionate about environmental protection, wildlife conservation and ecology?

Our course uncovers the human impacts on our natural environment. You will study environmental threats and management. The biggest threats to biodiversity are climate change, habitat loss, invasive species. You'll study the effect of these threats, and learn ways to manage and reduce them.

We cover a range of topics including:
- Ecology

- Conservation

- Animal behaviour

- Botany

- Sustainability

- Environmental protection

You'll gain experience in surveying techniques that are used when working as an ecologist. Day trips, field work and visits to local sites will include activities such as:

- bat surveys

- phase one habitat surveys

- sustainable homes

- renewable energy

- winter tree ID

Throughout your degree you have the opportunity to choose from a range of additional options. You can apply to do these when you get here:

- Industry placement - you can add a year in industry between years two and three

- Study abroad - options include our Malaysia campus, Australia, Canada, or Europe

- Computer Science year - use algorithms to analyse complex data and apply this to your course

Modules

Core modules in your first year introduce the principles of ecology and biodiversity. You'll learn about evolution and behaviour. Study how natural selection has shaped how organisms interact with their environment. Learn through lectures, lab sessions and field visits.

In year two you'll gain more practical fieldwork skills as part of a non-residential field course. The Ecology module teaches you how interactions between species can drive co-evolutionary processes.

In the second year and third years, you have lots of optional modules. You can choose to study plant evolution and ecology in The Green Planet module. 

In your final year, the research project enables you to use your skills to work on a piece of original research. This can be lab, field or literature based. You will design the study, collect and analyse data. Optional modules include Conservation, Evolutionary Ecology and the Arctic Ecology Field Course.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£28,600
per year
International
£28,600
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University Park Campus

Department:

School of Biosciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

77%
Environmental biology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Ecology and environmental biology

Teaching and learning

77%
Staff make the subject interesting
77%
Staff are good at explaining things
54%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
25%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

92%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
46%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
34%
Male students
66%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
0%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Ecology and environmental biology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
high
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

12%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Science, engineering and production technicians
8%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Ecology and environmental biology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£21k

£21k

£25k

£25k

£30k

£30k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here