BSc Applied Ecology and Conservation in UK

Description:
The programme offers the opportunity to acquire the varied skills required of applied ecologists and conservation biologists through a combination of taught modules and practical experience. The first year provides a broad introduction to pure and applied ecology. This provides an insight into the full range of pure and applied ecology, and how ecological perspectives can inform real-world problems in conservation and pest management, especially in relation to the agricultural landscape. The second year builds on this introduction, providing deeper insights into the ecological systems and organisms that make up our world, with an emphasis on UK issues. The final year allows for a wide range of choices, so that your degree will reflect your interests. Final year project choice depends on the interests of students and staff. Recent projects include topics as diverse as 'the ecology of parasitic wasps', 'the effects of rainforest destruction on biodiversity', 'bird foraging behaviour' and 'glow-worm conservation'.
Year 1
Compulsory Modules
Ecology: Species and their Interactions
Mammals: Diversity, Behaviour and Conservation
Environment in Practice 1
Exploiters and Exploited
Humans and the Changing World
Genes and Chromosomes
Optional Modules
includingCountryside and the Environment
The Living Cell
Plant Diversity, Structure and Utilisation
Soil: Principles and Management
Intorduction to Enterprise and Marketing
Year 2
Compulsory Modules
Environment in Practice 2
Evolutionary Biology
Habitat Management
Introduction to Entomology
Weed Biology and Control
Statistics for Life Sciences
Science Communication
Biodiversity Field Course OR Tropical Biology Field Course (subject to place availability)

Optional Modules
including
Practical Nature Conservation
Vertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology
Animal Behaviour
Ecology and Management of Plant Diseases
Birds: Diversity, Behaviour and Conservation
Landscapes for Amenity and Sport
Final Year
Compulsory Modules
Research Project
Conservation Biology
Wildlife in the Farming Environment
Optional Modules
including:
Rural Environmental Sustainability
Rural Policy and Countryside Planning
Environmental & Ecological Weed Management
Principles and Practice in Biological Control
Behavioural Ecology and Life History Theory
Conservation and Biodiversity: The Global and Local Scale
Physiological Ecology
Management of Soil Fertility
Biodiversity Informatics
Plants and Climate

BSc Zoology with Aquatic Biology (C3C1)

BSc Zoology with Aquatic Biology (C3C1)

Zoology with Aquatic Biology focuses on the study of aquatic organisms and the environments in which they live. This course will develop existing strong links with potential employers (including for example, the Environment Agency and consultancies). It will cover fundamental aspects of the ecology of aquatic systems, and spans a wide range of organisms, from the microscopic marine plankton that play a key role in regulating Earth’s climate, to the largest of all animals ever to have existed, the great whales. The programme is almost unique in the UK as it considers elements of both marine and freshwater biology. The School is ideally situated for easy access to a diverse range of UK seashores and important freshwater habitats, including the Thames, the chalk rivers of Dorset and the lakes and Broads of Norfolk, as well as the London Aquarium and various nature reserves in the capital itself (e.g. the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre in West London).
For further information regarding the programme, please refer to our

programme flyer [PDF 171 KB]

Programme structure

Year
Required Modules – Essential skills for biologists, Cell dynamics, Heredity and gene action, The diversity of life, Basic biochemistry, Conservation and the environment, Evolution, Ecological and environmental techniques.
Year 2
Required Modules – Animal physiology, The invertebrates, Aquatic ecosystems:structure and function, Fish biology and fisheries, Populations, communities and ecosystems.
Options – Evolutionary genetics, Global change biology, Statistical methods in biology.

Year 3 -
Required Modules – Integrative studies in biological sciences, Behavioural ecology, Aquatic ecosystems: science, policy and management, Mammals and evolution, Zoology research project/Investigative project/Project skills in the life sciences.
Options – Freshwater biology, Tropical ecology and conservation, Turtles, seals, whales and dolphins.

Entry requirements

Normally 300 points at A2 level.
Biology (or equivalent) A2 is required with at least grade C.
Chemistry A2 or AS is desirable but not essential.
For more information on entry requirements visit the SBCS general entry requirement page.

Practical Skills/Project work

Every student has the option of taking an investigative or research project that may take up to a quarter of the final year's work. For many students, this is the highlight of their time in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, giving them an opportunity to work alongside established researchers in the field, and the Natural History Museum, the London Zoo, Forest Enterprise and London University's Marine Biological Station at Millport in Scotland all provide special opportunities for original work. There is a strong emphasis on fieldwork, with opportunities for residential modules in all three years, located at sites around the coastline of the UK and in the Lake District.

MSc in Hydrogeology in UK

This one year MSc in Hydrogeology, run with the collaboration of the British Geological Survey, Scottish Water and Scottish Environment Protection uk Agency, will prepare students as functional hydrogeologists to meet the needs of uk industry, regulators, government and consultants.

for Sep 2011 entry to full-time MSc hydrogeology (Admission Code : CVMSC3)

Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.

Online applications are welcome for September 2011 entry via the above link. Please also refer to the Entry Requirements section further below.
One year full-time study uk involves attendance at classes in uk (120 credits) over 2 terms, plus uk dissertation (60 credits) during the 3rd term. This is the only option for Overseas students.
Part-time (open to UK/ EU students only) involves classes attendance, completing 60 credits in year 1 and 60 credits plus dissertation in year 2. Depending on timetable, just 2 days work release per week may be needed 24 weeks/year.

for Sep 2011 entry to part-time MSc hydrogeology (Admission Code : CVMSC4)

Postgraduate entry requirements are in our prospectus.

The Programme and its International Context

Throughout the World, the issue of uk water scarcity, water security, uk water economics and health and sanitation all rely on high quality hydrogeology knowledge. Hydrogeology is a key component of water resources management required to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Hydrogeology is a key component of water resources management required to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals and the Decade Water for Life as well as meeting the targets required from the European Water Framework uk Directive (and daughter directive) and as a subset of Geotechnical Engineering. This MSc will prepare students as functional hydrogeologists to meet the needs of industry, regulators, government and consultants throughout the UK, Europe and, through linked uk research and projects, the needs of the Middle East and of the SADC (South African Developing Countries) such as Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
The Department of Civil Engineering at Strathclyde has one of the strongest Geo-Engineering foci of any related department in the UK, and is currently working with the British Geological Survey (BGS) to develop hydrogeology in sub-Saharan Africa.

CURRICULUM

The MSc course involves a curriculum of seven core modules and a wide range of optional modules. Additionally, students undertake a dissertation.

Compulsory Modules

• Hydrogeology
• Aquifer Mechanics
• Groundwater Flow Modelling
• Global Water Resources Policy
• Research Methodology with Environmental Monitoring & Analysis
• Installation Techniques and Risk Assessment
• Treatment Technologies

Optional Modules

(Not all classes may be offered each year)

• Principles of Sustainable Development
• Applied Strategic Environmental Assessment
• International Environmental Policy
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Ecology, Biodiversity and Sustainability
• Pollution and Rehabilitation of Degraded Ecosystems
• UK and EU Environmental Law
• Environmental Modelling
• Water and Environmental Management
• Solid Waste Management
• Spatial Query and Analysis using GIS
• Fundamentals of Environmental Forensics
• Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation

Normal course length

MSc: 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time.

Entry Requirements

MSc: Normally a First or Upper Second-class Honours degree from a UK University or equivalent Overseas qualification, in Earth Sciences, Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering or other relevant disciplines. Two supportive academic references and/or appropriate professional experience or achievements.
Open Access Route: A wider range of qualifications will be considered by the course leader.
In all cases, for candidates whose first language is not English, minimum standards of written and spoken English are an IELTS score of 6.5 (or a TOEFL score of 600 or official evidence of previous degree having been instructed in English, where applicable).

Career Prospects

Students who complete an MSc in Hydrogeology are in very high demand as there is an expected shortage of Hydrogeologists in the UK that will continue for the next decade. Additionally, throughout the world the issue of water scarcity, water security, water economics and health and sanitation all rely on high quality hydrogeology knowledge.

Contact

Professor Robert Kalin
Course Leader
David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability
t: +44 (0)141 548 3170
e: dlcs@strath.ac.uk

Open Access Study

UK students can choose study via Open Access - taking a couple of classes per year, adding up eventually to a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc (up to the max of 5 years). More information from Dr Jane Andrews. Additionally, UK/EU students who do not meet the normal MSc entry requirements for this programme, are welcome to apply via the Open Access route instead.

BSc Meteorology and Climate

UCAS Code: F790Course length: 3 years
Accreditation:Approved by the Royal Meteorological Society as an appropriate academic training for meteorologists seeking the qualification Chartered Meteorologist.

Course aims

Our course aims to provide a thorough degree-level education in environmental physical science, with emphasis on the physics of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans. It also aims to provide graduates with a sufficient degree level knowledge of applied physics and mathematics to enable them to pursue a career outside the specialist areas of meteorology and oceanography.

Course content

The course consists of a mixture of compulsory and optional modules. Full details can be found in the course module table

Transferable skills

You will gain useful, transferable skills and experience while studying this course, including:

• Oral presentations
• Scientific writing
• Information handling
• Numeracy
• Problem solving and scientific experimental methods
• Team working

Use of information technology (word-processing, using spreadsheet and graphical applications programs, scientific programming, internet).

Entry requirements

Entrants to this course are normally required to have obtained:
Grade C or better in English, science and mathematics in GCSE or equivalent

• Either A/AS Level: 300 points overall including at least BB in physics and mathematics (both A2 levels) and 100 points from another A2 level or other AS levels;
• or International Baccalaureat: Pass IB diploma with higher grades 6, 6, 5 including Physics and Mathematics;
• or Scottish Advanced Highers: 300 points with at least BB in physics and mathematics plus the remainder from another Advanced Higher or other Highers;
• or Irish Highers: five grade Bs including physics and mathematics both at grade B

Career prospects

Graduates gaining a good honours degree are suitably qualified for graduate entry into the Meteorological Office, where they may pursue a career in either operational meteorology or research.
The British Antarctic Survey, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Environment Agency and three or four commercial weather forecasting companies are examples of organisations that provide employment to graduates wishing to specialise in the applications of meteorology.
Opportunities also exist in the general area of environmental consultancy, both with local authorities (in the UK) and private companies. However, a graduate is also qualified to follow a career involving more general applications of physical science and mathematics, as in teaching (primary or secondary level), the scientific civil service, and industry.
Graduates also pursue higher degrees mostly in the UK but occasionally in the USA.
Over the past 2 years, 6 months after graduating 81% of our graduates are in graduate level work or futher study (e.g. MSc and PhD degrees).
For a full description of the course please download BSc/MMet Meteorology