Environmental Science have successful been awarded renewed professional accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).
CIEEM are the leading professional membership body representing and supporting ecologists and environmental managers in the UK, Ireland and abroad.
Head of the Department Reverend Paul Rooney, a Full Member of CIEEM and a Chartered Environmentalist, said: “This is a fantastic achievement that recognises the continuing quality of our environmental courses. These accreditations come after a rigorous assessment by trained professionals to ensure that our degrees meet their demanding standards.
“The CIEEM accreditation scheme is focused on core ecological and environmental theory and significant practical experience, much of which must be in the form of fieldwork. We firmly believe that experience ‘in the field’ is essential to gaining skills that are crucially important to employers seeking to recruit graduates.”
The five-year CIEEM degree accreditation is awarded to the BSc Environmental Science and MSc Ecology and Environmental Management programmes. Students studying on these accredited degrees are eligible for free student membership of CIEEM.
During their course, students also have the opportunity to attend relevant CIEEM events, meet practising ecologists and environmental managers and access careers advice from employers within the sector.
Reverend Rooney added: “Our environmental degrees enable students to apply their theoretical knowledge to ‘real world’ situations and to develop their scientific interpretation, analytical and report writing skills. The environmental degrees at Hope are created around what employers in the ecology and environmental sector are looking for in successful candidates.”
Students on the BSc Environmental Science and MSc Ecology and Environmental Management programmes are being encouraged to sign CIEEM’s ‘Pledge for climate and nature’. This is in response to the latest IPCC climate change report which recognises that we are not currently on track to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“This is an urgent issue,” said Reverend Rooney. “By signing this pledge we are demonstrating our commitment to address the climate emergency and that we are in a biodiversity crisis. The two issues are closely entwined and cannot be tackled separately. Our environmental degrees recognise this interconnectedness and promote integrated ecological understanding along with the pressing need for practical action.”