Working towards a sustainable, healthy future for people and the environment is a priority. Climate change scenarios indicate the urgent need to work towards this. The Environmental Science degree at Liverpool Hope is designed to give you the best possible opportunities to develop practical skills relevant to the workplace and to deal with the growing global concerns over the environment.
The degree covers various aspects of Environmental Science through an investigation of environmental geosciences (geology, Earth materials, environmental resources and hazard management), biodiversity, ecology, aspects of environmental biology, and human/environment interactions. The degree also looks at environmental challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, resource management, and a range of other key environmental issues.
Environmental Science prepares you to work individually and collectively towards an environmentally sustainable and socially conscious future. After completing the degree, you will have appropriate knowledge and understanding that makes you well suited to contributing to the solutions presented by the environmental challenges facing modern society.
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 20-25 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. There are also a number of fieldtrips each year, as well as the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
In your first year there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours studying independently each week, as well as group study to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
Our BSc Environmental Science degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. If you successfully complete this accredited degree you are eligible for graduate membership of CIEEM and use the letters Grad CIEEM after your name. Visit the CIEEM website for further details.
Throughout your three years of study, you will be assessed in a number of ways, including written exams, coursework (consisting of both essays and reports), portfolios, a literature review, academic posters, and presentations. In your final year you will also complete a dissertation.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
You will be introduced to principles and theories of ecology, world biomes and the diversity of life (biodiversity). You will also undertake investigations into, for example, ecological niches and dichotomous keys.
You will investigate approaches to in-situ and ex-situ conservation, practical conservation and, conservation management using Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). You will be introduced to biotic and abiotic interactions and physiological functions between organisms and their environment.
You will investigate the development of life on Earth and the key evolutionary advances of species looking at the environmental conditions and selective pressures that shaped complex life on Earth.
An introduction to key concepts in geoscience/geology; the geological history of the Earth, and the geological processes in landscape development.
You will study topics such as environmental change, environmental resources and environmental resource management.
Discover the formation and significance of selected Earth materials e.g. minerals, rocks, fossils, and sediments/soils.
You will develop your understanding of the underlying theories and principles of Ecology such as sustainability, biosphere cycles, natural resources, evolution and distribution of organisms (including abiotic/biotic dimensions).
You will explore habitat management practice with the aim to conserve, protect and restore natural and semi-natural habitats. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of species action plans (SAPs).
You will develop an in-depth and critical understanding of the value, importance and urgency of protecting species and their habitats from key threats including extinction.
An exploration of, for example, legislation; policy; planning; environmental impacts and management.
An exploration of applied dimensions to environmental geoscience and geospatial data analysis/GIS.
An applied project based study block that can be undertaken as one of several formats e.g. fieldwork based (residential and/or non-residential); problem-based task; work placement related; or a block of work-based learning.
Advanced studies of ecology through investigations of specific examples of applied ecological practice. This may cover, for example, ecological legislation, policy and guidance; ecological fieldwork methodologies and techniques; and, advanced approaches to the analysis and interpretation of ecological data.
An exploration of the current knowledge, research and practice in ecology and/or conservation, for example, current research in conservation biology, terrestrial coastal ecology and palaeoecology.
A consideration and evaluation of themes and debates surrounding the human-environment nexus, for example, sustainability; sustainable development; environmental resource management; climate change; and the Anthropocene.
An exploration of environmental change, including consideration of global environmental change throughout Earth history cryosphere. A key focus will be on environmental change in the Quaternary.
You will undertake fieldwork internationally. Past countries have included Malta.
During the August/September admissions period we are able to offer some flexibility in our entry requirements for courses that still have vacancies.
We are also offering a Foundation Year on many of our courses for students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level to enter directly onto our degree programmes.
Please call us to discuss the options available to you: 0151 291 3111
Environmental challenges (local, national and global environmental issues) require specialist knowledge and skills to address them and as a graduate in Environmental Science, you will be equipped to meet the science or environmental management needs of industry and other employers. Employment opportunities also exist in growth areas such as sustainable development, renewable energy industries, and in the development of green economies, in both the private and public sectors.
Liverpool, and Merseyside as a whole, has significant employment opportunities to offer to science graduates as it is home to Liverpool Science Park, is the Biomanufacturing Capital of Europe (Liverpool City Region), and is home to a growing environmental technologies sector within the Merseyside region.
In your final year, your Honours Project can be completed through a work placement. This placement enables you to gain relevant environmental work experience so that you can apply your environmental knowledge and experiences into a work setting. Please note that you must organise this work placement yourself.
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
The tuition fees for 2019/20 are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
As well as your tuition fees, you need to consider the costs associated with compulsory and optional residential and other fieldwork trips. Cost depends on the nature of the fieldwork or location, but we estimate you will need around £400. You also need to budget for key textbooks (£200) and around £100 for fieldwork equipment such as boots and a waterproof coat.
There is a small cost for Student CIEEM membership, and once you graduate, there is a registration fee and annual fee thereafter for Graduate Membership – full details of costs can be found on the CIEEM website.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
The International tuition fees for 2019/2020 entry will be released in due course.
Visit our International fees page for more information.