Environmental Hazards BSc(Hons)

Overview

Environmental hazards such as earthquakes, coastal erosion and waste disposal have a huge impact on our lives and with a growing world population, there is an increasing need to understand how these hazards can be overcome or reduced. The impact of such hazards is often determined by the vulnerability of society to these events, whether they are generated by natural processes or by society itself.

Graduates are able to understand the causes of environmental hazards, their socio-economic contexts and the ways in which society can monitor and respond to their threat. All of these different aspects come together on the residential field courses to locations such as Greece and Mount Etna, Sicily.

Course duration
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: 6 years
Sandwich: 4 years

UCAS code F850
Course content

Course structure

The course takes a multidisciplinary approach, and practical and applied learning is achieved through lectures, seminar groups, laboratory and field work. You will undertake training in study skills, research methods and career development. The dissertation project is a major part of the final year and further develops research and analytical skills. Year 3 can be spent on a career-focused work placement.

Areas of study

Following an introduction to environmental hazards, natural and social systems and mitigation procedures in year 1, students have the opportunity either to maintain a broad-based course or to specialise in particular aspects such as hazard assessment, hazard management or hazard mitigation. Students can also select particular pathways and specialise in geological hazards, pollution hazards, geomorphological hazards or biological hazards.

Syllabus

Year 1
An Introduction to Environmental Hazards
Fundamentals of Geology
Hydraulics for Environmental Hazards
Introduction to Fieldwork (Greece)
Introduction to Statistics and Quantitative Techniques for Environmental Scientists
Skills for Independent Learning
The Global Earth System
The Ocean Planet: an introduction
Global Environmental Issues and Management
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
Options
Twenty-first Century Brighton
Ecological Processes
Elements of Chemistry
Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks
Interpreting Geological Maps
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
Mineralogy and Petrology
Physiological Ecology
Soil Mechanics
Modern languages
Year 2
Environmental Hazards
Further Statistics
Geography fieldwork, Sicily
Skills for Research and Careers
Soil and Water Analysis
Options
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Applied Palaeontology
Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology
Climate Change
Community Participation and Development
Contemporary Rural Geography
Earth Resources
Ecological Techniques
Environmental and Spatial Planning
Environmental Conservation and Management
Environmental Pollution and Control
Evolution and Diversity
Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
Fundamentals of Environmental Microbiology
Geographic Information Systems
Geographies of Consumption
Global Geomorphology
Hydraulics
Ice Age Earth
Independent study module
Introduction to Environmental Geochemistry
Introduction to Marine Biology and Ecology
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Sedimentology
Soil Mechanics
Structural Geology
Structure of the Earth and Global Processes
Water in the Landscape
Modern languages
Optional placement year
Final year
Independent project
Options
Advanced Analytical Methodology
Air Quality Management
Applied Ecology
Applied Remote Sensing
Biogeography
Case Studies in Environmental Pollution
Coastal and River Engineering
Coastal Environments
Community Participation and Development
Energy Assessment
Environmental Assessment
Environmental Change in Low Latitudes
Environmental Performance
Evolution and the Fossil Record
Exploration Geology
Freshwater Processes and Ecosystems
Geographies of Disability and Impairment
Geohazards
Geology of Major Civil Engineering Projects
Geographical Information Systems
Hazards in Cold Environments
Hydrology and Hydrogeology
Independent study module
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Medical Geography
Oceanography
Planetary Geology
Plant and Animal Interactions
Political Ecology
Rural Development and Conservation in Africa
Water and Health
Wetland Environments
Wildlife Conservation and Management
Modern languages
Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements
individual offers may vary
A-levels:
BBB. Should include geography or a relevant science. Applicants with only two full A-levels or a double award will be considered on an individual basis.
International Baccalaureate:
32 points, specified subjects.
QAA-approved access course:
acceptable, subject-specific units.
GCSE (minimum grade C):
at least three subjects including English language and mathematics or a science.
Foundation degree/HND
/HNC direct to year 2.
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.0 overall, 6.0 in writing.
Location

Location Moulsecoomb
Career opportunities

In addition to specific knowledge of a range of environmental hazards, graduates are equipped with a broad understanding of the environmental sciences. The course provides an effective basis for a wide range of career opportunities and postgraduate study.
Recent graduates are working as local council research officers, recruitment officers, retail managers and environmental consultants.

Visit the careers centre website.
Fees and costs

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study.

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take. Different rules apply to research degrees - please contact the Doctoral College for advice.

To help you plan for your time here we will be providing further information about what is included in your tuition fee, and any optional costs you may need to budget for, later in the autumn.

Our website wwww.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

BSc Hons Environmental Hazards [P2EG011]

UK/EU 9,000 GBP
Island Students 9,000 GBP
International 12,500 GBP

When on a placement (sandwich) year, students pay a reduced fee in the placement year of this course. This is currently £750 for Home and Island Students and £1,760 for International students. This fee is likely to increase with inflation.