Environmental Biology
Why study Environmental Biology?
Environmental biology is the study of the relationship between organisms and their physical and biological environments, and the interactions of these processes with human society. Your studies will give you insight into areas including biodiversity, sustainability, ecology and climate change, and you’ll gain skills that will enable you to follow a career in these growing and critical areas.
What will I learn?
You’ll study the key themes of biodiversity, ecology, physiology, evolution, biological and environmental sustainability.
During your first year, the course aims to provide you with knowledge in key aspects of scientific methods, ecology, plant and animal physiology, and the diversity of life.
In the second year, you’ll learn about habitat ecology and evolution and behaviour. You’ll have the opportunity of an overseas field visit to South Africa, when you will have the chance to gain extensive field skills experience.
The third year focuses on field skills in ecological techniques through an intensive field-based module and explores current and pressing issues in environmental biology, including climate change, the potential conflicts between biodiversity conservation and the environmental impacts, and consequences of resource exploitation.
Throughout the course, you’ll be taught in seminars and lectures, with supporting laboratory and field-based sessions to gain necessary practical skills. You’ll also have scope to apply your understanding to questions of specific interest to you in research project and dissertation modules. Throughout the course, we help you become an independent learner, developing relevant and transferable academic, practical and analytical skills as well as in-depth subject knowledge.
Placements
If you would rather not undertake the overseas field visit, there is the option to complete a placement module in year 2 when you will have the opportunity to put your skills and knowledge into practice in the workplace.
Who will teach me?
All your lecturers are research active and leaders in their respective fields, including herpetology, mammalogy, ecological entomology and plant ecology. This means that our teaching and expertise is up to date and relevant.
Career options
Career paths include working in research, support roles in community or industry, and public and private sector environmental agencies. Graduates may be eligible to apply for a PGCE course for teaching, or to progress onto masters-level courses, such as the Bioscience MRes at the University of Brighton.
Key staff
“Environmental biology represents a fascinating crossroads of subjects: evolutionary biology, ecological processes, animal behaviour and ultimately the consequences of human alteration of these processes. It is the multidisciplinary nature of environmental biology that drew my attention as an undergraduate student – there are so many approaches to such a wide range of topics. I have worked on research from population ecology of lizards on islands in the Indian Ocean, to genetic studies of the UK’s rarest snake, and studies of human impacts on reptiles through the global wildlife trade. Students of environmental biology can explore a vast range of topics, and ultimately, find their own niche.”
Dr Angelo P. Pernetta – pathway leader, environmental biology