Environmental Sciences BSc(Hons)

Course in brief

The Environmental Sciences BSc(Hons) is a flexible degree that draws from geography, ecology and chemistry to address themes such as sustainability, conservation, pollution and environmental hazards.

You will develop scientific skills and knowledge through classroom, laboratory and project work, with the freedom to choose between a broad-based study programme or a more specialised route.

The course has a general focus on employability, transferable skills and practical learning. Trips to Greece and Sicily, as well as the local area including the chalks hills of the South Downs National Park, help you develop your field skills. While the option of a paid placement year gives you the chance to build experience and a network of professional contacts.

This course is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES). Students are eligible for free membership of IES, providing the opportunity to be a part of a long-established and reputable environmental science professional body.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code F901

Full-time 3 years
With placement year 4 years

Accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)

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Applying for 2017

Places are available on this course for UK, other EU and international students.

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Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBC–CCC (112–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

A-levels must include a pure science subject. BTEC must include a relevant science subject.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non–academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
28 points, with three subjects at Higher level to include a relevant science subject.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 24 credits at merit or above. Level 3 units must include geography or environmental studies and a relevant science.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language, maths and science.

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
International foundation may be considered. Applicants with an HND or foundation degree may be considered for year 2 entry.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

Our courses are under continual review, and improvements and enhancements to this course will be confirmed on this page in July. If you have already applied you can find more information on the applicant portal.

Our Environmental Sciences degree is characterised by its flexibility. Core modules, which all students take, provide a solid foundation of essential knowledge alongside optional modules which you choose according to your personal and career interests.

From year 2, modules are organised into themes:

environmental management and sustainability
environmental hazards
ecology and conservation
environmental pollution.

You will choose modules from three themes in year 2, and a minimum of two themes in your final year. Or you can choose modules from across all four themes.

Whichever subjects you decide to study, you will develop subject-specific and transferable skills, including:

class-based skills (independent learning, debating, presenting, developing an argument)
laboratory skills (analytical techniques, such as for soil quality, water quality and pollution)
field skills (applying environmental techniques, devising surveys, monitoring, sampling).

Year 1

Core modules

Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
Data Presentation and Analysis for Geoscientists
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
Global Environmental Issues and Management
An Introduction to Environmental Hazards
Skills for Independent Learning
Introduction to Fieldwork

Option modules

Ancient Societies
Archaeological Practice 1: Survey
Introduction to Archaeology
Physiological Ecology
Ecological Processes
Evolutionary Biology
Habitat Ecology
Elements of Chemistry
Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks
Interpreting Geological Maps
Fundamentals of Geology
The Ocean Planet: An Introduction
The Global Earth System
Water in the Environment
Cities: An Introduction to Urban Geography
Citizenship for the Environment
Discovering Geospatial Data
Modern Languages: French, German or Spanish

Year 2

Core modules

Advanced Data Analysis
Geography fieldwork, Sicily (or Biology Field Course South Africa as a specialist option)
Skills for Research and Careers

Option modules

General:

Societies of Early Europe
Geoarchaeology
Archaeological Practice 2: Excavation and Post Excavation
Human Origins and Evolution
Environmental Microbiology
Applied Palaentology
Sedimentology
Introduction to Environmental Geochemistry
Geographies of Development
Communitiy Engagement: Actioning Sustainable Development
Modern Languages: French, German or Spanish
Intercultural Awareness Module

Theme 1: Environmental management and sustainability

Alternative and Renewable Energy
Contemporary Rural Geographies
Environmental Conservation and Management
Environmental Planning
Geographies of Everyday Life
Introduction to GIS and Spatial Data Analysis
Sustainable Development

Theme 2: Environmental hazards

Climate Change
Coastal and Aeolian Landscapes
Environmental Hazards
Ice Age Earth
Water in the Landscape

Theme 3: Ecology and conservation

Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology
Ecological Techniques
Evolution and Diversity
Introduction to Marine Biology

Theme 4: Environmental pollution

Environmental Pollution and Control
Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
Soil and Water Analysis

Placement year

The placement year is a great opportunity to:

put your new skills into action in a real-life work place
build knowledge of businesses and organisations
develop existing skills and discover new ones
make contacts in industry and commerce
increase your confidence
improve your time management.

In recent years, our students have been successful in competing for nationally advertised positions with the Department for Energy and Climate Change, Transport for London, the Field Studies Council and the Office of National Statistics.

Other students have secured placements with environmental firms and consultancies, a multi-national telecommunications company and a renewable energy research centre in Spain.

You will return to your final year of study with new knowledge and skills to inform your final year studies, and your final year dissertation. You may even return to the university with an offer of a job after graduation.

Final year

Core modules

Independent Project (or Ecology Project)

Option modules

General:

Planetary Geology
Evolution and the Fossil Record
Oceanography
Hydrogeology
Cold Environments: Process and Landsystems
Active Remote Sensing: Radar and Lifar in the Geosciences
Communitiy Engagement: Actioning Sustainable Development
Modern Languages: French, German or Spanish
Intercultural Awareness Module
Translation Module

Theme 1: Environmental management and sustainability

Applied Remote Sensing
Environmental Impact Assessment
Geographies of Sport and Leisure
Medical Geography
Political Ecology: Geographies of Environment and Development
Waste Management

Theme 2: Environmental hazards

Coastal Environments
Environmental Change in Low Latitudes
Freshwater Processes and Ecosystems
Geohazards

Theme 3: Ecology and conservation

Applied Ecology and Conservation
Biogeography
Ecology Field Skills
Geoinformatic Systems
Molecular Ecology
Plant and Animal Interactions

Theme 4: Environmental pollution

Case Study in Environmental Pollution
Advanced Analytical Methodology
Air Quality Management
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Water and Health

Why Brighton?

Innovative and relevant
The School of Environment and Technology has attracted over £7million of external research income in the last three years. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise confirmed that 90% of research submitted by the school was of international standing.

A leading professional university
Our courses host field trips both in the UK and overseas, giving you the opportunity to apply the theories that you have learned in class. Present destinations include Greece, North Africa, Sicily, Cyprus and South Africa.

Career-focused
We are one of only a few universities to ensure that students have a career-planning agreement in place at the start of their course. We will help you to develop the professional and transferable skills required for future career success.

Excellence in support and teaching
All of our courses are taught by a team of dedicated, friendly and approachable staff. To help you to settle into university life, we provide a skills-based module to give you advice and feedback in the first year and assign you a personal tutor for the duration of your studies. This is supported by pathway guidance from your course leader and general support from school-based Student Support and Guidance Tutors (SSGTs).

Facilities fit for the future
You will have access to professional-standard laboratories and facilities that support our teaching, research and consultancy in geology, hydraulics, physical geography, and environmental and public health.

Outstanding location
We are based in Brighton, a buzzing coastal city that adds an extra dimension to the university experience. Lying between the English Channel and the rolling chalk hills of the South Downs, Brighton offers many interesting and unique local sites of study.

Careers and employability

Environmentally aware graduates are increasingly in demand, with relevant roles available in nature conservation, recycling and waste management, environmental planning, consultancy, management, geoinformatic systems and academia.

Recent graduates have found roles in organisations such as GIS consultancies, Low Carbon Europe, the Environment Agency, Southern Water and local authorities. Some have secured research studentships to undertake further study, and others have gone on to work for their placement year employers.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,000 for home students and £2,000 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

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.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

All field trips are included in the course fee, except the South Africa expedition,which incurs an additional cost of around £800. Exact costs can be requested from the course team.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Just two miles north of Brighton city centre and the seafront, Moulsecoomb is the largest of our five campuses with more than 8,000 students. A wide variety of subjects are taught here, from engineering and product design to business and law.

Students benefit from many professional-standard facilities, including a flight simulator, design and digital media suites, and specialist research laboratories. The campus library, Aldrich, offers long opening hours and a diverse collection of books and journals for students from all subject areas.

Sports enthusiasts will enjoy our basketball and badminton courts, fitness suite and climbing wall. The campus is also a few minutes walk from the South Downs National Park, providing a great place to relax during the summer months.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Moulsecoomb campus map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

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If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644
enquiries@brighton.ac.uk

Student views

Zsófia Ugróczky

"My time at the University of Brighton has given me many new skills and qualities, including a broad insight into all aspects of environmental issues. This year, I had the opportunity to volunteer for an environmental organisation, where I applied my knowledge of soil contamination and environmental policy.

"The variety of different subjects that are offered within the course enabled me to develop new skills that I never imagined. Support from the staff and my personal tutor helped me make the right decisions about my choice of modules and my final dissertation.

"I have gained self-confidence and made many new and good friends that I will keep for life, and I am now planning to continue studying towards my MSc degree at the University of Brighton."