B.Sc. Earth and Environmental Science

The course structure is very flexible. All Cardiff's School of Earth and Ocean Science degree programmes share a common first Semester. This is designed to give you a sound foundation in Earth Sciences upon which to build. At the end of your first Semester you will decide whether to continue with your original degree choice or choose another of Cardiff's Earth Science degrees.

You will study the following modules:

• The Sedimentary System
• Life Through Time
• Earth and Planetary System Science
• Fieldwork
• Earth Science Skills
• Natural Resources and Energy
• Formation of the British Isles
• Dangerous Earth
• Environmental Chemistry and Biology
• Introduction to Geomorphology

In the second year you will study a wide variety of modules. These will include basic terrestrial and marine ecology, soils, biogeochemistry and landscape evolution. There is an emphasis on skills in sampling, data collection and analysis and much of this is field-based. Other important training includes use of geographical information systems and the planning, execution and reporting of project work. Fieldwork at the start of the year to The Netherlands and local field work around Easter in year two brings many of these skills together in preparation for your main degree project.

You will study the following modules:

• Fieldwork
• Data Acquisition and Analysis
• Biogeochemistry
• Marine Ecosystems
• The Ocean Atmosphere System
• Applied GIS
• Geoecology
• Environmental Pollution
• Physical Processes in Coastal Environments
• Catchment Hydrology and Geomorphology

In all these modules you will be taught the skills required for planning, executing and reporting on project work.

• The School provides a wide range of different potential projects from which you can choose a subject that interests you. Students often choose or devise projects that relate to environmental issues close to their homes or that have impacted on their lives in the past. Often the projects are undertaken with help and advice provided by bodies such as the Local Authorities or Environment Agency/Natural Resources Wales.

• Dedicated environmental training takes place around Easter, and this addresses issues that have not been covered in previous modules. This is also an opportunity for you to start acquiring more specific skills that will be required for your own project work. For example, if you undertake a project that requires you to do geochemical analyses, you will be taught the protocols required to work in a modern state-of-the-art geochemical facility.

• In the third year you will complete your project work, presenting it in the form of a professional report.

There are a few ‘core’ modules, but the majority are optional, allowing you to follow your own interests and aspirations within Earth and Environmental Science. As in previous years, year three consists of a mixture of taught knowledge and skills. In this final part of your degree, the emphasis is on synthesis, bring together the separate strands, skills and interests to encourage a more holistic understanding of the subject.

• Earth and Environmental Science Project
• Fieldwork
• Global Geomprphology
• Environmental Case Studies

• Global Climate Change
• Marine Microfossils
• Marine Conservation Science
• Environmental Management, Science and Policy
• Water Resources
• Engineering Geology
• Integrated Coastal Management
• Biogeography
• Geomicrobiology
• Environmental Law
• Hazards and Risk