BSc Honours Agriculture with Countryside Management

This scheme offers you a knowledge of agriculture and an understanding of its increasing role in environmental conservation, rural enterprise, countryside access and recreation.

Farmers are constantly encouraged to adopt environmentally sensitive farming, and farm support is increasingly linked to management agreements to maintain the landscape, wildlife habitats and other natural features on farms. Economic pressures are meanwhile forcing farmers to diversify and learn ever more sophisticated business management skills. This scheme supplies the understanding and the technical and practical skills which the modern land manager needs to cope with these conflicting roles.

Key features

• 3 year full-time course
• Combination of science, production, conservation and land management methods
• Complete integration of agricultural and environmental management
• Development of technical and transferable skills
• Visits and study tours
• A range of methods of assessment
• Enthusiastic and supportive staff
• Located in one of the UK's leading localities for agricultural research and development

Content and Structure

Years 1 and 2
Your first two years provide a foundation in crop and animal science, production systems and rural economics, together with core modules in information technology and statistics. Optional modules introduce a range of countryside topics including forestry and woodland, habitat ecology, people in the countryside, and countryside organisations.

Year 3
In your final year you have a wide choice of optional environmental modules together with the politics of agriculture and the countryside. You also prepare a dissertation on a subject of your own choice which contributes credits to your degree.

Teaching and Learning

A combination of teaching methods is used: lectures, tutorials, seminars, projects and case studies, supported by field work and visits in Wales and other parts of the UK. Assessment is continuous, based on projects, essays and seminars in addition to written examinations. Work experience is not a requirement of this scheme, but you are encouraged to consider it as an option.