Conservation Biology

Programme Structure & Content

First Year
Compulsory courses in first year include Organismal Biology, Ecology & Environmental Science, Sustainable Land Management and a field course run by Plant and Soil Science. There is then a choice of other courses including The Cell, Geography and Geology courses.

Second Year
All students study Skills for Life Sciences. There is a dedicated Conservation Biology course at second year, as well as compulsory courses on Community Ecology and Plant Diversity and a field course run by the Zoology Department. Options include courses in Plant Science, Soil Science, Zoology, Ocean Biology and Geography.

Third Year (Junior Honours)
All students take a course in Experimental Design and Analysis. Other core elements of the third year include Population Ecology, Plant Biogeography and Ecosystem Processes. These are followed by a wide choice of courses in Tropical Ecology and Conservation, Marine and Aquatic Ecology and other more applied subjects.

Fourth Year (Senior Honours)
A semi-independent project takes up a substantial part of the Honours year, this is often carried out in conjunction with a conservation agency. Students also attend courses on Nature Conservation in Britain and on Environmental Pollution, prepare an extended essay and contribute to a discussion programme on Topics in Nature Conservation. One further course is chosen from a list of options. A residential team-building course and a careers programme form part of a graduate skills module.

Teaching & Assessment

Assessment is typically a mixture of continuous assessment and formal exams. The continuous assessment includes formal practical reports, brief essays, worksheets and posters, seminar presentations, and group projects.