Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science (with Foundation Year) - BSc(Hons)

Foundation year (Year zero)

You will take the following compulsory modules:

• Biology in Practice
• Chemistry in Practice
• Skills for Science
• People and Science

You will study the Foundation year alongside students from our other Biological, Biomedical and Analytical Sciences courses. This means you may be able to transfer to a course in one of these areas at the end of the Foundation year.

The normal expectation is that you must pass all Year zero modules before progressing to Year one.

Year one

These subjects focus on studying the living world, the physical world, how the Earth works as a system and the relationship between society and wildlife. These subjects are underpinned by research methods, field surveys, data analysis and interpretation, which are all essential to the scientific study of wildlife.

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Life on Earth
• The Earth
• Field Skills (includes residential field trip)
• Wildlife and Society

The residential field course will allow you to investigate a range of natural and semi-natural habitats, as well as introducing you to some of the practical skills required to study wildlife and conservation science in the field.

Year two

Here the ecological theory explored in the first year is applied to real-world problems.

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Environmental and Field Techniques (includes international field trip)
• Conservation in Practice
• Wildlife Ecology
• Ecology and Ecosystem Protection

Final year

You will study the following compulsory modules:

• Research Project
• Contemporary Conservation Science

Plus, four optional modules from the list below:

• Forests and Agricultural Systems
• Marine Ecosystems
• Professional Practice in Applied Sciences
• Primate Ecology and Conservation
• Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Tropical Expedition
• Wildlife, Film and Media

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

We take a student-centred approach to learning. There are opportunities for one-to-one guidance and individual feedback throughout the course. Mixing theory with extensive practice, you will gain a deep understanding of the relationship between wildlife and society, the impact of human activities on the living world and an appreciation of the practical steps that can be taken to alleviate biodiversity decline.

A significant proportion of teaching takes place at Bristol Zoo, providing an opportunity to learn about live conservation projects. A major feature of this course is the opportunity to learn in the field through field work. There are residential trips to Devon, Tenerife and Cornwall as well as the opportunity to take part in an expedition to Cuba or Madagascar in your final year.

Work experience is integrated into the course, offering you the opportunity to spend time with conservation organisations tackling a range of issues from the local to the global scale.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

This course uses a wide variety of assessment methods that not only reflect the range of theoretical concepts, knowledge and practical skills we want you to develop, but also support different types of student learning. Assessments will include: unseen, open-book and practical exams; essays; practical reports; individual and group projects, oral and visual presentations; case study analysis; taxonomic collections and problem-solving exercises.

The course will increasingly use novel assessment techniques such as blogs, online portfolios, and web page design to help you develop practical e-communication skills, which are critical in the contemporary jobs market. You will be assessed for all modules through a combination of coursework and exams. The early years assessments will not contribute to your final degree mark, which will be calculated on the basis of Year two and final year results.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.