Ecology and Conservation with Foundation Year

Foundation Year

Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, providing a unique opportunity to better prepare for your chosen degree, and with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete your Foundation Year. This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence. On the Keele Foundation Year, you'll study on campus, joining our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support that you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.

International Students
For International Students, Foundation Years are delivered through our dedicated on-campus provider, Keele University International College. Applications for International Foundation Years are also handled by KUIC; please do not apply via UCAS as the University will not be able to process your application and you may still be charged the UCAS application fee. To find out more and to apply for an International Foundation Year, visit https://kuic.keele.ac.uk/

Ecology and Conservation

Are you interested in exploring how we can conserve species, habitats, landscapes, and ecosystems? Discover the science behind society’s ecological and conservation challenges, and hone your practical skills through fieldwork, laboratory activities, and work placement opportunities on our Ecology and Conservation BSc. You'll graduate equipped with the expertise needed for roles such as ecological consultant, nature conservation officer, or conservation research scientist, positioning you to make a meaningful impact in the field of ecology and conservation.

Why choose this course?

• Top 20 in the UK for Earth and marine sciences (Guardian University League Table, 2025)

• Tackle a real-world ecology project and contribute to positive change

• International year and work placement options

• Our unique 600-acre campus offers a fantastic natural environment to perform fieldwork

• This programme is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)

Do you have a passion for science and a drive to tackle some of the world’s most urgent ecological and conservation challenges? Our Ecology and Conservation degree provides you with the expertise to understand these complex issues and explore innovative solutions. You will build a solid foundation in ecology and conservation in your first year, preparing you for advanced study in years two and three.

Key topics covered on the programme include conservation policy, sustainability, the crisis in biodiversity, human impact on the environment and how animals adapt to changing environmental conditions. You’ll develop crucial research skills, enhance your data handling, analysis and statistical abilities, and gain confidence applying new technologies and using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in an ecology and conservation context.

About Keele

Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.

We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.

Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.

For a list of indicative modules please visit the course page on the Keele University website.