Environment and Sustainability with Foundation Year

Course overview
People, society and governments are becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems, many of which are now becoming critical, such as a range of problems linked to climate change. In order to address these pressing issues, a framework of supporting policy, funding and hence employment, is developing, requiring graduates who have the right skills and knowledge in environmental sustainability, and who can make a difference after securing professional work in this sector.
The BSc/BA Environment and Sustainability will help students and to ‘make a difference’, giving them the contextual overview of key issues from the global to local scales, and examining the various factors at play and how these interact. In turn, the suite of modules will allow for a more detailed examination of specific aspects, with some flexibility for students to tailor their study towards their own areas of interest, helping bolster career pathways etc.
In the final year, students can choose either a BSc or BA award depending on which modules they select.
• The BSc award focuses on how all things environmental work and why, exploring the science, process and mechanisms behind this, optimizing sustainable management decisions.
• The BA award considers how environmental things work, but places emphasis on the role of society and people, policy and frameworks, and how each of these can act as drivers of change.

The Royal Agricultural University has a sustained and exemplary history of teaching students, dating back to 1845. The BSc/ BA Environment and Sustainability course benefits from this, particularly so from the land-based perspective where it is able to integrate important elements of agriculture, food production and retail into sustainable environmental management systems.

Work placement
In the third year of the degree programme, you will apply and develop your expertise during a 15-week work placement. Not only could you find yourself working for prestigious companies in the UK or across the world, you will also develop your confidence and make a range of industry contacts.

** The Integrated Foundation Year is suitable for applicants who have taken level 3 qualifications (A levels, BTEC etc.) in the UK. Overseas students who have not studied in the UK and completed their secondary education in their country, should look at taking an Interanational Foundation Programme in order to meet the entry criteria for the degree programmes offered by the RAU.

Please note that a foundation year is not the same as a foundation degree (FdSc). A foundation year will usually lead onto a three-year degree course, whereas a foundation degree is a standalone qualification generally studied over two years(FT).

Foundation year
The Foundation year will provide a common core of academic and study skills sufficient to prepare you for subsequent study and academic success at undergraduate level. It will give core underpinning knowledge, skills and understanding in key areas of contemporary issues, provide underpinning subject-related skills and knowledge in key areas required for undergraduate study, including Mathematics, Numeracy and IT. It will also provide generic skills and academic knowledge to support your confidence and discipline as appropriate for higher education study and give subject-specific grounding, in terms of research topics and study focus, to support progression into degree level study in your chosen degree.

0IFY1 Managing Landscape
0IFY2 Digital Skills
0IFY3 Rural Business Skills
0IFY4 Land Related Studies
0IFY5 Change in the Countryside
0IFY6 Enterprise and Marketing
0IFY7 Environment and Conservation Data Handling
0IFY8 Agriculture and Farming

Year one
1007 Soil and the Environment
1044 Agriculture for Land Management
1421 Species Identification & Ecosystems
1422 Ecosystems Services and Sustainability
1430 Wildlife Ecology & Survey
1434 Introduction to Environmental Change
TBC Geographies of Food
1440 Personal Development Skills

Year two
2136 Landscape Conservation
2267 Research & Evidence
2317 Industry Placement
2337 Professional Development
2361 Habitat Classification & Management
2365 Education, Recreation & Engagement
2369 Resilience of Agro-ecosystems
TBC Energy, Waste Pollution Management

Year three BSc course
3098 Countryside & Environment Management
3223 Ecological Consultancy
3329 Climate Change & Natural Resource Challenges
3332 Specialist Study (shell module)
TBC Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for the Environment
3300 Research Project / Dissertation

Year three BA course
3098 Countryside & Environment Management
3329 Climate Change & Natural Resource Challenges
3332 Specialist Study (shell module)
TBC Sustainability Consultancy
TBC Advocacy & Activism in Food & Farming
3300 Research Project / Dissertation
BSc and BA to choose one elective selected from:
3090 Forestry and Woodland Management
3330 Technology & Agroecological Innovations
TBC Sustainable Farm Management
TBC Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for the Environment (BA only)

The availability of electives to individual students will be dependent on timetabling considerations and on sufficient students electing to take part.

A range of assessment techniques are applied throughout the programme to test learning outcomes of each module. These will be clearly identified on the VLE/ Gateway pages for each module, and could include:

• Essays 
• Reports – either academic research or professional 
• Case studies 
• Group work exercises 
• Oral presentations 
• In-class / in-lab / in field tests – e.g. multiple choice, short answer

•   Exams
  

• Skills observation 
• Peer review 
• Professional practice report 
• Subject specific exercise 
• Academic poster 
• Research proposal 
• Dissertation