Environment and Sustainability

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.

The modules available for this degree are shown below. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

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