15Jan
UndergraduateUniversity Centre Reaseheath has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Open days
Course summary
Is your ambition to undertake meaningful conservation work to protect our wildlife and our environment for years to come? This course includes a broad range of specialist modules and practical opportunities to gain the essential industry skills and knowledge, with which to effectively conserve species, habitats and biodiversity both in the UK and overseas. Through your studies, you will address a range of topics such as wildlife ecology, conservation biology, evolution and adaptation, ecological survey skills and species identification and principles of ecological restoration. Combined with dedicated practical work, using our campus laboratories, the wider Reaseheath estate and servicing our community conservation work, you will develop a broad range of transferable knowledge, skills and competencies for future application in the conservation science and ecology sectors. In your first year, you will develop essential knowledge and skills in wildlife conservation, ecology, evolution and biodiversity, with an emphasis on practical experience whilst in your second year, you will shift in emphasis to more academic and research-informed study, including themes in population management, ecological restoration, wildlife rehabilitation, and environmental impact and mitigation. A work placement within a relevant field of industry or an international field course is also available to study for academic credit at this level. Your final year will further develop your critical thinking skills and deepen your knowledge in areas of conservation and ecology, and will include a research dissertation on a topic of your interest. Course Features:
- Surveying techniques
- Species identification
- Evolutionary biology
- Conservation biology and biodiversity
- Restoration ecology
- Environmental assessment and impact mitigation
- Access to a diverse rural green space across the campus
- Field course opportunities to South Africa, Costa Rica and South West UK
- Conservation science research
- Ecological/environmental consultancy
- Wildlife/conservation management
- Conservation charities
- Conservation ecotourism
- Conservation education
- Progress to MSc or PhD study
Modules
Level 4 • Conservation Biology and Biodiversity • Ecological Survey and Census Skills • Conservation of British Habitats • Introduction to Scientific Communication • Evolution & Adaptation • Wildlife Ecology Level 5 • Research Methods • Principles of Ecological Restoration • Animal Ecophysiology • Behavioural Ecology*1 • Technological Advancements in Conservation*1 • Ecological Assessment, Impact Mitigation & Enhancement*2 • Wildlife Health and Rehabilitation*2 • Experiential Learning*3 • Work Based Learning for the Land Based Industries*3 *Denotes optional modules. The number corresponds to the combination for selection. Level 6 • Applied Issues in Wildlife Conservation • Environmental Sustainability & Natural Resource Management • Dissertation† • Biology & Conservation of Mammals*1 • Biology & Conservation of Birds*1 • Biology & Conservation of Herpetofauna*1 • Conservation Education*2 • Applications of Animal Behaviour for Conservation*2 • Anthrozoology*2 *Denotes optional modules. The number corresponds to the combination for selection. † Dissertation is a double-weighted module, worth 40 credits. Therefore, only five modules are selected for study at Level 6.
Assessment method
Assessments are designed to encourage both academic skills and professional skills highly sought after in industry. Assessments include a combination of coursework and timed online assessments. Coursework may take many forms including essays, reports, data processing, presentations, academic posters, seminar discussions, interviews, critical reviews, portfolios of evidence The timed online assessments vary, depending on the nature of the module, but may take the form of multiple-choice papers, essays, practical assessments, data handling questions and short answer quizzes. The balance of assessment by timed online assessment and assessment by coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows: Year 1 54.5% coursework 45.5% practical or timed online assessments Year 2 85% coursework 15% practical or timed online assessments Year 3 75% coursework 25% practical or timed online assessments
How to apply
31Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- DC41
- Institution code:
- R14
- Campus name:
- University Centre Reaseheath
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
A level
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DMM
Access to HE Diploma
Scottish Higher
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - D*D*
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 26 points
T Level - M
Mature students (aged 21+) will be considered on an individual basis on their prior knowledge and experience. This may be assessed by interview, completion of coursework/essay or other methods. There may be a requirement for a formal qualification to be completed first e.g. Access to HE course.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £13000 | Year 1 |
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| International | £13000 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Students will be offered the chance to engage in both domestic and overseas learning opportunities with which to enhance their classroom-based learning experience. Here, students will have the option to undertake overseas study for academic credit in year 2 of the programme, or simply participate for experiential purposes. These may include opportunities to undertake conservation field courses within locations such as South Africa, Central America and the UK.
The main emphasis placed on these field courses is the development of professional, industry relevant skills and the application of students’ knowledge in a novel, stimulating, yet challenging environment. Costs associated with the field courses range from £500 – £1200 (UK), and between £2,200 – £3,000 (Central America & South Africa). Please note that precise pricing of all field courses is subject to change, pending availability and recruitment.
**Equipment Costs**
* Pens
* Pencils
* Notepad
* A laptop that is windows compatible
* Leaver arch files or equivalent
* USB memory stick/hard drive or cloud based digital storage space
* Wellies (£20 min)
* Protective steel-capped boots/walking boots (tip: steel capped boots are more comfortable when worn with a pair of thick walking socks) (£20 min)
* Protective gardening gloves (£5 min)
* A magnifying x10 hand lens (£5)
* Plenty of warm, waterproof clothing – layers are the best!
* A pair of binoculars
Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.
Provider information
University Centre Reaseheath
Reaseheath
Nantwich
CW5 6DF