About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: FF89
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 300
- Department: Geography and Environmental Management
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full-time; four years sandwich
- Delivery: Full-time, sandwich, part-time (not day release)
- Study Abroad: Yes
- Programme leader: Dr Chris Parker
- Key fact: This course is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Scientists and the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences.
Introduction
Students studying BSc(Hons) Geography and Environmental Management examine both the physical environment and the way in which it is managed by society. As is typical of many physical geography degrees, this course develops your understanding of the biological, chemical and physical processes that operate across our planet. However, this course also encourages you to think critically about the different ways humans can manage these natural forms and processes. You will look at contemporary environmental issues from local to global scales, ultimately focusing on the strategies and agencies involved in appropriate environmental management. The applied nature of the course gives you the opportunity to analyse and resolve real problems that affect real people.
In addition to developing knowledge and skills that are necessary to become an effective manager of the natural environment, this course also specifically integrates professional skills training designed to enhance your job opportunities within the workplace. You will learn skills such as surveying, mapping, environmental assessment, geographical statistics, and computer-based spatial analysis. These are in addition to the broader academic and personal skills that you will develop, such as oral presentation, report writing, time management, independent learning, research and team working. As a result of this, in addition to employment opportunities within the environmental sector, graduates from BSc(Hons) Geography and Environmental Management have a track record in gaining employment across a range of different professions and organisations.
After a common first year, the flexible modular structure in the second and third year allows you to specialise within themes including (but not limited to) biogeography and conservation; resource management; river and coastal forms and processes; and climate change. In addition, you can choose to complete a work placement between your second and third year – an option that can significantly improve your employment prospects.
See what our students get up to:
In 2011 some of our final year students completed a 6-week expedition to Iceland entitled “From Ice-cap to Ocean: A holistic study of pro-glacial river corridors and the implications of hydropower development in Iceland”. This project was approved and supported by the RGS (Royal Geographical Society), RANNIS (Icelandic Centre for Research) and UWE (University of the West of England). Have a look at some of their photos from the expedition.
Structure
Content
Year One
In year one you take five modules which together aim to consolidate your geographical knowledge and train you in the methods and skills required to study geography at university level. The skills element is taught in modules covering geographical analysis and field study, and you will also pursue themes such as earth science, environmental challenges, and globalisation. The modules will cover the following areas:
- Geographical Field Study – developing practical and analytical skills on a week-long residential field trip.
- Geographical Skills – practicing analytical and communication skills through the investigation of a range of numeric and written geographic information.
- Environmental Challenges – developing a critical understanding of key environmental issues, including climate change, resource management and ecosystem endangerment.
- Geographies of Globalisation – understanding how important economic, political and environmental issues are influenced by the process of globalisation
- Earth Science – investigating a range of physical environments through a combination of theoretical and practical learning.
Year Two
In Year Two you develop higher level geographical skills and more specialist geographical knowledge. Two core modules enable you to pick up important skills by engaging in academic research and receiving training in specific skills that will improve your employability. The remainder of your second year is made up of four modules that you select from a wide range of options. This enables you to design a degree course that suits your personal interests and career ambitions. These optional modules are driven by the research specialities amongst the lecturers within the department. The modules cover the following areas:
- Researching Physical Geography – developing higher level practical and philosophical skills through engagement with a series of small research projects, some of which will be undertaken on a week-long residential field trip.
- Professional Development for Geographers and Environmental Managers – this involves both developing a series of key skills that improve employability prospects for geography graduates and also practicing aspects of the graduate recruitment process.
- Optional modules – you will choose four modules from the following topic areas:
- Climate Change: Tracing the Record
- Understanding River Dynamics
- GeoEcology
- Understanding Coastal Dynamics
- Hot Deserts: Surviving Extremes
- Managing Global Resources
Optional placement year
Final year
The content of your final year on this degree is driven by your personal geography-related interests and career ambitions. You will undertake a supervised, but student-led, final year project on a geographical topic of your choice, and select three other modules from a range of options related to geography and environmental management. The majority of these modules involve gaining an understanding of what constitutes appropriate environmental management within a range of realistic scenarios. The modules cover the following areas:
- Final Year Project
- Optional modules – you will choose three modules from the following topic area:
- Global Warming and Environmental Hazards
- Managing Rivers and Coasts
- Biogeography and Conservation
- GIS and Remote Sensing Applications
- Advanced Geographic Expedition
- Environmental Management in the Global South
- Water and Energy Futures
Modules are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain up to date and relevant, so some of them may change before the course starts or whilst you are on it, but the overall aims and broad content of the course will remain the same.
Teaching and learning
As demonstrated by consistently high scores on the National Student Survey, the lecturing staff provide a friendly, enabling environment for learning. They are active researchers aware of modern advances within the discipline and they combine research with teaching to provide a stimulating learning experience. Students engage in learning on their modules through a variety of different forms, including lectures, seminars, practical workshops, fieldtrips and directed reading. Modules are assessed through various combinations of examinations, coursework, essays, projects, presentations and field exercises. Most coursework is undertaken individually but there are some group assignments. Examinations take place at the end of the first, second and final years.
Study time
The course is normally studied full-time. If you study part-time, you can choose how many modules to study each year. Your timetable will be constrained and determined by the teaching pattern for those modules.
Special Features
Professional accreditation
This course is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Scientists and the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences.
IES Student Membership
You can apply for the special grade of Student Member of the IES free of charge. You may then use the post-nominal StMIEnvSc. You can download the Student Membership Pack here.
Benefits of student membership (taken from the IES website):
- The experience of being part of a long established and highly reputable environmental science professional body.
- The use of the post-nominal which signals your professional commitment to future employers or customers.
- Firsts steps on an environmental career path which could take you to Chartered Status.
- Access to the members area on the IES website, including news about jobs and events.
- Electronic copies of the latest edition of the journal Environmental Scientist with opportunities to publish articles in it.
- Monthly newsletter
- Preferential opportunities for internships at the Institution's offices in London
- Free or reduced entry to IES events
- No cost to you
Placements
After your second year, you can choose to take a year out gaining experience in an area of geography or environmental management, and to qualify for a 'sandwich' degree. A placement connects university with work, allowing you to apply the principles and techniques of academic study to a professional environment. A placement develops your appreciation of the practical relevance of the material taught during the first years of your course and provides you with experience to enrich your final year options and dissertation.
Some students undertake conservation work abroad (often in Australia or the Far East) whilst others remain in the UK. Some organisations will pay or offer some financial support to students, whilst other students work for voluntary conservation organisations, financed with a period of paid employment before they start. We offer support and guidance to help you find a placement, and you may be visited by a tutor who will also be available if you have any problems.
Gary Kelsey spent eight months on placement in Australia working with a practical conservation group called 'Conservation Volunteers Australia'.
The placement has given him a range of practical conservation skills which will support his degree studies. Gary's conservation tasks included weeding and planting, fauna and flora surveys, track construction and maintenance, beach clean-ups and maintenance of children's trails. Each week, Gary worked with a different group of ten volunteers from around the world under the supervision of a local team leader. The group worked from 10:00 - 16:00 each weekday, but weekends were free time. The experience had a real family feel because volunteers shopped, cooked, cleaned and lived together as a community. In total, Gary worked with over 150 different volunteers giving him a wide cultural and social experience.
Living costs were reasonable. For £70-80 a week, volunteers had food and accommodation, plus a taxi to various transport hubs. At weekends Gary hired a car and, during his time in Australia, he managed to travel to every state and every environment on the continent, from the desert in the 'red centre' to alpine mountains.
For Gary, one of the highlights of the placement was the Australian wildlife. "I was lucky enough to see a platypus and a Tasmanian devil, both in the wild and very rarely seen," he says. Gary would recommend an overseas placement. "You will gain some lifelong friends and great memories. All in all, it was a great life changing experience; it is great to travel."
Study facilities
Laboratory classes and fieldwork are important elements of all years of study. Geography students have access to physical geography laboratories, which are equipped for soil and water analysis, palaeo-environmental work, geological analysis and surveying. Additionally, a range of specialist facilities is provided by the Department. A suite of computer rooms support software for word processing, data analysis and presentation and spatial enquiry.
Careers/further study
The breadth of Geography graduates' skills and positive personal qualities make them very attractive to employers. Our graduates have found employment in areas such as environmental consultancy and conservation, government, armed forces, industry, finance, education and research.
Recent graduates include an environment officer, teacher, management trainee, environmental business co-ordinator, a landscaper, and development officer. Employers include Action Rural Sussex, Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Bonhams Auctioneers, Royal Marines, and the Royal Navy.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating - includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about Guy's experience on a Graduate Development Programme with the Scott Wilson Consultancy.
Useful links
UWE - careers in geosciences
UWE - careers in environmental management
Guardian - what to do with a degree in environmental science/physical geography
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 300
- GCSE: Maths and English Language at grade C or above.
- Specific subjects: None specified
- Relevant subjects: Geography, Environmental Studies, Land and Environment
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language.
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about entry requirements.
Students who successfully complete the Built and Natural Environments Foundation course may be permitted to transfer onto the first year of this degree course.
Fees
Details regarding fees and funding are available on the Money matters webpages.
How to apply
Please see the general information about applications.
We welcome applications from students without the conventional entrance requirements but who do have substantial relevant work or other experience and whose motivation and skills would enable them to succeed on the course.
Students with disabilities
We welcome applications from people with disabilities. We are committed to supporting students with disabilities, and wherever possible we will make reasonable adjustments to these activities to enable students with disabilities to successfully complete the course. We encourage applicants to disclose any disabilities or support needs in their application forms, so that we can offer information, advice and support. There is a Disability Service at UWE Bristol and a Disability Support Co-ordinator in the Department. The course normally requires students to be able to:
- Use a computer
- Read and produce drawings, plans and maps
- Participate in field courses or activities away from the University
- Team working and negotiation
- Laboratory work involving observations and physical manipulation
- Take part in discussions and presentations
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011