Program Overview

About the course

Environmental change affects everyone on the planet and sustainably managing a changing natural environment is one of the 21st century’s most pressing challenges. This course will develop your theoretical knowledge and practical skills, enabling you to begin to meet these challenges in your chosen career.

You will learn about the changes happening to the environment at different spatial scales and will develop your understanding of the concepts used to manage environmental change, from site-based project management to sustainable development.

You will also learn about the legal and economic context of the environment, exploring how the environment can be integrated into a range of policy sectors.

Each of the topics you cover will draw upon the latest scientific literature and teaching from leading academic researchers.

Why choose this course?

• Study how the integration of environmental science, biotechnological methods and project management can help with the sustainable management of environmental, biodiversity and ecosystem services
• Explore the principles and methodologies of environmental biotechnology, and gain the ability to critically evaluate and identify technologies applicable for the sustainable management of global environmental change
• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of the biological, ecological and socio-economic drivers of global environmental change, and how these are inter-related
• Gain the ability to evaluate methods of managing environmental change at local and global levels, including legislative, voluntary and economic management
• Benefit from the opportunity to choose a career with environmental consultancies, biotechnological research organisations, and national and international government agencies and non-governmental bodies.

How will I be assessed?

A range of assessment types are used across this course. - Practical reports are a key assessment type used throughout the course as they reinforce professional standards of presenting scientific reports, practice your ability to interpret data and to place experimental results within a broader scientific context, develop your ability to relate experimental results to theory, and teach you to apply the scientific method. - Consultancy-style reports develop your writing for non-academic professional audiences. - End of year exams are included in all units (except the project) with essay-style questions focussed on integration and evaluation of understanding. - Oral presentations to small groups or to examiners in a viva voce setting and academic poster presentations (a standard style of scientific conference presentation) will develop your portfolio of communication skills. Case studies are used within assessments where appropriate to provide real-world and employment-centred context to the assignments.