Program Overview

Conservation and Community Engagement

Course Overview

Gain the knowledge and skills to collaborate with local communities and develop successful conservation projects anywhere in the world.

Course Options

• 3 years full-time
• 4 years with foundation year

Key Facts

• Study on a rural, 150-hectare campus with a working farm and managed wildlife areas.
• Get involved in projects such as our hedgehog-friendly campus initiative, or the local Forest School.
• Benefit from our expertise: we've been delivering land-based education since 1893.
• Continue your studies with a Masters degree in conservation.

Teaching and Assessment

Year 1

• Personal and Professional Wellbeing (30 credits)
• Fundamentals of Biology (30 credits)
• Environmental Policy (15 credits)
• Human-Animal Interaction (15 credits)
• Science Communication (15 credits)
• Ecology and Evolution (15 credits)
• Into ARU

Year 2

• Research Methods (15 credits)
• Plant-Animal Interactions (15 credits)
• Habitat Management (15 credits)
• Animal Rescue, Rehabilitation and Rehoming (15 credits)
• Wildlife Conservation Skills (15 credits)
• Nature and Human Wellbeing (15 credits)
• Community Engagement (15 credits)
• Residential Field Trip (15 credits)

Year 3

• Capstone Project (30 credits)
• People Management, Training and Support (15 credits)
• Conservation Planning and Development (15 credits)
• Applied Issues in Wildlife Conservation (15 credits)
• Decolonising Conservation (15 credits)
• Behaviour Change (15 credits)
• Applied Engagement, Education and Advocacy (15 credits)

Facilities

• Extensive library and IT resources
• Support, should you need it, with study skills, careers advice, health and wellbeing, and more
• Social spaces including a restaurant, coffee shop and recreation centre

Careers

• Our BSc Conservation and Community Engagement will give you the skills to develop and take part in conservation work, and also to communicate conservation issues and science to different audiences.
• It's a growing sector: the Department for Education policy paper Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children's services systems, highlights a significant increase in the number of green jobs by 2030, noting that substantial increases in conservation and sustainability learning are key to meeting those targets.

Entry Requirements

• Standard entry requirements
• Additional information for EU and international students
• English language requirements
• Improving your English language skills

Fees and Paying for University

• Tuition fees and student loans for UK students (2025/26)
• Tuition fees for international students (2025/26)
• Living costs
• Paying for uni: bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply

• UK students: Apply through UCAS
• International students: Apply direct

Life in Writtle

• Close to major cities, ARU Writtle is located on a picturesque 150-hectare campus in the heart of the Essex countryside.
• Explore the Writtle campus