Program Overview

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BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation

Why study this course with LJMU?

• Accredited by The Institution of Environmental Sciences
• Option to undertake a 4 to 6 week placement and/or a 12-month sandwich placement
• Learn practical skills including field surveying, animal and plant identification, GIS and recording animal behaviour
• Learn conservation practice skills, such as Habitat Management Plans, protected area designation, zoo conservation and conservation technology
• £6 million invested in state-of-the-art teaching facilities
• Excellent career prospects
• This degree is available to study following a foundation year
• International Foundation Year course available offering direct progression onto this degree programme

About your course

The BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation at Liverpool John Moores University is taught by conservation experts and will allow you to develop the skills and knowledge you need to work in a professional conservation organisation.

With greater public awareness of the environment and increasing concern about the exploitation and destruction of wildlife resources, this BSc degree looks at the causes of biodiversity loss as well as practical and sustainable ways to halt and reverse it.

During the course you will develop your knowledge of ecology, genetics, evolution, animal behaviour and environmental sustainability and apply this knowledge to develop practical solutions to conservation problems and conservation practice. You will also develop practical skills, such as animal and plant identification, wildlife surveys and conservation technology, recording animal behaviour, creating Habitat Management Plans and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). These are the skills and knowledge you need to work in a professional conservation organisation.

You will be taught by conservation experts involved in collaborative research projects and consultancy, including primate conservation, large African mammal conservation, human wildlife conflict, species reintroduction, biogeography and species distributions, bird social behaviour and ecosystem services.

A key feature of this programme is the opportunity it presents to observe wildlife first-hand in natural habitats. There are many UK-based fieldtrips throughout the course, as well as a residential field trip at level 5. You will also have the opportunity to go on an international trip at level 6 - the destinations are subject to confirmation but currently include the primeval forests of Poland and volcanic landscapes of Iceland. You will also have the opportunity to undertake a short (4 to 6 week) placement and/or 12-month sandwich placement with an organisation in the UK or overseas.

Course modules

Year 1

• Fundamentals of Scientific Research (20 credits)
• Skills for Wildlife Conservation (20 credits)
• Genetics and Evolution (20 credits)
• Animal Behaviour (20 credits)
• Ecology (20 credits)
• Environment Society and Sustainability (20 credits)

Year 2

• Research Skills and Employability (20 credits)
• Ecology Field Skills (20 credits)
• Wildlife and Ecosystem Management (20 credits)
• Conservation Practice (20 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • Behavioural Ecology (20 credits)
  • Marine and Freshwater Biology (20 credits)
  • Animal Monitoring (20 credits)
  • Sandwich Year - Wildlife Conservation (120 credits)
  • Animal Health and Disease (20 credits)
  • Study Year Abroad - Wildlife Conservation (120 credits)
  • Study Semester Abroad - Wildlife Conservation (60 credits)
  • Environmental Pollution (20 credits)

Year 3

• Research Project (40 credits)
• Contemporary Issues in Conservation (20 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • Frontiers of Ecology (20 credits)
  • Advanced Field Skills Expedition (20 credits)
  • Zoo Conservation and Genebanks (20 credits)
  • Applied Marine Biology (20 credits)
  • Current Topics in Primatology (20 credits)
  • Work-Based Learning (20 credits)
  • Sustainable Natural Heritage (20 credits)
  • River Monitoring and Management (20 credits)
  • Cold Environments: Processes and Change (20 credits)

Professional accreditation

The degree is accredited by the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES), the education committee of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES).

Your Learning Experience

Teaching Support Assessment

• Teaching is via lectures, seminars and online activities with interactive workshops in the form of group discussions, practical demonstrations and fieldwork and laboratory sessions, which give you the chance to observe animals and plants first hand and develop your practical skills.
• Small tutorial groups provide a forum for discussing course material more informally. Lecture material can also be found in our library and on our virtual learning environment, Canvas.
• Work-related Learning: As part of your work-related learning, you have the opportunity to undertake a short (4-6 week) work-based placement or a 12-month placement with a relevant organisation in the UK or abroad.

Career paths

Our BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation graduates go into a hugely diverse range of careers both in the UK and overseas.

Graduates find jobs in nature reserve management, conservation NGOs, zoos, aquaria and wildlife parks, conservation charities, countryside ranger departments, ecological consultancies, fisheries management, agri-environment advisory services, environmental education, ecological research and overseas conservation projects.

Recent graduates can be found working as wildlife trust reserve managers, wildlife rangers, environmental and ecological consultants, zookeepers, zoo scientific and education officers and children's nature activities leaders. Postgraduate study or research is another option, such as LJMU's MSc Wildlife Conservation.

Tuition fees and funding

Home: £9,535 per year International: £18,250 per year

Entry requirements

• Grades/points required: BCC-BBC (104-112)
• GCSEs and equivalents: Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy
• A levels: Minimum Number of A Levels: 2, Maximum AS UCAS Points: 20, Subject requirements: Geography or related science/social science Grade C or above
• BTECs: Extended Diploma: DMM
• Access awards: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications, Pass overall with a minimum of 104 points
• International Baccalaureate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications, From a relevant subject
• OCR Cambridge Technical: Extended Diploma: DMM
• Irish awards: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications, From a relevant subject
• T levels: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications, You need to obtain the required UCAS points from a related subject area.
• International requirements: IELTS 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of the course start date.