Program Overview

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BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation with Foundation Year

Why study this course with LJMU?

• Accredited by The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
• Option to undertake a 4 to 6 week placement and/or a 12-month sandwich placement in the UK or overseas
• Teaching from 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
• 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

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.

About the Foundation Year

The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the ability to study for a degree but don't have the qualifications to enter directly onto the Wildlife Conservation honours degree programme. It provides you with a strong scientific underpinning which will prepare you for the rest of your degree. Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

About BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation

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, provides underpinning scientific knowledge into biodiversity loss and develops 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.

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

What you will study on this degree

Please note that your choice of options may be subject to timetabling constraints.

Further guidance on modules

Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU's Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.

Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.

Foundation Year

• Skills and Perspectives in Science 1 (20 credits)
• Wildlife Studies (20 credits)
• Skills and Perspectives in Science 2 (20 credits)
• Anatomy and Physiology (20 credits)
• Understanding the Environment (20 credits)
• Building Blocks of Life (20 credits)

Year 1

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

Year 3

• Research Project (40 credits)
• Contemporary Issues in Conservation (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

Excellent facilities and learning resources

We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.

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-based 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.

This work experience will not only give you a chance to put into practice what you have learnt at LJMU, it will also help you develop your personal skills and add real value to your CV. Such experiences are not only extremely rewarding, they can lead to permanent employment through contacts made.

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

Throughout your course you will have the support of a personal tutor who will be available to discuss course-related matters in both tutorial sessions and one-to-one progress review meetings. These meetings are to monitor your performance and identify action plans for improvement. A dedicated supervisor will also provide support during your research project and/or work-based learning, including visits to your workplace if you opt for the 12-month work placement.

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.

Tuition fees and funding

Home

• Foundation first year: £9,535
• Second and subsequent years: £9,535
• Placement year: £1,905

International

• Full-time per year: £18,250
• Placement year: £3,910

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

• Grades/points required from qualifications: DDD (72)

GCSEs and equivalents

• Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy.

A levels

• DDD
• Minimum Number of A Levels: 1
• Maximum AS UCAS Points: 20
• Must have a Level 3 qualification and GCSE Grade 4 or above in Maths and Science

BTECs

• MMP

Access awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

International Baccalaureate

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications From a relevant subject

OCR Cambridge Technical

• MMP

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.

How to apply

• UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here.