Environmental Management BSc (Hons)

About the course

First Year

You will develop your understanding of biodiversity and how ecosystems function and how we can use resources more sustainably. You’ll also develop your research skills using geographic information systems, data analysis, surveying and map work. Our field course, a week-long residential currently held in the English Lake District, forms a central part of your first year studies. 

Second Year

You’ll visit the Swiss Alps at the start of your second year, developing your research skills. You will also spend time developing your knowledge of how our environment can be understood as changing, with the topic areas of ecology and environmental quality forming a central part of your studies. Areas of optional study include geospatial information and rural development.

Final Year

Your individual research project will be a key focus in your final year. This is complemented by core modules focused on habitat management and monitoring. Areas of optional study include biological conservation, the management of environmental problems and the green economy, countryside management, and geospatial information.

Why choose this course?

Environmental Management at the University of Hertfordshire is designed to develop your understanding of environmental processes, their measurement, and the techniques used to better manage the interrelationships that exist between society and the environment.

Learn how we can tackle some of the world’s biggest issues including:

• Climate change
• scarcity of water
• population growth and migration
• environmental pollution
• species extinction
• habitat destruction

Fieldwork learning underpins this degree, supported by our own specialist fieldstation, laboratories and facilities for geographical information analysis.

We have accreditation from the Institution of Environmental Sciences, meaning our graduates are eligible to become Associate Members of the Institution.

The student experience

“I feel that the UH course gave me an excellent grounding in both theory and practice, with assignments closely aligned to some real life experiences I have had to face already.”
Emma Ayers, Environmental Management Graduate currently working as an Environmental Manager at New College Stamford

“The most positive memory I have is the approachability of the lecturers and their willingness to help.”
Sean Tyrrell, Environmental Management Graduate, currently researching for a doctorate at Cranfield University sponsored by Albion Water Ltd

“I really enjoyed the strong practical and fieldwork emphasis of my degree at the University of Hertfordshire. The hands-on approach made my studies deeply rewarding and showed me the real-world impact of my subject.”
James Zhang, Environmental Management Graduate, currently studying on our MSc Environmental Management programme and former Knowledge Transfer Programme Associate

Study routes

• Sandwich, 4 Years
• Part Time, 5 Years
• Full Time, 3 Years

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

Our graduates are highly employable and have excellent opportunities in a wide range of careers because of our varied curriculum, our strong emphasis on field and practical experience, our industrial placement year and our strong ties with professional bodies and employers in business, industry, regulatory bodies and government. Also, we are currently ranked as being in 9th position for the employability of our graduates in departments offering physical geography and environmental science degrees.

Our graduates have found successful careers within local government, town and country planning, recreational and habitat management, environmental resources management, teaching and in private environmental consultancies, as well as more general graduate recruitment schemes and postgraduate study.

Typical job titles of recent graduates

Assistant Surveyor, Conservation Officer, Environmental Consultant, Environmental developments Officer, Environmental Management Systems Developer, Environmental Manager, Environmental Officer, Environmental Support Officer, Estates manager, GIS assistant, Land Charges Assistant, Planning Officer, Production Systems Development Engineer, Senior GIS Technical Officer, Trainee Emergency Ambulance Technician, Trainee Logging Geologist, Transport Coordinator, Transport Planner.

Typical employers of recent graduates

Buildings Research Establishment, Banks Cargil Agriculture Ltd, Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Service, Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Coors Brewers, Datalog Technology Ltd, Environment Agency, Granada Business Technology, Merck Sharp & Dohme, National Grid, Veolia Water, South-East Water, Sustrans, University of Hertfordshire, Vauxhall Motors, Vivendi Water.

Teaching methods

Throughout your degree you will experience a range of thought-provoking teaching techniques; such as lectures, seminars, workshops and practicals. You will go on numerous field visits to a diverse range of locations. Practicals often take place at the University’s own field station, as well as in our specialist geosciences and geographical information systems laboratories.

Most second and third year modules are assessed by 50% coursework and 50% examination. Five of the first year modules are 100% coursework. The type of coursework is varied, depending on the module and includes essays, reports, practical write-ups, posters and seminar presentations.

Work Placement

Before progressing to your final year you have the opportunity to take a work placement year or to study abroad. These experiences are optional but can benefit you in terms of improving your approach to study, your class of degree and your future employability. If you successfully complete your placement you may also be eligible for the Licentiateship of the City and Guilds Institute.

Environmental management placement opportunities are available within a wide range of organisations including small, national and multi-national companies, local government, consultancy companies and environmental organisations.

Students have undertaken placements at a wide range of companies including: Building Research Establishment, Environment Agency, GlaxoSmithKline, BASF, Veolia Water, Earthworks, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster University), Stubbington Study Centre, Plandescil Consulting Engineers, and RPS to name but a few!

Professional Accreditations

Our BSc (Hons) Environmental Management is accredited by the Institute of Environmental Sciences.

This means that on graduation, you have automatic eligibility to become an Associate Member of the Institution.

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Sustainable Futures

  Topics that may be covered include: environmental concern and the green movement; the environmental spectrum; concepts of sustainable development; Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21; industrial development and sustainability, sustainable development and waste, sustainable development and water; sustainable development and energy; sustainable development and agriculture; sustainable development and the developing world; and the cost of going green.

• Graduate and Professional Skills 1 - GE

  Students will complete assignments, within their discipline of choice, that include opportunities for development of their personal transferable skills. They will reflect on their development with the assistance of a personal tutor and will produce a portfolio of evidence based on the set assignments and wider experience such as from the work place or other areas of responsibility. Skills assessed are: autonomy and taking responsibility for themselves (A); group working (GW), oral and written communication (COM), information management (IM), problem solving (PS), numeracy (NUM), self evaluation and reflective practice (SERP).

• Ecosystems and Environmental Change

  *ecological processes and climate/vegetation patterns *structure and functioning of selected ecosystems (UK focus) e.g. woodlands , grasslands, agro-ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems *human influences on ecosystems,including examples of management *selected approaches to conservation of ecosystems and species *handling of ecological data, descriptive statistics

• Investigative Skills and Techniques

  The course introduces the basic approaches and methods used in a range of scientific studies, including data handling/presentation and data analysis. Students will undertake a range of appropriate practical sessions enabling practical skills to be developed. Topics that may be covered include: research approaches, experimental design, hypothesis-testing, mapping, data analysis (eg. Data transformation, relationships between variables, probability and confidence limits, data analysis with non-normally distributed data); social survey techniques; techniques for assessment of environmental impacts.

• Exploring Planet Earth

  This module provides students with an opportunity to explore the Earth s systems. The module provides an account of the history of the Earth, and then considers each of the major environmental systems in turn, focussing on the features and processes that define each system. Students will be able to develop an understanding of how the different systems interact and the importance of these interactions for shaping the surface of the Earth and its biological communities. The implication of environmental change on human activities is a central theme throughout the module.

• Dynamic Earth

  The aims of this module are to enable students to understand the dynamic processes that produce rocks and geological structures, and be able to recognise them in the laboratory and in the field. The evolution of the Earth and the importance of plate tectonics in the formation of rocks and geological structures will be studied, together with introductory igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic petrology. The module will also consider weathering, erosion, transport and deposition of Earth surface materials and the dynamic endogenic and exogenic processes that impact on anthropogenic activities.

• Introduction to Field Research

  This module includes a residential field course to a UK location. The module will cover a range of topics that may include cultural geography, biodiversity, geology, geomorphology, ecology, climate change and tourism impacts. Underpinning theory and linkage to wider research contexts are introduced in the lectures. Staff-led and student-led data collection methods are introduced and undertaken in the field. Students are then introduced to the analysis and synthesis of this field information through class and IT-lab sessions both during and after the field course.

Optional

• Geographies of Governance

  The module provides an introduction to the framework of society with a particular relationship between people and their environment (human space at a range of geographical scales from local to global) helping you to place Hertfordshire and the UK within broader geographical spaces and tiers of governance. Through lectures, field visits, workshops and problem based group learning students explore the interaction of people with the environment and will develop an understanding of the approaches adopted by geographers towards governing and planning human space and society. Lectures will introduce the structure of the UK planning system whilst also looking at European and Global governance and development. Students will have the opportunity to study a range of social and spatial issues and conflicts within human space

• Mapping Human Geographies

  Students will receive an introduction to the scope of the geographical enquiry at degree level. This will necessarily include an introduction to the philosophical and historical development of geography as an academic discipline and an introduction to the key ideas and concepts. An introduction to cartographic thought and techniques, landscape assessment, observational skills and Geographical Information Systems will be provided as the module covers various spatial perspectives, both historical and contemporary within geography.

• Agro-ecosystems Biology

  This module introduces students to fundamental ecological principles such as trophic hierarchies and energy flow in respect to primary and secondary production systems. It then explores these principles in the context of agricultural systems. Students will study plant anatomy in the context of crop plants and this will introduce students to crop diversity through plant architecture and how this plays an important role in plant nutrition.

• Functional Agro-ecology

  This module builds on the first semester module Agro-ecosystems Biology and introduces students to the idea of functional ecology and the diversity of organisms that play a key role in agricultural production systems. Students will be made aware of different methods of measuring biodiversity and the role pests, diseases and weeds play in the productivity of agricultural production systems. They will also be introduced to the functional role microbes play in nutrient cycling.

Year 2

Core Modules

• Ecology and Environmental Quality

  This module investigates various ecological systems, both freshwater and terrestrial, with a particular focus on ecosystem, community and population dynamics. There is a strong emphasis on practical applications of ecological science. Topics covered include woodland, terrestrial ecology, heathland, freshwater ecology and population ecology; aspects of environmental quality in terrestrial and freshwater environments including examination of pollutants, eutrophication and acidification. Field visits and practicals are an important component.

• Graduate and Professional Skills 2 - GE

  Students will complete assignments, within their discipline of choice, that include opportunities for development of their personal transferable skills. They will reflect on their development with the assistance of a personal tutor and will produce a portfolio of evidence based on the set assignments and wider experience such as from the work place or other areas of responsibility. Skills assessed are: autonomy, taking responsibility for themselves (A); group working (GW), oral and written communication (COM), information management (IM), problem solving (PS), numeracy (NUM), self evaluation and reflective practice (SERP).

• Understanding a Changing World

  The module focuses on understanding how the world around us is changing and how such change can be conceptualised and subsequently responded to, understanding why such conceptualisations are contested. An understanding of how the world is changing is developed by focusing on a wide range of topical issues that include: globalisation, trade, water resources, migration, indigenous peoples and cultures, air pollution, tourism, climate change, agriculture, population and food security, species invasion and deforestation. Attention is also paid to exploring and understanding change in the non-human world.

• Real World Research

  This module commences with a residential field trip to Switzerland during which students will learn and apply data and information collection techniques in a real world field setting. The remainder of the module will provide students with the skills and understanding to design their own research project and fully understand the different methodological approaches and methods available. Students will also gain first-hand experience of data analysis and interpretation using where possible data sets collected from the Swiss Field Course. These skills will be practised during a group work problem based learning (PBL) exercise that draws on understanding of mountain environments and large data sets from a theoretical mountain location

Optional

• Rural Change in the UK

  This module covers rural changes in the UK that have occurred from the Neolithic period up to present day. The module also deals with pertinent legislation, policy, designation and planning issues as they relate to rural environments, agriculture and conservation in the UK and explores the implications of these factors on driving landscape change and managing different rural environments. Besides this, the module investigates, as and when they arise, topical issues that relate to rural environments and the livelihoods of people living in those environments. See module guide for further details.

• Fundamentals of Geospatial Information

  This module introduces the underpinning concepts and ideas behind GISci and their application and use in answering geospatial questions. Topics covered may include basic remote sensing as input to a GIS, the two main GISci data models, geospatial data collection and input methods including GPS concepts, digital cartographic issues such as map projections, symbology and visualisation of data, spatial data structures and GISci data models, geospatial databases, basic analysis techniques for both raster and vector data including Boolean logic operations, and a review of current technological trends such as OpenGIS (GML), internet-GIS and distributed GIS.

Year 3

Core Modules

Optional

• Placement - GE

  The sandwich placement will provide students with the opportunity to expand, develop and apply the knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in the taught years of the degree in a work-based situation. The employer will appoint a work-place supervisor, and the student will also have a University supervisor. Students will write a major report on their placement which is normally agreed with and then assessed by both the employer and university supervisor.

• Year Abroad - GE

  Learning and teaching methods may include taught courses, a research project, field studies or a mixture of these components. The Year Abroad will be for two academic semesters or their equivalent. The students will therefore follow a programme negotiated by the Associate Head of School or nominee and an equivalent representative of the host institution. Prior to commencement of the Year Abroad, the student, the programme officers from the University of Hertfordshire and from the host institution will agree a learning agreement and mode of attendance.

Year 4

Core Modules

• Habitat Monitoring and Management

  This module will analyse, evaluate and discuss various aspects of both the science and practice of habitat management, habitat restoration, habitat creation and monitoring in a variety of freshwater and terrestrial situations. Topics covered may include:- the importance of an holistic approach in habitat management and monitoring; the management of habitats in nature reserves; agroecosystems for wider environmental benefit, the principles and methods of habitat monitoring the principles of restoration and subsequent after-management. These themes will be developed in a number of specific case-studies including restoration and enhancement of rivers, whole river corridors and riverine habitats, management and restoration of grasslands, the special cases of derelict/industrial land and urban habitats; monitoring approaches including international monitoring programmes pertinent to a range of habitats. Field visits and practicals form an important part of the module.

• Individual Research Project - GE

  The Research Project provides the opportunity for an individual, extended, in-depth study of a selected aspect of those disciplines covered by the Programme, and may address one or more of the Division's research objectives. Lecture, workshop and tutorial sessions (which may be group and/or individual) provide support for the student, and students are allocated a University supervisor. The work may involve fieldwork, laboratory work, questionnaire surveys, or many other research procedures.

• Solving Environmental Problems

  Topic areas that may be covered include- sustainability and sustainable development; the economy and the environment; business opportunities and the environment; environmental governance; environmental ethics; corporate social responsibility; water management; energy management; waste management; environmental economics; environmental management systems; strategic environmental assessment; environmental impact assessment; environmental risk assessment and environmental auditing.

Optional

• Countryside Recreation Management

  Students will cover a range of topics such as: theory and concepts of leisure, recreation and tourism; history of countryside recreation; current issues in countryside recreation; UK policy perspectives; who's who; recreational activities; benefits of recreation (including health and economic benefits); use of the countryside; data collection methods; recreational designations in the UK (including National Parks); transport issues; rights-of-way law and practice; the right to roam; diversity in recreation; recreation places - mountain, woods, water and coasts, farm land - considering activities, ecological impacts and mitigation measures (including footpath restoration techniques); managing the impacts of recreation; management plans, environmental interpretation as a management tool.

• Implementating Geospatial Information

  This module enables students to use state-of-the-art GIS software to analyse geospatial information to answer complex geographic questions. The module will also introduce some of the issues surrounding institutional implementation of GIS, in a context appropriate for future employment. The students will be introduced to 3-D virtual perspective views and simulated fly-overs and the utility and disadvantages of using this analysis toolkit. GIS will be used to analyse and integrate data layers: students will use appropriate GIS data and operations. The Internet will be used to research developments in GISci, as well as for the transfer of data for student projects. Following training on how to manage a GISci research mini-project, students will be expected to produce a Research Report.

• Habitat Monitoring and Management

  This module will analyse, evaluate and discuss various aspects of both the science and practice of habitat management, habitat restoration, habitat creation and monitoring in a variety of freshwater and terrestrial situations. Topics covered may include:- the importance of an holistic approach in habitat management and monitoring; the management of habitats in nature reserves; agroecosystems for wider environmental benefit, the principles and methods of habitat monitoring the principles of restoration and subsequent after-management. These themes will be developed in a number of specific case-studies including restoration and enhancement of rivers, whole river corridors and riverine habitats, management and restoration of grasslands, the special cases of derelict/industrial land and urban habitats; monitoring approaches including international monitoring programmes pertinent to a range of habitats. Field visits and practicals form an important part of the module.

• Biological Conservation

  This module will analyse, evaluate and discuss various aspects of both the science and practice of biological conservation, especially of species. Topics covered will include: speciation and extinction rates and risks; types of rarity; minimum viable populations and metapopulations; fragmentation, isolation and dispersal; genetic issues; population management strategies; captive breeding programmes; landscape scale conservation issues; the evaluation of sites for nature conservation; the special issues relating to the conservation of different taxonomic groups (eg mammals, birds, insects, plants, lower plants, fungi); International Conventions and Wildlife Laws; Biodiversity Action Plans and their implementation. Field visits and practicals form an important part of the module.

• Solving Environmental Problems

  Topic areas that may be covered include- sustainability and sustainable development; the economy and the environment; business opportunities and the environment; environmental governance; environmental ethics; corporate social responsibility; water management; energy management; waste management; environmental economics; environmental management systems; strategic environmental assessment; environmental impact assessment; environmental risk assessment and environmental auditing.

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £8,000 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Additional course costs

This course offers fantastic opportunities for field work which gives students the chance to study the human, environmental and physical interactions in both a UK and European setting. As a part of this course students will be going on compulsory field trips and will have to pay a fee prior to the trip.

- The Lake District will cost £250 (first year)

- Switzerland will cost £350 (second year)

This covers transport and accommodation and also includes full board (breakfast, packed lunch and hot evening meal). These trips are subsidized by the university giving students a discounted rate.

EVS handsets are required for this course at a cost of £40

There is a further trip that is compulsory if you choose the Rural Change module or the Country recreation Management module at the cost of £35 each

Scholarships

• National Scholarship Programme

Find out more about scholarships for UK/EU and international students

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply