Environmental Management and Sustainability BSc (Hons)

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, field trips, site visits, and laboratory practicals. Furthermore, due to our excellent contacts in the environmental sector, you will also have guest lectures from industry experts.

At the University of Worcester, you will receive essential training in a variety of field and laboratory techniques using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Continuing technological advances means the discipline rapidly changes, and at Worcester, due to our impressive research profile you will be trained in highly advanced and cutting-edge techniques.

In the second year of your course, you have the option to study abroad for a semester at a university either in Europe or further afield. Previous students have studied at American, Australian, Canadian, and Spanish universities. Other destinations are also available! On successful completion of your second year of study you can also choose to take a Professional Placement Year with a relevant organisation.

Contact time

In a typical week, students will have around 12-16 contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the final year there is normally slightly less contact time in order for students to engage with more independent study.   

Typical class contact time is structured around: 

• Lectures - Focussed on delivering the core learning for a module, in which new information is presented and discussed. Lectures are interactive to enhance learning and understanding. 
• Seminars - Focussed on broadening understanding through a greater level of discussion. Students are encouraged to actively participate rather than take notes. Some seminars are also student led. 
• Laboratory Practicals - Focused on developing subject specific practical skills and provide the opportunity for students to work individually and/or part of a team. 
• Computer Practicals – Students are immersed in the use of IT to gain generic and subject specific skills including mapping, data analysis, and modelling.  
• Fieldwork - Provides the opportunity for students to put their learning into practice, which includes engaging in professional activities relevant to the environmental sector. Fieldwork also contributes to an enhanced understanding of the subject and enables students to engage with their peers in situations that cannot be replicated in lectures. 

Independent self-study

In addition to contact time with University teaching staff, you are expected to undertake around 24 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve reading through your lecture notes and adding to these, reading additional material provided by lecturers, undertaking research in the library and online, collecting information for individual and group projects, and working on assignments.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including The Hive and its library resources, the virtual learning environment (Blackboard), and extensive on-line learning resources (e.g. e-books). 

Duration

• Environmental Management & Sustainability BSc (Hons) – 3 years full-time.
• Environmental Management & Sustainability (with Professional Placement Year) BSc (Hons) – 4 years full-time.
• Environmental Management & Sustainability (with Foundation Year) - 4 years full-time.
• Environmental Management & Sustainability (with International Year Abroad) – 4 years full-time.
• Environmental Management & Sustainability (with Foundation Year & Professional Placement Year) BSc (Hons) – 5 years full-time.
• Environmental Management & Sustainability BSc (Hons) – 6 years part-time.

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of modules on the course. The team includes professors in atmospheric science, senior academics with strong research backgrounds, and guest lectures from experts from outside the University (e.g. Marine Conservation Society, SLR Consulting, and the Environment Agency). Practical sessions are fully supported by a dedicated team of technicians, which serves to enhance the student experience. Research students with relevant expertise are also invited to contribute to teaching under the supervision of module leaders.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and more than 85% of lecturers in the School of Science and Environment have a higher education teaching qualification and/or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Due to the interactive nature of taught sessions, you will have ample opportunity to get to know your lecturers, which ultimately benefits your learning. Due to the strong emphasis on students gaining practical skills and working as part of a team, you will also get to know many of the students on your course and become part of the vibrant student community.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments, which do not contribute towards your final grade. This approach prepares you for the formal ‘summative’ assessments, which contribute towards the overall grade achieved for that module. 

To enhance the employability of our graduates there is a focus on authentic coursework that is directly related to real-world situations. We use a wide range of assessment types including scientific reports, practical reports, essays, case study evaluations, management plans, oral presentations, in-class tests, and exams. However, there is less emphasis on in-class tests and exams. In fact, based on the typical assessment pattern outlined below, only 8% of assessment items are exam based.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the optional modules taken, but a typical summative assessment pattern according to course year is as follows:

Year One

• 1 Research report
• 1 Scientific report
• 1 Practical report
• 1 Essay
• 1 Oral presentation
• 1 Poster presentation
• 1 Exam
• 2 Portfolios

Year Two

• 1 Case study evaluation
• 1 Consultancy report
• 2 Scientific reports
• 2 Practical reports
• 1 Research proposal
• 1 Research project report
• 2 Oral presentations
• 1 In-class test
• 1 Field notebook
• 1 Scientific news article

Year Three

• 1 Dissertation
• 1 Restoration plan
• 1 Essay
• 2 Case study evaluations
• 1 Case study critical analysis
• 1 Reflective field notebook
• 4 Oral presentations
• 1 Scientific report

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice ‘formative’ assessments and on formal ‘summative’ assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with your personal academic tutor and module tutors as appropriate. 

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of submission.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.