Individuals, organisations and governments around the world are increasingly concerned about the welfare of our planet and everything on it. This includes both our marine and terrestrial environments where many factors, including human behaviour, have left a large number of species at risk.

Our course allows you to develop a deep understanding of concerns relating to marine and terrestrial environments, and to look at ways of resolving those concerns.

You’ll learn about marine biodiversity locally and around the world, and explore conservation ecology, which aims to support, recover and maintain populations and their habitats.

There are opportunities to attend residential field trips. Field trips that are a compulsory part of your course are covered by your fees. There are also optional field trips (either extra-curricular or an integral part of an optional module you select to take) that you would have to pay for.

Cambridge is becoming a world centre for wildlife conservation, with Fauna and Flora International, Birdlife International and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre based here. Throughout our BSc (Hons) Marine and Terrestrial Conservation degree, you’ll have opportunities to attend lectures in the city and visit specialist museums and libraries.

There’s also the option to take a placement year as part of your degree.

TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

Year 1

In Year 1 we cover wildlife taxonomy, conservation, distribution and ecology, with a focus on vertebrates found in Britain. You’ll acquire the basic skills and knowledge relevant to a range of careers in ecology, conservation and wildlife biology. There’s an opportunity to spend a weekend on the coast of East Anglia studying plant and animal life, too.

You’ll study the basic ways in which animals cope with the demands of everyday life, from feeding, moving and respiring to sensing the outside world and each other. We’ll also look at the principles of evolutionary theory and highlight the major transitions that have occurred in the diversification of life.

There’s a focus on research, analysis and investigation as we explore the skills you need to understand biological systems and critically evaluate information. You’ll learn to understand data and sampling, think logically to solve problems, and report quantitative information effectively.

We encourage you to work with your personal tutor and others to engage with co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities.

Modules are subject to change and availability.

We’ll assess you regularly so that you can check your progress. We’ll use a range of methods, including exams, essays, practical reports, computer-based assessments, presentations, reviews of scientific papers and laboratory skills tests.

Year 2

This year prepares you to conduct independent research, in preparation for your final-year project. You’ll also receive training in field techniques in marine, terrestrial or behavioural ecology.

You will also explore oceanic ecosystems, focussing on factors which determine the distribution of organisms and productivity of the seas. As well as this, you will be introduced to invertebrate and vertebrate biology, focussing on aspects of classification, structure and function, ecology and behaviour.

Building on your knowledge of genetic concepts, you will learn how the rules of inheritance translate into the organisation of the gene-pool of a population and species, as you develop a detailed understanding of the relationship between genetic variation and evolution.

There’s the opportunity to develop your skills in field biology and acquire the techniques to conduct fieldwork in temperature habitats. You’ll also develop transferable skills in problem-solving, teamwork, and scientific communication, ideal for future employment in the ecological sector and in research roles more widely.

Modules are subject to change and availability.

We’ll assess you regularly so that you can check your progress. We’ll use a range of methods, including exams, essays, practical reports, computer-based assessments, presentations, reviews of scientific papers and laboratory skills tests.

Year 3

Your final year introduces you to the spatial distribution of living things and how these have been affected by global change. You’ll also explore various coastal environments in a module that’s largely student-led, as you investigate their structure, dynamics and communities.

You’ll show your understanding of biogeography using a group of animals, plants or microbes as a model for computer analyses of distribution and physical and molecular characteristics. You’ll also become familiar with a range of computer software, gaining skills in data handling.

There’s the opportunity to hone your practical skills by recording, collecting and analysing data from marine environments. We focus on species identification, interpreting oceanographic data and experimental design, too. We also explore contemporary environmental challenges and technological developments in marine science, including resource exploitation, energy generation and climate change.

You will put your research skills to the test and create a substantial piece of individual research – your Undergraduate Project – focused on a topic of your choice. Regularly supported and monitored by a project supervisor, you’ll receive guidance throughout the year to steer your project in the right direction.

Modules are subject to change and availability.

We’ll assess you regularly so that you can check your progress. We’ll use a range of methods, including exams, essays, practical reports, computer-based assessments, presentations, reviews of scientific papers and laboratory skills tests.