Environment

Our environment is under immense threat from issues including climate change and resource sustainability.

The impact of climate change cannot be underestimated. Extreme weather scenarios are increasing globally, leading to loss of life and costly damage to ecological habitats, homes, and livelihoods. The problem requires solutions across all levels of society, from national government policy to local neighbourhood schemes.

But all is not lost. If we can live more sustainably and work to protect vital ecosystems across the globe, then we may be able to halt the trend. To help you develop the skills and knowledge that are essential for fighting this threat, we have several degrees in the fields of environment and sustainability.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of climate change, which requires social change as well as scientific solutions, you will find courses available across our faculties. These degrees will give you a solid understanding of the science of climate change and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusivity when creating sustainable solutions.

You could choose between a range of courses offered by our School of Life Sciences, which focus on the physical impact of climate change on the land, in the air, and in the ocean, and how we can conserve and protect vulnerable organisms and essential habitats from harm. These courses include:

Our School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies examines how climate change and the environment impact on human populations, such as increases in migration, problems with international relations and human rights, and risks to world peace caused by resource scarcity. Their course is:

BA Global Studies with Sustainability

Our university is committed to combating climate change and improving sustainability across our three campuses. Whatever degree you choose, you will be studying at an institution that is actively working to do its part in the fight to protect our plant.

Why study here?

You have the option to take part in residential field courses in Indonesia, the Mediterranean and the UK, as well as field work in our local Marine Conservation Zone in Essex.
Be part of a university that is taking the climate and biodiversity crises seriously.
You'll problem-solve sustainability issues alongside world leading academics from several academic departments.

Looking to start in 2024?

Environment courses in Clearing for 2023

1 - 6 of 6 results

Courses (6)

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

Course options:

Study Abroad

Placement Year

Our BSc Global Sustainability course is focused on addressing the grand challenges facing Planet Earth and its living systems. This course will involve you in problem solving at a global scale and equip you with the tools needed to address complex problems through a highly innovative and interdisciplinary degree.

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

Our BSc Global Sustainability (including foundation year) course will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that improves your skills to support your academic performance. This four-year course includes a foundation year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department, followed by a further three years of study in our School of Life Sciences.

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

Our BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology (including foundation year) course will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that improves your academic skills to support your academic performance. This four-year course includes a foundation year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department, followed by a further three years of study in our School of Life Sciences.

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

On our four-year BA Global studies with Sustainability (including foundation year), we work with you to help to develop your subject-specific knowledge and to improve your academic skills. You receive a thorough grounding in these areas during your foundation year (known as Year Zero) to prepare you for a further four years of undergraduate study at Essex.

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

Course options:

Study Abroad

Placement Year

Our BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology course explores the diversity of the living world, across levels of biological organisation from genes to individuals, their populations and the communities they form, up to entire ecosystems. Building on research produced in our School of Life Sciences, you will examine these concepts across terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems, examining taxa from smallest microbes to the largest organisms on Earth.

Study mode:

Full-Time

Campus:

Colchester Campus

Course options:

Study Abroad

Placement Year

The challenges facing today’s world are profoundly international. From the migrant crisis to global warming, contemporary challenges require graduates who bring a global perspective and broad skills to the workplace.

Our changing environment is the primary threat to our world’s survival. The climate crisis has motivated mass protests across the world.

Scientists and grassroots activists now influence government policy, while the creative community seeks ways to respond to the movement and broadcast its message ever further. Our unique and thought-provoking Masters courses will thrust you into a world of environmental study in areas you may not have considered before. Impatient to positively impact on the environment? Welcome home.

Why study here?

The damage to our environment impacts every area of life. You will have the opportunity to take modules from across all three faculties to take a multi-disciplinary approach towards finding solutions.
Your innovative programme of study will take you outside the lecture theatre and into the wild landscapes of Essex and East Anglia.
Biodiversity plays an important role at the University. Our Colchester Campus is set in a former deer park on the banks of the Colne River.

"I really enjoyed the practical side of the course – going outside to research and write. It was investigative and encouraged a creative approach. I loved it! I was also excited to take modules across departments – I studied Conservation Management and Pollution, and also took a course on French. My husband and I spend our lives in Brittany, France, where I am a full-time gardener surrounded by countryside and dairy farms, as well as Southampton, UK, where I do voluntary work and participate in the creative group Waterside Writers."

Barbara Claridge MA Wild Writing, Literature, Landscape and the Environment, 2018

Studying an environmental degree at Essex will mean you're part of a community passionate about confronting global and local issues from across different disciplines.

Our research degrees provide opportunities for developing novel ideas and inter-disciplinary projects. Our staff have expertise and can offer supervision of projects across areas such as environmental microbiology, marine biology, ecology, photosynthesis, plant productivity, sustainable agriculture, environmental resource management, pollution, aerosol science and the impact of nanoparticles on the environment.

Why study here?

Our academics engage closely with local ecologies and communities working together on environmental issues.
You'll have access to leading research on global environmental challenges across the humanities and sciences.
Our green campus is close to nature reserves, waterways and coastline that are central to our teaching and research.

Our environment is under immense threat from issues including climate change and resource sustainability.

Looking to start in 2024?

BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology

BSc Global Sustainability

BA Global Studies with Sustainability

BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology (Including Foundation Year)

BSc Global Sustainability (Including Foundation Year)

BA Global Studies with Sustainability (Including Foundation Year)