Sports Fisheries and Aquaculture

Why choose this degree?
- Focus on vocational learning and gain skills in subjects such as water quality, fish anatomy and physiology, aquaculture and fish health and nutrition

- Be taught by leading industry experts in unrivalled on-site facilities, including the 650m² purpose-built Aquatic Research and Conservation Centre (ARCC), the Salmonid Rearing and Trials Centre and our own mixed coarse fishery lake.

- Benefit from work placements in areas such as salmon farming, specimen carp fisheries, river keeping or even Jamaican tilapia farming

- Experience the industry through visits to fish farms and fisheries and research and collaborative projects

- Progress to final year of relevant BSc (Hons) programme after successful completion

What makes UCS special?
University Centre Sparsholt is recognised worldwide for its expertise in providing education in fishery, aquaculture and marine studies. Our lecturing staff are known to be the experts in the industry and can often be found at conferences and industry forums discussing the latest techniques and their supporting research.

Students gain real industry experience on and off-site that is underpinned by the high level of technical lecture content to prepare them for a range of careers or progression to courses at Master’s level. Our industry contacts enable great employment prospects. Typically over 50% of our 3rd year students return from work placements to sit their final exams with jobs already secured for graduation.

What will I learn?
The programme is designed to develop the practical, scientific and specialist skills needed by the fishery management and aquaculture industry. Subjects studied include water quality, fish anatomy and physiology, fishery management and ecology, aquaculture and fish health and nutrition.

You will also gain work experience in various industry sectors. Previous placements range from Scottish salmon farms, specimen carp fisheries in England, France and Spain and a tilapia farm in Jamaica to river keeping on local chalk streams, the London Aquarium, the Fish Disease Laboratory at Weymouth and bait manufacturers.

Study tours are embedded into the course at Level 4 (Scotland) and Level 5 (Malta). They are a great opportunity to experience different vocational opportunities and other facilities.

How will I be assessed?
Assessment includes coursework (such as practical portfolios, laboratory reports, case studies and essay style assignments) in combination with formal examinations and group research projects.

Where can I go from here?
You can progress to the BSc (Hons) in Aquaculture and Fishery Management Top-up at University Centre Sparsholt; alternatively there are BSc programmes available at other universities.

Sparsholt students have also gained employment as sports fishery managers, fish farmers and fishery officers in the Environment Agency.