Wildlife and Countryside Management (Top Up)

Interested in roles such as a Biodiversity Officer, Ecological Consultant, or a Countryside Manager? These are just some of the routes open to you after this course, designed with organisations directly involved in conservation. Graduates have gone on to work at nationally-recognised organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group. Understanding both the big picture, along with the detail will help you become an effective manager of wildlife and the countryside, covering issues from climate change, ecosystem services to protected species surveys. This course brings together academic knowledge and research skills to inform sustainable management of wildlife and the countryside.

Course structure This BSc (Hons) Wildlife & Countryside Management is sometimes referred to as a ‘top-up’ course which is one year only. However, it does align with other two year foundation degrees, such as the FdSc Wildlife Conservation & Countryside Management, also offered at the Royal Agricultural University. This flexible entry into higher education is favoured by many students. The BSc has five mandatory modules, providing students with knowledge and in depth understanding of how things work in the countryside, giving them the necessary skills and experience to work effectively in the land-based sector. In addition to the mandatory modules, students can then select two additional elective modules from a suite of others, allowing them to pursue areas of specific interest and/or to better tailor their degree toward the career pathway they wish to pursue, covering topics such as forestry & woodland management, climate change mitigation, geographic information systems (GIS), farming and the environment etc. In addition to classroom based teaching, there will be numerous field visits to complement and reinforce the learning experience. Your learning will be directed by research-active lecturers and industry experts. The course has been designed with input from employers to maximise your employability prospects and career development after graduation.

Modules For up to date module information, please see our website: https://www.rau.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-wildlife-and-countryside-management-top-up

Assessment method Modules are mainly assessed through coursework, though with occasional timed assessments for some subject matter. Where possible, coursework reflects the expectations of industry and can therefore include things like professional practice reports, case study evaluations, grant applications, oral presentations, team activities, alongside the more traditional academic literature reviews and essays, academic posters etc. A key element of the top-up degree is the Honours Dissertation in which the student proposes a research idea, developing a hypothesis and experimental design, before generating new information, helping to progress the wider knowledge and understanding.