Environmental Sciences

It helps if you're a bit of an optimist if you want to do environmental sciences. Everyone tells you that the world is going to hell in a deep-fried handbasket, as global warming, the hole in the ozone layer, GM foods and pollution take an increasingly fevered hold in the public imagination and the end of the world gets more and more nigh. Environmental scientists are generally the ones who think they can do something about it, saving us from ourselves, and taking a degree can be step one in that process.

The issues facing environmental science have a variety of cause and, there-fore, a variety of solutions. Hence, the degree is - like so many others - increasingly multidisciplinary. You'll be studying the principles of (deep breath) ecology, population biology, environmental chemistry, physiology, physical geography, statistics, sociology, law, economics, microbial ecology, energy, biological survey, assessment and conservation (breathe out). In addition, you'll need to be able to produce concise accounts of complex problems and communicate them effectively to others, both in 1ATiting and verbally. You'll learn analysis and presentation skills.

The degree is generally a three-year BSc. You'll not have come across any-thing quite like it at school or college so the first year is often spent building the foundations of the course, before moving on to a more modular format where you venture into deeper waters following particular interests. It's here that the shape of your degree, and perhaps your future career, becomes clearer. That future career may involve working in local government (planning perhaps), environmental agencies, water authorities, industry, consultancy or even the law.

Teaching for both courses is a mixture of the traditional lectures and seminars, with a measure of fieldwork thrown in. Assessment is done by varying degrees of coursework and formal exams. The ratio of one to the other can make a difference, so think about what's best for you.

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