Course overview

The first three years of this degree follow the same programme as our Environmental Sciences BSc Honours degree.

In the final year you apply your knowledge to important societal problems such as: petroleum exploration and production; unconventional geoenergy; carbon and nutrient cycling; and the Earth’s changing climate.

Specialist topics include:

• groundwater contamination and remediation
• microbiology and microbial transformation of pollutants
• sources and control of pollutants

Your degree is shaped by the cutting-edge research of our expert staff, so you know your degree is focused on up-to-date and socially important theories and discoveries in the area.

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course during COVID-19
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption.

Given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitments outlined are subject to guidelines that may be in place from time to time.

View our COVID-19 Study page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2021-22.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information

Additional information

Flexible degree structure

We offer several Environmental Science degrees including a three-year BSc degree and a suite of four-year MEnvSci degrees.

We understand that you might not be sure which area of environmental science you want to specialise in, or whether you want to study to BSc or MEnvSci level.

All our students, regardless of which degree they are registered on, study the same modules for the first three years. This means you can transfer between degree programmes up until the end of Stage 2 if you want to.

Transfer from our BSc to an MEnvSci degree, and progress to Stage 4 of an MEnvSci degree, is subject to you meeting the appropriate academic standard.

Quality and ranking

• top 150 – Environmental Sciences category – QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020

Teaching excellence

TEF Gold

A ringing endorsement of Newcastle University’s long tradition of excellence in teaching.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

We introduce you to a number of topics in environmental science, physical geography, plant biology and ecology, which lay the foundations for more specialised study.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Environment and Land Resources	10
Academic and Professional Skills	20
Investigating Rural Landscapes	20
Plants, Environment, Agriculture	10
Earth System Science	10
The Geosphere	20
Geographic Information Systems	10

Optional Modules	Credits
Agri-Food Supply Chains	20
Natural Science Research Impact	10
Ecology and Conservation	20
Interpreting Geological Maps	10
The Marine Environment	20

You study compulsory modules that cover the practice of environmental science, terrestrial ecosystems and pollution. You develop your professional skills with a focus on career development and research.

Your optional modules include: conservation; landscape, culture and heritage; population ecology; and economics.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Site Management and Communication Skills	20
Dissertation and Research Preparation	10
Soils in Terrestrial Ecosystems	10
Sustainable Solutions	10
Pollution of Air, Water & Soil	10
Research Methods in Environmental Pollution	20

Optional Modules	Credits
Landscape, Culture and Heritage	20
Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation	20
Global Element Cycling	10
Geological Resources	10
Geomicrobiology	10
Law and Land Use	10
Career Development for second year students	20
Developing Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Employability	20

You take part in a residential field course that develops your ecological research skills and your professional skills in writing and presenting reports.

You study compulsory topics in sustainability, environmental impact assessment and project management, and apply a range of research methods.

A quarter of your study time is made up of optional modules, such as: conservation; ecological modelling; policy evaluation; environmental law; and countryside management.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Soils in Terrestrial Ecosystems	10
Environmental Impact Assessment	20
Sustainable Development and Environmental Valuation	10
Earth and Environmental Science Dissertation	30

Optional Modules	Credits
Qualitative Research Methods	10
Countryside Management	20
Rural Planning, Politics and Society	20
Biodiversity Science and Management	20
Biological Modelling	20
Biogeochemistry	20
Geohazards and Deformation of the Earth	10
Career Development for final year students	20

Stage 4 is designed around the research currently taking place at the University in environmental geochemistry.

You undertake your own research project in an area of interest, relating to your chosen specialism. This accounts for a quarter of your study time and may involve scientific research or a consultancy-based investigation.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Earth and Environmental Science Research Project	60
Air Pollution	10
Introduction to Microbiology and Microbial Transformation of Pollutants	10
Aqueous Geochemistry	10
Sources, Fates and Control of Pollutants	10
Remediating Contaminated Land	10
Data preparation, analysis, interpretation and presentation for MSc	10

Optional Modules	Credits

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They combine data on the planned delivery and assessments of our courses in 2021-22 with data on the modules chosen by our students in 2020-21.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

In stages 1 and 2, just over half of your teaching time will be spent in classroom-based lectures or seminars. The remainder will be made up of field classes, computer classes, and practical lab work.

In stages 3 and 4, greater emphasis is placed on project work, culminating in a final-year project based on a topic of your choice.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Projects

Skills and experience

Practical skills

You will develop your hands-on, practical skills with fieldwork opportunities embedded throughout your degree.

You'll have access to our two University-run farms for research, teaching and demonstration, as well as an experimental station providing field laboratories and state-of-the-art lab facilities on campus.

You will undertake field visits throughout your degree, so you can develop skills relevant to your future career. You'll also learn field techniques, knowledge of how to design and plan an investigation and environmental monitoring skills.

Research skills

Stage 4 will include a high level of research work, so you're prepared for a career in the environmental sector. You'll undertake a major research project, which can be carried out as a piece of consultancy work or a contribution to on-going research work in our research institutes.

Recent projects have explored:

• the changing role of the country pub
• the future for market towns
• renewable energy generation in rural communities
• women in rural enterprise

Opportunities

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You can choose to spend up to a year studying at a partner institution overseas.

If you choose to study abroad, it will extend your degree by a year. 

Find out more about study abroad

Work placement

This environmental sciences degree is also available with a year's work placement, as a five-year programme.

You'll spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world, and receive University support from our dedicated team to secure your dream placement. Work placements take place in Stage 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements

Facilities and environment

Facilities

You will be based on campus at the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. As a student of Earth and Environmental Sciences you'll have access to our world-class facilities and analytical laboratories, including:

• gas chromatography
• gas chromatography mass spectrometry
• high pressure liquid chromatography mass spectrometry
• inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

You will be taught in the new, and unique, teaching space of the Houston Laboratory: part of a £2m redevelopment of Newcastle University’s Drummond Building.

You'll benefit from the Great North Museum on campus. It's home to over 9,000 geological and mineralogical specimens. The Mining Institute, with one of the world’s most comprehensive collections on mining engineering, is just a short walk away.

Support

To support you in your studies, all new students entering year 1 or year 2 will receive a tablet. You can download the online learning resources you'll need for your course (helping us to make our campus more sustainable).

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

There's also a staff-student committee, to give you an opportunity to have a say in how your degree works.

Your future

Our environmental science graduates undertake roles such as environmental consultancy and environmental engineering, and find employment with:

• conservation bodies such as Natural England
• the Environment Agency
• water companies
• local government environmental health departments
• other environmental protection agencies

The earth and environmental science sectors have grown rapidly over the past decade and as a result, there's a high demand for graduates in this field. There are new career opportunities in both the public and private sector. 

Employability at Newcastle

96% of Newcastle University graduates progressed to employment or further study within six months of graduating, with 85.5% in graduate-level employment or further study.

Take a look at the most recent data available for our graduates. See what they have gone on to achieve and be inspired to follow in their footsteps.

Statistics are based on what graduates were doing on a specific date, approximately six months after graduation (Destinations of (undergraduate and postgraduate UK domiciled) Leavers from Higher Education Survey 2016/17).

Enterprising students

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Careers support

Our Enterprise Challenge gives students the opportunity to work with industry on a project that tackles real-world issues. Watch the above video to find out more.

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK.

Read our detailed explanation

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2021 entry (per year)

Home Fee Students

£9250

International Fee Students

£23400

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

You will be charged tuition fees for each year of your degree programme (unless you are on a shorter exchange programme). 

The tuition fee amount you will pay may increase slightly year on year as a result of inflation.

For courses commencing from September 2021 and beyond, EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fees or Student Finance England support.

If you are from the EU you will pay international tuition fees.

Read more about fees and funding

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages