BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation Bachelor's degree at Keele University

This module introduces you to the vast diversity of animals, how they are classified and systematically organised today - this is vital for anyone beginning the study of zoology, or ecology. Explore how familiar classes such as the mammals are organised and delve into less well-known groups of vast taxa such as arthropods and molluscs. This module will train you in skills of identification and classification and will enable you to study a chosen phylum in depth.

This module will introduce you to the essential skills required of Geographers, Geologists and Environmental Scientists. You we will explore our 'living lab' campus and take you on a series of four, one-day field courses in Staffordshire. The module will help you develop your own academic and professional practice, providing you with the foundations for not only completing your degree successfully, but also helping you think about future study or employment.

Understanding and managing environmental issues, from global to local scales, requires multiple disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches for effective action. You will evaluate some of society's main environmental, ecological, and sustainability problems and how we can address them and develop reflective practice skills to support learning. Students will also develop report writing skills from case study workshops and formative feedback.

Commence an exhilarating journey into ecology, delving into organisms' habitats, interactions, and environmental dynamics. Learning about plants and organisms will give you an insight into the world around you. This foundational module introduces key ecological concepts, laying the groundwork for advanced studies in your degree program. Engage in immersive fieldwork, enriching lectures, and hands-on workshops to deepen your understanding of the natural environment. Enhance your writing, fieldwor

Whether it is natural resource depletion, changing climate, protecting wilderness, saving endangered species, or living during a pandemic, we worry about the impacts society has on nature and vice versa. Conservation practices have emerged to safeguard the parts of the natural world we particularly value. However, our ideas about nature are often multiple and contradictory, and discussions about our duties to nature often disguise deeper claims about economic benefits and social equity. This mod

Enhance your employability with this hands-on module. You will acquire the specialist field, laboratory, social survey and computer-based research skills required to work in the environmental sector. You will acquire these skills by completing an Environmental and Sustainability Impact Assessment on Keele campus. By completing the module, you will also gain the research, fieldwork and data analysis skills required to conduct your third-year research project.

The Lake District Field course provides hands-on experience in one of the UK's most iconic landscapes. This module involves a weeklong intensive field study focusing on the region's unique physical geography, ecology, culture and built environment. You will conduct various fieldwork activities, including data collection, environmental analysis, and ethnographic observation. This immersive experience enhances practical skills in geographical and environmental research and fosters a deeper underst

The module will provide powerful analytical and mapping skills that underpin research and applications in geography, environment and other disciplines. Furthermore, in recent years mapping has undergone a revolution through the development of GIS combined with advances in imaging the earth through remote sensing technology, and this module will develop the practical skills required to capture, store, manage, manipulate, analyse and visualise spatial data. These skills are important across all se

The safe and ethical study of biology in the field is a vital skill in much of the biosciences and essential for those seeking a career in ecology and conservation. This module takes you on a summer field course, part of which uses Keele's wonderful campus, to study a range of terrestrial and marine aquatic habitats. In addition to developing vital surveying and species identification skills in groups, you will also collaborate on a field biology hypothesis-driven project, which is excellent pre

Explore the pressing question of a potential sixth mass extinction, where you will learn all about human impacts on our environment. Uncover the essence of biodiversity and its measurement, examining global threats to biodiversity through compelling case studies. Navigate endangered organisms and habitats deeply through in-depth analyses. Gain key employability skills, including data analysis using the IUCN Red List database and participation in journal clubs fostering communication, leadership,

Humans impact processes, conditions and components of our planet and biosphere on global, regional and local scales. Scientific understanding is key to managing these for better environmental and human well-being. You will explore issues from climate change and circular economy futures to pollution, biodiversity loss, and ocean health concerns. By the end of the module, you will be able to articulate the context of human impacts and evaluate the scientific evidence for potential solutions.

This module explores how we can study and manipulate genetic material, from sequencing technologies to gene cloning and genetic engineering. You will learn how these techniques can be used to study the structure and function of single genes and proteins, design and engineer DNA molecules and produce novel gene products such as therapeutic drugs. Through tutorials and workshops, you will develop skills in introductory bioinformatic tools, whilst also considering some important ethical principles,

Environmental investigations and monitoring activities require robust sample collection, processing procedures, and accurate laboratory analytical techniques. The ability to accurately interpret and evaluate data is also essential. In this module, you will gain hands-on practical experience and theoretical understanding of experimental design, sampling strategies, sample processing and preservation, use of analytical instruments to characterise environmental media (e.g. water, soil, biota) and t

Advances in molecular biology, analysis and sharing of genomic data have important applications in the plant, ecological and conservation sciences. You will study how genetic and genomic tools, both in the lab and at the desktop, are being used to enhance our understanding of plant biology and ecological processes. The module will help you to think in a 'genes to ecosystems' framework and prepare you for careers in a big data, post-genomic world. Assessments will involve using free online bioinf

This module aims to provide an overview of the role that water plays in different systems on Earth. The module examines the global hydrological cycle, and the basic chemical and physical properties of water. It explores the key characteristics, concepts and processes relating to water, and their variations in space and time, within the context of different Earth systems (e.g., water on land, in the oceans, in the atmosphere, and as ice). Students engage with open-access scientific data from, for

On Animal Adaptations, you will study physiological and behavioural adaptations of a range of vertebrate and invertebrate animals to challenges presented by various harsh environmental conditions. Key themes of the module are explored in theory and in lab practicals.