BSc (Hons) Ecology and Wildlife Conservation with Integrated Foundation Year Bachelor's degree at Royal Holloway, University of London

Built around global issues including Virtual reality, Health apps, Internet of medical things, Mental Health, Climate catastrophe, Global biodiversity crisis, Technology for monitoring the environment and The 'One Health' approach. Develops study skills including critical thinking and writing.

Key topics in pre-HE-level biological and earth sciences through an interdisciplinary, chronological curriculum divided into three sections: origins, present and future. Covers biological chemistry, metabolism and physiology alongside planetary science and palaeontology, challenges in communicable and non-communicable disease, climate change, biodiversity and environmental pollutants on human health, and ecosystem services management.

Develops mathematical skills for Life Sciences degrees with an Integrated Foundation Year. Covers unit conversions, balancing equations, functions, logs, exponentials and trigonometry with applications in healthcare, chemistry, microbiology and marine biology.

Key topics in pre-HE level Environmental Science through an interdisciplinary, chronological curriculum. Covers origins of the planet, nutrient cycling and succession, and how the environment and species are affected by human actions and mitigation of these effects.

Key systems including circulatory, ventilatory and reproductive in a broad range of species including humans, plants and vertebrate and invertebrate species. Explores chemical concepts, anatomical and physiological adaptations, and the impact of disease on these systems.

Develops statistics skills for Life Sciences degrees with an Integrated Foundation Year. Covers interpreting p-values and errors, linear regression, Chi-squared tests, Wilcoxon test, and principal component analysis with applications in geology, ecology, biomedical sciences and health studies.

Introduces the 4.6 billion-year history of our Evolving Earth. Two complementary streams: palaeontology stream considers the story of life from its origin to the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and human evolution, covering systematic palaeontology, palaeoecology, palaeobiology, evolution, and taphonomy; sedimentology stream considers earth surface processes and palaeoenvironments using rock classification, textural analysis, facies analysis, graphic logging, palaeoflow analysis, and stratigraphy

Explores the geological structure and the processes that shape our planet and other planets within our solar system, from the planetary heat engine that powers plate motion leading to surface expression in volcanoes and earthquakes, to the use of maps, minerals and rocks to unlock the story in the rocks beneath our feet.

Explores key themes at the core of human-Earth interaction such as anthropogenic climate change, geohazards, environmental pollution, and sustainable exploitation of energy resources and energy-critical elements.

Develops understanding of basic concepts in chemistry and physics and how to apply these to geological processes. Covers atoms and atomic structure, the periodic table of elements, reactions, equations, geochemical analysis, the composition of the earth, interpretation of phase diagrams, solubility of minerals, weathering and the hydrological cycle, Newton's Laws, kinematics, circular motion, planetary orbits, gravity, magnetism, electricity, resistivity, stress, strain, seismicity, isostasy, ra

Develops understanding of the skills required to practice geology in the field, carrying out activities in South Devon and Pembrokeshire. Covers describing and interpreting the origin of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks, preparation of geological maps and cross-sections using standard symbols, stereographic projections, sedimentary logging, construction of stratigraphic columns, and analysis of structural features using stereonets.

Develops understanding of the key events in the history of life and their environmental impact using the fossil and sedimentary record. Covers analysis of fossil assemblages using stratigraphic principles such as absolute dating, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy, and interpretation of sedimentary rocks.

Develops understanding of the geological evolution of the British Isles, interpreting regional geological history from geological maps. Covers description of rock specimens, reconstruction of palaeoenvironments using case studies, application of stratigraphic techniques, and evaluation of competing hypotheses for geological evolution.

Further develops understanding of igneous and metamorphic geology. Covers characteristics and origins of alkaline igneous rocks, nature and controls on metamorphic reactions, links between metamorphism and tectonic processes, hand specimen and thin section techniques for study of minerals and igneous and metamorphic rocks, and analytical approaches to interpretation of metamorphic rocks.

Develops understanding of advanced chemical concepts relevant to the Earth Sciences. Focuses on isotope geochemistry and considers techniques directly applicable in most geological contexts. Includes practical classes and a small project involving analysis and interpretation of a real geochemical dataset.

Develops advanced geological field skills through activities in an area of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and in an area of sedimentary rocks. Covers describing and interpreting the origin of rock types in the field, preparing a geological map and cross-section using standard symbols, analysing structural features using stereonets, and inferring geological history through construction of scaled cross-sections through structurally complex terrains.

Teaches advanced level key geological and transferable skills. Data Handling - lecture and practical course on retrieval and handling of geological data which revises and extends numerical skills introduced in years 1 and 2. Presentation skills – presentation exercise to improve spoken, visual and other aspects of communication in geology. Advanced Field Skills - includes data collection, teamwork and site investigations.

Students rank their preferred field mapping areas and are allocated one based on their choices. They live in small groups for a minimum of four weeks in their second year, creating a geological map of a 15-25 sq km area. Students familiarise themselves with base maps, remote sensing data, and area risks before the fieldwork. Field supervision is initially provided by academics, followed by independent work to produce a field map and record. In the third year, students discuss and analyse field d