Our BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology course explores the diversity of the living world, across levels of biological organisation from genes to individuals, their populations and the communities they form, up to entire ecosystems.

Building on research produced in our School of Life Sciences, you will examine these concepts across terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems, examining taxa from smallest microbes to the largest organisms on Earth.

You will investigate the crucial role of biodiversity in supporting ecosystem functions and securing the flow of ecosystem services on which humanity depends. The strong theoretical, practical and data-handling skills you develop will help you to understand how biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are changing in response to multiple interacting stressors in the Anthropocene (eg climate change, chemical pollution and habitat loss). You will be equipped to design management solutions to tackle current and future challenges to ecosystems and have the option to train in tropical marine biology in Indonesia, as well as environmental biology and ecology on our new Arctic field course.

Were ranked 54th (14th in UK) for promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for climate action (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024).

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend either a year or a single term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend an entire year abroad either at a partner University or employed in a relevant job (see below).

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are adaptable and mature.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.

Our students currently study abroad at universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Germany and Sweden.

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement with an external organisation. This is usually focused around your course, and enables you to learn about a particular sector, company, or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways.

Organisations our students have recently been placed with include CEFAS, IFCA, ecological consultancies among many others.