Environmental Science BSc Honours

Clearing - How to apply

What is Clearing?

Each year, universities may have spaces left on their courses after the application window has closed in June.

UCAS Clearing is your opportunity to snap up one of these places, even if you didn't apply to the university prior to the June deadline.

It also gives you a second chance to go to university if you didn't get the grades you needed for your firm and insurance offers.

How do I get in touch?

Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from those advertised; contacting our friendly advisers is the best way to find out if you’re eligible for a place.

You can get in touch through live chat or our hotlines. Call us on 0800 073 5050, or if you’re an international student calling from outside the UK, call: +44 191 222 5000.

Not available in Clearing

This course is not available in Clearing 2024.

This means there are no spaces available for Clearing 2024. If you can't find vacancies in your original course or subject area, try exploring other subjects in a related field.

Search our courses in Clearing

Course overview

Biology and geography are an important part of this degree, to help you to understand the processes within ecosystems and how we can manage our natural resources effectively.

You will also study chemistry, physics and geology as applied to the study of the environment. Topics cover a wide range of subjects, from plant biology and ecology, to sustainability and environmental law. 

You'll learn about the role of social and economic factors, ethics and public perception in environmental management.

You'll benefit from expertise at our Centre for Rural Economy, recipient of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2014.

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 and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
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, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

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 topics in environmental science, physical geography, plant biology and ecology, which lay the foundations for more specialised study in later stages.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)	10
Sustainability in Practice	20
Academic and Professional Skills	20
Introduction to Sustainability	20
Plants, Environment, Agriculture	10
Climate Change and the Earth System	10
Earth and Environment Field Course	10
Dynamic Earth	10
Introductory Oceanography	10

You study compulsory modules that cover the practice of environmental science, terrestrial ecosystems and pollution.

You will develop your professional skills with a focus on career development and research. You also select optional topics from a range that includes conservation; landscape, culture and heritage; population ecology; and economics.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Dissertation and Research Preparation	10
Ecosystem Ecology	10
Sustainable Solutions	10
International Earth and Environmental Science Fieldtrip	20
Research Methods in Environmental Pollution	20

Optional Modules	Credits
Earth Observation	10
GIS Methods and Applications	10
Satellite Earth Observation	10
Law and Land Use	10
Landscape, Culture and Heritage	20
Site Management and Communication Skills	20
Minerals and Rocks for a Changing Climate	10
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms	20
Pollution of Air, Water & Soil	10
Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation	20
Oceans and Climate I	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, which allow you to select topics such as: conservation; ecological modelling; policy evaluation; environmental law; and countryside management.

Modules

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

Optional Modules	Credits
Geohazards and Deformation of the Earth	10
Environmental Law	20
Career Development for final year students	20
Advanced Career Development module	20
Qualitative Research Methods	10
Your Future - occupational awareness	10
Countryside Management	20
Planning the Global Countryside	20
Current Issues in Earth and Environmental Sciences	20
Insight, Innovate, Impact	10
Biodiversity Science and Management	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2023-24.

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 2 and 3, 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 Stage 3, 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

In Stage 2 you'll take part in a week-long residential field course to develop your research skills. You'll explore environmental pollution, geology, ecology and more.

In Stage 3 you'll work independently, guided by an academic supervisor, to write a dissertation. This will give you the opportunity to plan and conduct a thorough investigation into a subject you're interested in, exploring current and future issues in environmental science.

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

Our environmental sciences degree is also available as a four-year programme.

You'll apply to 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 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
• two commercial farms near Newcastle
• Dove Marine Laboratory on the coast
• research vessel, The Princess Royal

You'll also have access to two commercial farms near Newcastle.

Our University farms, Cockle Park Farm and Nafferton Farm, will give you an insight into how real-world farms operate, so you're prepared for your future. Our farms are used for research, teaching and demonstration.

You will be taught in the new, and unique, teaching space of the Houston Laboratory: part of a £2 million 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

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

The environmental sector has grown rapidly over the last decade. Increasing environmental legislation means there are many new employment areas in industry and the public sector.

Our graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of organisations including the European Parliament, Meteorological Office and Oxfam.

Graduates from our environmental science course have gone on to 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

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

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed (see ‘Home Fee Students’ information below).

Qualification: BSc Honours
Home students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) Not set
International students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) 30600

Home Fee Students

Home students starting in 2024 entry
£9,250 is the maximum fee that we are currently permitted to charge for home fee-paying students. This 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.

Home students starting in 2025 entry
The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed. In November 2024 the government increased the maximum fee level to £9,535 for 2025/26. We expect to confirm our Undergraduate Home fees for 2025/26 in December 2024.

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

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

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

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

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.

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