Environmental Sciences undergraduate courses

Our Environmental Sciences courses are designed to meet the growing demand for graduates skilled in shaping innovative solutions that have a positive impact on environmental and sustainability issues.

Why choose Environmental Sciences at Derby?

• Play your part in making a difference: explore major environmental threats including climate change, loss of biodiversity, sustainable living, environmental degradation and human life, and the disempowerment of people and nature.
• Gain hands-on experience: Put theory into practice through field trips and work placements to experience current sustainability initiatives in action.
• Excellent location: Derby is situated at the edge of the Peak District National Park, which provides easy access to world-class field sites. You’ll also have access to Cuckoos Tor, a site in the Peak District National Park owned by the University of Derby that is dedicated to long-term research and ecological experiments.
• Outstanding facilities: You’ll have access to industry-standard specialist equipment and software to ensure you are prepared for the world of work.
• Research-active teaching team: As a student with us, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with our diverse range of researchers exploring globally important issues such as sustainable cities, urban green spaces, wildlife and ecosystem conservation and coastal change in Ghana.

Facilities

You will learn in a wide range of facilities which will equip you with the applied skills to help mitigate today's environmental issues, and identify those which may emerge in the future. Our equipment and software include:

• Drone technology
• Field spectrometers
• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
• Aquatic Research Centre
• Insectary
• Glasshouse
• Modern laboratories

Career opportunities

The importance of sustainability is increasingly recognised by government, industry and non-governmental organisation’s (NGO’s).

As these organisations develop more sustainable operating models, opportunities are being created for graduates with sustainability expertise. Areas you could go into include:

• Voluntary and Charity sector - wildlife and habitat conservation charities, pressure groups and trusts
• Public sector - regulatory bodies, research institutes, national parks and educational establishments
• Intergovernmental and international sector - United Nations (UNEP, UNDP, FAO, WFP), research institutes and commissions, and consultative bodies
• Private sector – large multinational corporations managing sustainability and corporate social responsibility or environmental protection and resource management, environmental consultancies, sustainability consultancies, eco-tourism businesses and renewable energy provider