University of Reading

BSc Environmental Science with International Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

International Foundation Year

• Academic Skills: Enhance your academic study and communication skills while gradually building confidence and mastering transferable abilities. Engage in various in-class group activities and individual study tasks to develop these skills effectively.

Year 1

• Skills in Geography and Environmental Science: Discover the expected academic standards and integrity at the undergraduate level, while being introduced to the Geography and Environmental Science discipline. Through real-world examples and data, learn essential skills for research.
• Global Challenges: Introduce yourself to the interrelated global challenges facing the planet and humanity today. You’ll become familiar with academic debates and human geography, physical geography and environmental science perspectives surrounding several key challenges and develop skills to use academic literature to support critical discussions.
• Field Class: Undertake field research in a real-world setting, using contemporary methods and equipment for data gathering and and experience working as part of a team. The training you receive will be authentic and relevant to your ambitions and to the skills you’ll likely need for dissertation field research.
• Earth Lab: Learn about the interrelated global challenges that the planet and humanity face today. You'll gain familiarity with academic debates, human geography, physical geography, and environmental science perspectives related to several key challenges. You'll also develop skills to use academic literature to support critical discussions.
• Data Environment: Explore the application of mathematics and statistics in environmental science. You’ll learn selected statistical packages, their advantages and disadvantages, and make good charts to understand and present the data collected.

Year 2

• Skills Training and Project Design: Develop professional skills, including research approaches, project management, career awareness and employability. Work closely with an academic mentor to carry out carefully planned and highly professional research, act as consultants, designing, executing and reporting on a research project.
• Field Class: Undertake field research in a real-world setting, using contemporary methods and equipment for data gathering and and experience working as part of a team. The training you receive will be authentic and relevant to your ambitions and to the skills you’ll likely need for dissertation field research.
• Environmental Diagnostics: Delve into a contemporary environmental issue to understand the principles and methods employed in environmental diagnostics. Learn about sampling, data quality objectives, measuring and tracking environmental parameters, as well as exploring how to present and interpret diagnostic data.

Year 3

• Dissertation: Work on an independent dissertation project under the guidance of a supervisor. You’ll identify the research question, critically evaluate the relevant literature, apply theoretical frameworks and research methods to your research questions, and learn to analyse and synthesise the research findings.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Your BSc Environmental Science degree will equip you with a wide variety of skills – from teamwork writing and presenting, to the ability to adapt to changing circumstances – highly desirable to a range of employers.

You’ll be well placed to enter a variety of technical and scientific roles in areas such as:

• environmental protection
• renewable energy
• sustainable transport
• water
• environmental consultancy.

Recent students have gone on to work for a range of organisations, including:

• Evoke Transport
• Mott MacDonald
• RPS Group
• Syngenta
• WSP
• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Your degree also offers a route into postgraduate study, research or teacher training.