Ecology and Conservation [with Foundation year]

Explore diverse biodiversity and its conservation in the field, on national and international field trips, and in our labs.

• Our BSc Ecology and Conservation course was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ at CIEEM 2024 Awards within the Higher Education Programme of the Year category

• Study in Cambridge – a hub of expertise and wildlife institutions' headquarters, and home to our £45m Science Centre.

• Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed, developed, and run with local employers such as the Wildlife Trust and Cambridge City Council, giving you exposure to ‘real life’ problem-solving.

• Get hands-on using world-class equipment in our 200-seat SuperLab, as well as on residential field trips and day trips around the UK, with the added opportunity to study ecology in the tropics.

• Study on a course developed in line with industry standards, with accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology and the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management (CIEEM).

• Gain valuable employment experience by applying for internships supporting research, or opt for our placement year with a range of exciting employers.

Our planet needs protecting. Gain a deep understanding of the concerns surrounding different environments and the specialist skills to tackle them on our Ecology and Conservation degree in Cambridge.

As a conservation student at ARU, you’ll go on field trips in the UK and overseas, including opportunities to go to Europe and the tropics.

As a graduate with practical, hands-on experience, you’ll be equipped to work in ecology or conservation with governments, environment agencies and research establishments.

Individuals, organisations and governments around the world are increasingly concerned about the welfare of our planet and everything on it. This is true in every environment where many factors, including human behaviour, have left a large number of species at risk.

Our course allows you to develop a deep understanding of concerns relating to the various environments in the world, and to look at ways of resolving those concerns.

You’ll also learn about biodiversity locally and around the world, and explore conservation ecology, which aims to support, recover and maintain populations and their habitats.

There are opportunities to attend residential field trips. Field trips that are a compulsory part of your course are covered by your fees. There are also optional field trips (either extra-curricular or an integral part of an optional module you select to take) that you would have to pay for.

Cambridge is becoming a world centre for wildlife conservation, with Fauna and Flora International, Birdlife International and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre based here. Throughout our BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation degree, you’ll have opportunities to attend lectures in the city and visit specialist museums and libraries.

Our students have undertaken final year projects, placements and summer internships with a range of organisations including (but certainly not limited to) Natural England, Shepreth Wildlife Park, Woburn Safari Park, wildlife trusts and the Cambridge Museum of Zoology. We also engage in Live Briefs with the Wildlife Trust, Therfield Heath and Cambridge City Council.

There’s also the option to take a placement year as part of your degree.

Similar courses you might study at our Cambridge campus are BSc (Hons) Zoology and BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour.