Marine Ecology and Conservation FdSc (Full-time, Part-time)

Course overview

You can still apply to BU (including through UCAS Extra). Please apply through UCAS as soon as possible; your application can only be assessed once we have received it from UCAS.

This foundation degree will enable you to gain a critical understanding of the ecological processes that make up the marine environment.

Marine ecology is an integrative science that studies the basic structural and functional relationships within and among living populations and their physical-chemical environments in marine ecosystems. It is a discipline which draws on all the major fields within the biological sciences as well as oceanography, physics, geology, and chemistry, focusing on specific organisms as well as on particular environments or physical settings.

The importance of conserving marine species and ecosystems is growing as a consequence of human activities. Negative impacts on marine biological systems are caused by such actions as over-fishing; over- utilization, degradation, and loss of coastal and marine habitats; off-shore developments, introduction of non- native species; and intensification of global climate change. Now more than ever, the field of marine conservation: "the management of marine species and ecosystems to prevent their decline and extinction" is more important than ever before.

The course will be delivered by a team of highly qualified staff with experience in various aspects of marine ecology, behaviour, epidemiology and conservation and with strong research backgrounds in relevant areas. The course will be delivered through a combination of lectures, discussions, assignments, visiting guest speakers and specialist visits. There will a strong practical focus to the course, allowing you to put your knowledge and skills into practice and to make a real and positive contribution to the conservation of the marine environment.

If you would prefer to study on a part-time basis then you can do so, with the course lasting up to six years.