Clearing offers from 48 UCAS tariff points. Subject-specific requirements still apply. See the entry requirements section for details.
BSc (Hons)
Ecology and Conservation
BSc (Hons)
Ecology and Conservation
Protect wildlife. Understand ecosystems. Build skills for a career that makes a difference.
Ecology and Conservation is the study of living things, the environments they depend on, and how we can protect them. On this course, you'll explore how plants, animals, habitats, and ecosystems work, and how human activity is affecting the natural world.
At 51±¬ÁÏÍø, you won't just learn about biodiversity and conservation in lectures. You'll study organisms and ecosystems through fieldwork, laboratory work, environmental monitoring, data analysis, and real-world case studies. You'll develop practical skills used by ecologists, conservation practitioners, environmental consultants, and organisations working to protect nature.
If you care about wildlife, the environment, and the future of the planet, this degree can help you turn that interest into knowledge, confidence, and career-ready skills.
Ecology and Conservation is the study of living things, the environments they depend on, and how we can protect them. On this course, you'll explore how plants, animals, habitats, and ecosystems work, and how human activity is affecting the natural world.
At 51±¬ÁÏÍø, you won't just learn about biodiversity and conservation in lectures. You'll study organisms and ecosystems through fieldwork, laboratory work, environmental monitoring, data analysis, and real-world case studies. You'll develop practical skills used by ecologists, conservation practitioners, environmental consultants, and organisations working to protect nature.
If you care about wildlife, the environment, and the future of the planet, this degree can help you turn that interest into knowledge, confidence, and career-ready skills.
I chose this course as it combined my two favourite subjects: Geography and Biology. I really liked the unique blend and it enabled me to study key elements from both subjects.
Ellen Butcher
BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation
Why study Ecology and Conservation at Lincoln?
- ✔ Learn by doing Build practical skills through fieldwork, laboratory work, species identification, environmental surveying, and ecological monitoring.
- ✔ 51±¬ÁÏÍø real conservation challenges Explore biodiversity loss, ecosystem management, climate change, human impacts on the environment, and how conservation decisions are made.
- ✔ Fieldwork that brings the subject to life Take part in UK day trips and a residential field trip, with previous visits including Kew Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank.
- ✔ Optional overseas fieldwork In your final year, you may have the chance to study ecology in an overseas setting. Previous destinations have included Ecuador, South Africa, Finland, and Italy.
- ✔ Industry-relevant teaching Learn skills that employers and conservation organisations look for, with input from practitioners and guest speakers from the sector.
- ✔ Optional placement year Gain workplace experience between your second and third year, with support from academic staff throughout.
- ✔ Strong student satisfaction 51±¬ÁÏÍø’s subject area was ranked 3rd in the UK for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2025.
- ✔ A route for different starting points This course is also available with a Science Foundation Year, offering an alternative pathway into the degree.
What you'll learn
This course builds your understanding step by step, from the science of living systems to the practical skills needed in ecology and conservation.
You’ll explore:
- Ecology and ecosystems — how organisms interact with each other and their environment.
- Biodiversity and conservation — why species and habitats are under threat, and how they can be protected.
- Plants, animals, and evolution — how living things are adapted to their environments and how biodiversity has developed over time.
- Environmental monitoring — how to collect, analyse, and interpret data about species, habitats, and ecosystems.
- Geographic Information System (GIS) and Earth observation — how mapping and remote sensing are used to understand environmental change.
- Human impacts on the environment — how pollution, land use, climate change, and resource pressures affect ecosystems.
- Conservation practice — how scientists, landowners, communities, charities, governments, and environmental organisations work together.
By your final year, you’ll complete an independent research project. This is your chance to investigate a topic that interests you and show that you can plan research, collect and analyse evidence, and communicate your findings clearly.
Support and student experience
Starting university is a big step. You’ll have support throughout your studies.
- Academic support — guidance from teaching staff as you develop your scientific knowledge and practical skills.
- Field and laboratory support — help building confidence with species identification, environmental monitoring, research methods, and data analysis.
- Personal tutoring — support with your progress, development, and academic goals.
- Careers support — advice to help you think about placements, applications, interviews, and future career routes.
- Research project support — supervision as you plan and complete your final-year independent project.
- Varied assessment — build confidence through coursework, reports, videos, dissertations, written exams, and practical tasks.
You’re not expected to arrive as an expert. This course is designed to help you build your knowledge, develop your practical skills, and understand where your interests could take you.
Modules
Module Overview
Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Animals is concerned with the principles of the diversity of anatomical form and function in animals using a comparative approach. Anatomical adaptations will be explored across taxa within the animal kingdom in order to show how different types of organisms use their anatomy to solve the similar physiological problems. Through this, an understanding will be developed of how organisms from different taxa address physiological aspects of their life histories.
Module Overview
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. These interactions can be studied across different levels of biological organisation including individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems. This module will examine how these different levels of organisation are interconnected and how the study of ecology allows us to better understand patterns in the natural world
Module Overview
Geography is a fundamentally spatial discipline. As such, spatial data and analyses often lie at the heart of how we understand and navigate life on our planet. This module provides an introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Earth Observation, including both the fundamental theories which underpin these technologies and their practical applications. Specifically, this module introduces students to some of the important sources of geospatial data and the technologies underpinning them, and highlights ways in which they are used both within geographical science and more widely. In addition, students will gain hands-on, skills-based experience in processing and analysing data using GIS and Earth Observation software. These are vital tools that will enable students to more rigorously assess the safety and health of the inhabited Earth.
Module Overview
This module aims to provide a broad overview of plant form and function by reviewing the key structural characteristics of cells, tissues and organs in a range of plant species. It investigates the diversity of plant form and the evolutionary history of plant life; emphasis is placed on the adaptations of plants to their environment. It focuses on the relationship between anatomy and the mechanical role of cells, tissues and organs. Concepts and principles are introduced via formal lectures and further developed by using laboratory practicals.
Module Overview
Practical field skills are essential for the Ecology and Conservation degree. This module introduces students to a range of skills including field identification, sampling of specimens, and laboratory analysis. Teaching will cover a range of skills for environmental monitoring and ecological assessment, and introduce students to a range of species protected under UK legislation, and therefore of particular interest to conservation organisations, government departments, and professional ecologists.
Module Overview
Research methods for the Life Sciences aims to introduce the skills and knowledge necessary for students to assimilate and judge scientific knowledge. Students will be introduced to the tools required to search and evaluate the scientific literature relevant to their studies, and some of the key philosophical constructs around which scientific knowledge is based. They will be taught about hypothesis testing, experimental design, data collection, basic mathematical and statistical concepts, and data presentation, and gain hands-on experience of their application.
Module Overview
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the links between ecosystems and human health. The module focuses heavily on the role of human activities in changing ecosystems, covering aspects of human impacts on ecosystems as well as policy and regulatory actions to improve and safeguard vital ecosystems. Impacts are assessed in terms of both human and wider environmental factors such as quality of life and access to safe and healthy resources as well as biodiversity, landscape assets and climate resilience. By exploring a range of relevant case studies, the module will discuss assumptions about environmental/ecosystem interactions and equip students with the necessary critical knowledge and overview for deriving real-world solutions to a representative range of current environmental problems. Teaching and assessment will cover three broad themes including environmental resources and degradation, SDGs, ecosystems and biodiversity and sustainable socio-ecological systems.
Module Overview
This module provides a critical insight into the key biological principles of conservation and their application in a cross-disciplinary context. It will give an overview of the nature and complexity of threats to biodiversity across scales of biological organisation, and approaches to mitigating these. It will detail the methods used to assess risk of extinction / collapse in ecological systems, especially the key foci of management: populations, habitats, and ecosystems. It will highlight the challenges conservation faces in varied contexts: ecological, social, political, economic, historical.
Module Overview
Data is central to any scientific pursuit. Data-centric skills are crucial for any environmental scientist undertaking any form of data collection, management, visualisation and/or analysis. This module introduces knowledge and skills relevant to varied sorts of environmental data: storage, handling and manipulation; data visualisation; statistical analysis, interpretation and communication; and applying such knowledge and skills when designing environmental studies. In the age of information, computational skills are becoming ever more relevant, and this module will hone different computational skills, especially coding.
Module Overview
The Evolution and Biodiversity module introduces the fundamental concepts that explain how the diversity of life on earth has evolved. The module opens with accounts of the historical development of evolutionary biology as a science, teaches the fundamental principles of evolution, from genes through individuals to communities, from micro- to macroevolution. It builds upon basic ecological principles of interacting individuals across a continuum from mutualism to parasitism, and how these interactions drive co-evolution and adaptation to environments, driving diversity and shaping communities of interacting organisms.
Module Overview
This module will introduce students to the applications of GIS and Remote Sensing in supporting evidence-based decisions for sustainable landscape. Students will learn how spatial data is obtained, processed, analysed, and visualized to address real-world problems such as identifying crime hotspots, resources allocation, environmental and ecosystem monitoring and change detection. The module will combine lectures with hands-on practical sessions using industry-standard software such as ArcGIS Pro and QGIS. The theoretical foundations from lectures will enable students to critically interpret spatial data and communicate findings effectively through maps and reports. By exploring a range of GIS and remote sensing techniques, students will develop transferable skills useful for addressing a range of environmental issues.
Module Overview
This module will focus on understanding both how and why animals behave the way they do. It will consider key concepts within both domestic and wild animal behaviour, drawn from a wide variety of taxonomic groups, and appraise how an animal’s behaviour is influenced by its ecology and evolution, how it links to its underlying cognitive processes, and how it impacts on its welfare and conservation. There will be a particular emphasis on the practical investigation of animal behaviour.
Module Overview
Human influences on the environment can be seen almost everywhere on our planet, from the deepest ocean trenches to the peaks of the Himalayas and out beyond the stratosphere. This module introduces students to a wide range of human-caused environmental issues facing the world today, using a range of global and regional case studies. Students will explore their causes and consequences, as well as potential responses to them, and develop skills in communicating these critical issues to different audiences using different techniques.
Module Overview
This module is an introduction to the key major taxonomic groups of invertebrates and vertebrates. Major invertebrate groups will include inter alia: sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, nematodes, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, and cephalochordates. All major vertebrate classes will be considered in detail.
Module Overview
The School believes that an option to study overseas is a valuable educational opportunity for our students. Provision of this option supports the educational aims of the School of Life Sciences and enhances the distinctiveness of its degrees at Lincoln. The optional year is intended to:
- enable students to benefit from studying within a cross cultural environment
- expose students to a wider academic and cultural experience
- enhance their future employment opportunities
- by increasing their cultural and professional mobility.
This module is optional for students within the School. 51±¬ÁÏÍø Abroad is a year long module which enables students to spend a year studying abroad at one of the University's approved partner institutions. Eligible students must have completed their second year of study to a satisfactory standard and successfully completed the application process for the year abroad.
During the year spent abroad, students share classes with local students and study on a suite of locally-delivered taught modules which have been approved in advance by the University. Upon their return, as part of the assessment for this module, students are required to critically reflect upon their experience of living and studying in a different cultural environment and the skills acquired.
Module Overview
This module aims to help students understand theory, develop skills, build tacit knowledge and, importantly, integrate and apply knowledge and skills acquired from prior learning to novel situations. The module is built around the principle of scientific enquiry and the ownership of that process by students in order to develop practical, cognitive, and affective skills. Student ownership will be developed throughout the module, starting with guided activities that teach core identification and field study skills, and culminating in a student-led field study in which students conceive and design an experiment, collect and analyse data, and present the findings.
Module Overview
This module aims to equip students with the practical knowledge and applied skills needed to design and implement effective habitat and species management strategies in the UK. It emphasizes action-oriented approaches grounded in ecological principles, enabling students to critically evaluate management options and develop feasible, evidence-based solutions for real-world conservation challenges.
Module Overview
This module will consider human-caused environmental change that affects a substantial part of the globe and biological systems. Biological responses to these human induced changes will be considered in terms of how organisms, species and communities may acclimatize, adapt or change. Specifically, we will consider how organisms can respond genetically and phenotypically, and how and why communities may change in their species and functional composition. After consolidating understanding of the causes of, and biological responses to, global change, we will consider what these impacts mean for ecosystem structure and function, the development of novel ecosystems, and approaches for conservation and ecosystem management under global change. This module will cover a range of differing causes of global change e.g. biological invasions or urbanisation, but content will be flexible to remain relevant to current and emerging challenges.
Module Overview
In this module, students undertake an independent programme of research under supervision from a member of staff. It provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate original and critical thought, as well as to build discipline-specific research and project-management skills. We currently offer projects in the laboratory (wet or animal) or field, projects that involve data analysis, literature research, educational research, science communication research, and market research. Students may work individually or in groups addressing similar questions, but must write up individually. The findings of the research will be written up and presented orally. The conduct and performance of the student as a research apprentice will be assessed.
Module Overview
This module provides a critical insight into the study of the biological diversity of soils, including their ecological and functional roles, to understand about best management and conservation practices. It will give a broad overview of the soil habitat and the patterns and drivers of soil biodiversity. The module will also deal with the methods used to manage soil biota and their processes. Concepts and principles will be introduced via formal lectures and further developed by using field and laboratory practicals.
Module Overview
Behavioural Ecology examines the way in which animals behavioural repertoires are shaped by ecological pressures and evolutionary forces, and how they contribute to survival and, ultimately, reproductive success (fitness). This module will therefore explore both how and in what way behaviours have evolved to maximise fitness, considering both short term adjustments and long term adaptations resulting from natural and sexual selection.
Module Overview
This module provides students with the opportunity to investigate biological phenomena in the field at an overseas location. Students work in groups, guided by staff, to develop and test hypotheses allowing them to understand more about biological processes operating within the study area. They are encouraged to view the ecosystem within the wider context of the anthropogenic impacts being imposed on it.
Module Overview
Palaeobiology tackles some of the most challenging and engaging topics of modern biology, including the emergence of biodiversity, patterns of recovery and expansion of ecosystems and species in the aftermath of profound crises (such as mass extinctions), and the interplay between originations and extinctions in shaping the Tree of Life. The module will enable students to comprehend the thrust and scope of fossil-based research, progressing from basic observations to formulation of complex macro-evolutionary inference. Palaeobiology is eminently interdisciplinary, absorbing concepts and methodologies from numerous other fields and providing tools and knowledge of wide use to other biologists, particularly those interested in tempo and mode of evolution and the comparative method.
Module Overview
The environment, its resources, its use, and its degradation are both shaped by and are drivers of unequal power relations at global, regional and local scales. Following, conservation, exploitation and development of planetary natures – including human – underpins many contemporary crises: ecological, climate, economic, geopolitical conflicts and violence, displacement and inequality. The vibrant interdisciplinary field of Political Ecology aims to assess and interpret the politics shaping socio-ecological relations, applying critical analyses to topics spanning forestry, water and mineral extraction to urbanization, development and technology, plus many others.
Module Overview
In this module students will gain an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the diversity, biology, ecology and evolution of the insects. Topics covered will provide a better understanding of basic entomological principles covering fundamentals of insect biology covering key aspects of evolutionary history, diversity, anatomy, physiology, and life history. Thereafter, there will be teaching sessions based around important themes of insect life, such as sensory perception, locomotion, reproduction, ecology, and economic importance.
Module Overview
This module examines the evolving relationships between humans and the natural world, challenging dominant narratives that separate nature and society by inviting students to explore the multiplicity of socio-natures and more-than-human perspectives. Throughout the module, students will engage with theories, methodologies, and case studies that introduce diverse and innovative approaches to understanding and researching nature-society interactions. The first half of the module emphasises more-than-human theories and methodologies, while the second half explores their real-world implications, examining the broader environmental, historical, and institutional frameworks that shape human perceptions of nature. By developing a nuanced view of complex, interwoven nature-society dynamics, the module will prepare students to engage critically with and thoughtfully address pressing environmental challenges whilst embracing multi-species practices and perspectives.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
Modules
Module Overview
Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Animals is concerned with the principles of the diversity of anatomical form and function in animals using a comparative approach. Anatomical adaptations will be explored across taxa within the animal kingdom in order to show how different types of organisms use their anatomy to solve the similar physiological problems. Through this, an understanding will be developed of how organisms from different taxa address physiological aspects of their life histories.
Module Overview
Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. These interactions can be studied across different levels of biological organisation including individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems. This module will examine how these different levels of organisation are interconnected and how the study of ecology allows us to better understand patterns in the natural world
Module Overview
Geography is a fundamentally spatial discipline. As such, spatial data and analyses often lie at the heart of how we understand and navigate life on our planet. This module provides an introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Earth Observation, including both the fundamental theories which underpin these technologies and their practical applications. Specifically, this module introduces students to some of the important sources of geospatial data and the technologies underpinning them, and highlights ways in which they are used both within geographical science and more widely. In addition, students will gain hands-on, skills-based experience in processing and analysing data using GIS and Earth Observation software. These are vital tools that will enable students to more rigorously assess the safety and health of the inhabited Earth.
Module Overview
This module aims to provide a broad overview of plant form and function by reviewing the key structural characteristics of cells, tissues and organs in a range of plant species. It investigates the diversity of plant form and the evolutionary history of plant life; emphasis is placed on the adaptations of plants to their environment. It focuses on the relationship between anatomy and the mechanical role of cells, tissues and organs. Concepts and principles are introduced via formal lectures and further developed by using laboratory practicals.
Module Overview
Practical field skills are essential for the Ecology and Conservation degree. This module introduces students to a range of skills including field identification, sampling of specimens, and laboratory analysis. Teaching will cover a range of skills for environmental monitoring and ecological assessment, and introduce students to a range of species protected under UK legislation, and therefore of particular interest to conservation organisations, government departments, and professional ecologists.
Module Overview
Research methods for the Life Sciences aims to introduce the skills and knowledge necessary for students to assimilate and judge scientific knowledge. Students will be introduced to the tools required to search and evaluate the scientific literature relevant to their studies, and some of the key philosophical constructs around which scientific knowledge is based. They will be taught about hypothesis testing, experimental design, data collection, basic mathematical and statistical concepts, and data presentation, and gain hands-on experience of their application.
Module Overview
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the links between ecosystems and human health. The module focuses heavily on the role of human activities in changing ecosystems, covering aspects of human impacts on ecosystems as well as policy and regulatory actions to improve and safeguard vital ecosystems. Impacts are assessed in terms of both human and wider environmental factors such as quality of life and access to safe and healthy resources as well as biodiversity, landscape assets and climate resilience. By exploring a range of relevant case studies, the module will discuss assumptions about environmental/ecosystem interactions and equip students with the necessary critical knowledge and overview for deriving real-world solutions to a representative range of current environmental problems. Teaching and assessment will cover three broad themes including environmental resources and degradation, SDGs, ecosystems and biodiversity and sustainable socio-ecological systems.
Module Overview
This module provides a critical insight into the key biological principles of conservation and their application in a cross-disciplinary context. It will give an overview of the nature and complexity of threats to biodiversity across scales of biological organisation, and approaches to mitigating these. It will detail the methods used to assess risk of extinction / collapse in ecological systems, especially the key foci of management: populations, habitats, and ecosystems. It will highlight the challenges conservation faces in varied contexts: ecological, social, political, economic, historical.
Module Overview
Data is central to any scientific pursuit. Data-centric skills are crucial for any environmental scientist undertaking any form of data collection, management, visualisation and/or analysis. This module introduces knowledge and skills relevant to varied sorts of environmental data: storage, handling and manipulation; data visualisation; statistical analysis, interpretation and communication; and applying such knowledge and skills when designing environmental studies. In the age of information, computational skills are becoming ever more relevant, and this module will hone different computational skills, especially coding.
Module Overview
This module introduces the fundamental concepts that explain how the diversity of life on earth has evolved. The module opens with accounts of the historical development of evolutionary biology as a science, teaches the fundamental principles of evolution, from genes through individuals to communities, from micro- to macroevolution. It builds upon basic ecological principles of interacting individuals across a continuum from mutualism to parasitism, and how these interactions drive co-evolution and adaptation to environments, driving diversity and shaping communities of interacting organisms.
Module Overview
This module will introduce students to the applications of GIS and Remote Sensing in supporting evidence-based decisions for sustainable landscape. Students will learn how spatial data is obtained, processed, analysed, and visualized to address real-world problems such as identifying crime hotspots, resources allocation, environmental and ecosystem monitoring and change detection. The module will combine lectures with hands-on practical sessions using industry-standard software such as ArcGIS Pro and QGIS. The theoretical foundations from lectures will enable students to critically interpret spatial data and communicate findings effectively through maps and reports. By exploring a range of GIS and remote sensing techniques, students will develop transferable skills useful for addressing a range of environmental issues.
Module Overview
This module will focus on understanding both how and why animals behave the way they do. It will consider key concepts within both domestic and wild animal behaviour, drawn from a wide variety of taxonomic groups, and appraise how an animal’s behaviour is influenced by its ecology and evolution, how it links to its underlying cognitive processes, and how it impacts on its welfare and conservation. There will be a particular emphasis on the practical investigation of animal behaviour.
Module Overview
Human influences on the environment can be seen almost everywhere on our planet, from the deepest ocean trenches to the peaks of the Himalayas and out beyond the stratosphere. This module introduces students to a wide range of human-caused environmental issues facing the world today, using a range of global and regional case studies. Students will explore their causes and consequences, as well as potential responses to them, and develop skills in communicating these critical issues to different audiences using different techniques.
Module Overview
This module is an introduction to the key major taxonomic groups of invertebrates and vertebrates. Major invertebrate groups will include inter alia: sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, nematodes, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, and cephalochordates. All major vertebrate classes will be considered in detail.
Module Overview
The School believes that an option to study overseas is a valuable educational opportunity for our students. Provision of this option supports the educational aims of the School of Life Sciences and enhances the distinctiveness of its degrees at Lincoln. The optional year is intended to:
- enable students to benefit from studying within a cross cultural environment;
- expose students to a wider academic and cultural experience;
- enhance their future employment opportunities;
- by increasing their cultural and professional mobility.
This module is optional for students within the School. 51±¬ÁÏÍø Abroad is a year long module which enables students to spend a year studying abroad at one of the University's approved partner institutions. Eligible students must have completed their second year of study to a satisfactory standard and successfully completed the application process for the year abroad.
During the year spent abroad, students share classes with local students and study on a suite of locally-delivered taught modules which have been approved in advance by the University. Upon their return, as part of the assessment for this module, students are required to critically reflect upon their experience of living and studying in a different cultural environment and the skills acquired.
Module Overview
This module aims to help students understand theory, develop skills, build tacit knowledge and, importantly, integrate and apply knowledge and skills acquired from prior learning to novel situations. The module is built around the principle of scientific enquiry and the ownership of that process by students in order to develop practical, cognitive, and affective skills. Student ownership will be developed throughout the module, starting with guided activities that teach core identification and field study skills, and culminating in a student-led field study in which students conceive and design an experiment, collect and analyse data, and present the findings.
Module Overview
This module aims to equip students with the practical knowledge and applied skills needed to design and implement effective habitat and species management strategies in the UK. It emphasizes action-oriented approaches grounded in ecological principles, enabling students to critically evaluate management options and develop feasible, evidence-based solutions for real-world conservation challenges.
Module Overview
This module will consider human-caused environmental change that affects a substantial part of the globe and biological systems. Biological responses to these human induced changes will be considered in terms of how organisms, species and communities may acclimatize, adapt or change. Specifically, we will consider how organisms can respond genetically and phenotypically, and how and why communities may change in their species and functional composition. After consolidating understanding of the causes of, and biological responses to, global change, we will consider what these impacts mean for ecosystem structure and function, the development of novel ecosystems, and approaches for conservation and ecosystem management under global change. This module will cover a range of differing causes of global change e.g. biological invasions or urbanisation, but content will be flexible to remain relevant to current and emerging challenges.
Module Overview
In this module, students undertake an independent programme of research under supervision from a member of staff. It provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate original and critical thought, as well as to build discipline-specific research and project-management skills. We currently offer projects in the laboratory (wet or animal) or field, projects that involve data analysis, literature research, educational research, science communication research, and market research. Students may work individually or in groups addressing similar questions, but must write up individually. The findings of the research will be written up and presented orally. The conduct and performance of the student as a research apprentice will be assessed.
Module Overview
This module provides a critical insight into the study of the biological diversity of soils, including their ecological and functional roles, to understand about best management and conservation practices. It will give a broad overview of the soil habitat and the patterns and drivers of soil biodiversity. The module will also deal with the methods used to manage soil biota and their processes. Concepts and principles will be introduced via formal lectures and further developed by using field and laboratory practicals.
Module Overview
Behavioural Ecology examines the way in which animals behavioural repertoires are shaped by ecological pressures and evolutionary forces, and how they contribute to survival and, ultimately, reproductive success (fitness). This module will therefore explore both how and in what way behaviours have evolved to maximise fitness, considering both short term adjustments and long term adaptations resulting from natural and sexual selection.
Module Overview
This module provides students with the opportunity to investigate biological phenomena in the field at an overseas location. Students work in groups, guided by staff, to develop and test hypotheses allowing them to understand more about biological processes operating within the study area. They are encouraged to view the ecosystem within the wider context of the anthropogenic impacts being imposed on it.
Module Overview
Palaeobiology tackles some of the most challenging and engaging topics of modern biology, including the emergence of biodiversity, patterns of recovery and expansion of ecosystems and species in the aftermath of profound crises (such as mass extinctions), and the interplay between originations and extinctions in shaping the Tree of Life. The module will enable students to comprehend the thrust and scope of fossil-based research, progressing from basic observations to formulation of complex macro-evolutionary inference. Palaeobiology is eminently interdisciplinary, absorbing concepts and methodologies from numerous other fields and providing tools and knowledge of wide use to other biologists, particularly those interested in tempo and mode of evolution and the comparative method.
Module Overview
The environment, its resources, its use, and its degradation are both shaped by and are drivers of unequal power relations at global, regional and local scales. Following, conservation, exploitation and development of planetary natures – including human – underpins many contemporary crises: ecological, climate, economic, geopolitical conflicts and violence, displacement and inequality. The vibrant interdisciplinary field of Political Ecology aims to assess and interpret the politics shaping socio-ecological relations, applying critical analyses to topics spanning forestry, water and mineral extraction to urbanization, development and technology, plus many others.
Module Overview
In this module students will gain an understanding of, and an appreciation for, the diversity, biology, ecology and evolution of the insects. Topics covered will provide a better understanding of basic entomological principles covering fundamentals of insect biology covering key aspects of evolutionary history, diversity, anatomy, physiology, and life history. Thereafter, there will be teaching sessions based around important themes of insect life, such as sensory perception, locomotion, reproduction, ecology, and economic importance.
Module Overview
This module examines the evolving relationships between humans and the natural world, challenging dominant narratives that separate nature and society by inviting students to explore the multiplicity of socio-natures and more-than-human perspectives. Throughout the module, students will engage with theories, methodologies, and case studies that introduce diverse and innovative approaches to understanding and researching nature-society interactions. The first half of the module emphasises more-than-human theories and methodologies, while the second half explores their real-world implications, examining the broader environmental, historical, and institutional frameworks that shape human perceptions of nature. By developing a nuanced view of complex, interwoven nature-society dynamics, the module will prepare students to engage critically with and thoughtfully address pressing environmental challenges whilst embracing multi-species practices and perspectives.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
Fieldwork, international study, and placements
Fieldwork, international study, and work experience
You’ll have opportunities to build experience beyond the classroom.
UK fieldwork
Fieldwork is a key part of the course. You’ll develop practical skills in real environments, learning how to observe, record, analyse, and present ecological information.
The course includes day trips and a UK residential field trip, helping you build confidence in ecological research and field-based working.
Optional overseas field trip
In your final year, you may have the opportunity to take part in an optional overseas field trip. This gives you the chance to study plants, animals, and ecosystems in a different environment.
Previous destinations have included:
- The Andean Cloud Forest in Ecuador
- Mankwe Wildlife Reserve in South Africa
- Boreal forests in Finland
- Molise in Italy
Optional field trips may involve additional costs, including travel, accommodation, food, and personal equipment.
Optional work experience
You can choose to take a placement year between your second and third year.
A placement year can help you:
- Apply your skills in a professional setting
- Build your CV before you graduate
- Explore career options in ecology, conservation, or the wider environmental sector
- Develop confidence in the workplace
You’ll pay the relevant placement year fee to the 51±¬ÁÏÍø and will need to cover your own travel, accommodation, and living costs.
Optional study abroad
You may also be able to spend a year studying at an approved overseas partner university between your second and third year.
This can help you:
- Experience a different academic and cultural environment
- Build independence and confidence
- Develop a broader perspective on global ecological and environmental issues
- Strengthen your CV with international experience
You’ll pay the 51±¬ÁÏÍø Abroad Tuition Fee to the 51±¬ÁÏÍø. No additional tuition fee is paid to the host university, but you’ll need to cover travel, accommodation, and living costs. Travel grants and an overseas rate maintenance loan may be available for eligible students.
Careers and future opportunities
An Ecology and Conservation degree can lead to careers where you help understand, manage, and protect the natural world.
Graduates may go into areas such as:
- Environmental consultancy
- Applied conservation in the UK or overseas
- Ecology and habitat management
- Environmental management
- Local government and public sector environmental roles
- Wildlife and conservation charities
- Science communication and journalism
- Teaching, with further training
- Postgraduate study and research
Possible roles include:
- Ecologist
- Conservation officer
- Environmental consultant
- Habitat surveyor
- Biodiversity officer
- Environmental monitoring officer
- Wildlife project officer
- Sustainability assistant
- Science communicator
- Research assistant
Why employers value this degree:
You graduate with:
- Practical fieldwork and laboratory experience
- Species identification and survey skills
- Confidence collecting and analysing data
- Understanding of conservation and environmental management
- Scientific writing and reporting skills
- Communication skills for different audiences
- Experience working independently and in groups
These skills are useful in ecology and conservation roles, but also in wider environmental, research, education, policy, and communication careers.
Entry Requirements 2026-27
United Kingdom
104 to 112 UCAS Tariff points.
This must be achieved from a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications, to include 40 points from Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science. For example:
A Level: BCC to BBC to include a Grade B in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
BTEC Extended Diploma in Animal Management and Applied Science depending on modules: DMM
(Please include units on application)
T Level in Science: Merit Overall
(Health or Health Science not accepted)
Access to Higher Education Diploma: 104 to 112 UCAS points to be achieved from 45 Level 3 credits, including 40 points from 15 credits in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
International Baccalaureate: 29 points overall to include a Higher Level in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
GCSE's: Minimum of three at grade 4 or above, which must include English. Equivalent Level 2 qualifications may be considered.
The University accepts a wide range of qualifications as the basis for entry and do accept a combination of qualifications which may include A Levels, BTECs, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
We may also consider applicants with extensive and relevant work experience and will give special individual consideration to those who do not meet the standard entry qualifications.
International
Non UK Qualifications:
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages
/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
EU and Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-sessional English and Academic 51±¬ÁÏÍø Skills courses.
For applicants who do not meet our standard entry requirements, our Science Foundation Year can provide an alternative route of entry onto our full degree programmes:
/course/sfysfyub/lifesciences/
If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the Admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk
Contextual Offers
At 51±¬ÁÏÍø, we recognise that not everybody has had the same advice and support to help them get to higher education. Contextual offers are one of the ways we remove the barriers to higher education, ensuring that we have fair access for all students regardless of background and personal experiences. For more information, including eligibility criteria, visit our Offer Guide pages. If you are applying to a course that has any subject specific requirements, these will still need to be achieved as part of the standard entry criteria.Entry Requirements 2027-28
United Kingdom
104 to 112 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications, to include 40 points from Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
If you are eligible for a contextual offer, a one grade or 8 UCAS Tariff point reduction to the standard entry requirements will be applied. Subject specific requirements will still be required as part of the standard entry criteria.
A Level: BBC to include a Grade B in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
BTEC Extended Diploma in Animal Management : DMM
BTED Extended Diploma in Applied Science considered depending on units studied. Please include these on your application.
We will accept a Pearson Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification BTEC National (equivalent to 1 A Level) in Medical Science or Applied Science to meet the subject specific requirement: Merit
T Level in Science: Merit Overall
(T Levels in Health or Health Science are not accepted)
Access to Higher Education Diploma: 112 UCAS points to be achieved from 45 Level 3 credits, including 40 points from 15 credits in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
International Baccalaureate: 29 points overall to include a Higher Level in Biology, Geography, Geology or Environmental Science.
GCSEs: Minimum of three at grade 4 or above, which must include English. Equivalent Level 2 qualifications may be considered.
The University accepts a wide range of qualifications as the basis for entry and do accept a combination of qualifications which may include A Levels, BTECs, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
We may also consider applicants with extensive and relevant work experience and will give special individual consideration to those who do not meet the standard entry qualifications.
International
Non UK Qualifications:
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages
/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
EU and Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-sessional English and Academic 51±¬ÁÏÍø Skills courses.
For applicants who do not meet our standard entry requirements, our Science Foundation Year can provide an alternative route of entry onto our full degree programmes:
/course/sfysfyub/lifesciences/
If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the Admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk
Contextual Offers
At 51±¬ÁÏÍø, we recognise that not everybody has had the same advice and support to help them get to higher education. Contextual offers are one of the ways we remove the barriers to higher education, ensuring that we have fair access for all students regardless of background and personal experiences. For more information, including eligibility criteria, visit our Offer Guide pages. If you are applying to a course that has any subject specific requirements, these will still need to be achieved as part of the standard entry criteria.Is this course right for you?
This course could be a good fit if you:
- Care about wildlife, conservation, and the environment
- Enjoy Biology, Geography, Environmental Science, Geology, or related subjects
- Want to learn through fieldwork, lab work, and real-world examples
- Are interested in biodiversity, ecosystems, climate change, or habitat management
- Want a degree that can lead to environmental, conservation, research, or education careers
- Like the idea of practical science with a clear purpose
You don’t need to know your exact career path yet. But you do need curiosity, commitment, and a genuine interest in understanding and protecting the natural world.
Fees and Funding
University 51±¬ÁÏÍø is a major investment, so it’s important to understand the costs and support available. A full breakdown of the fees associated with this programme can be found below. Eligible students may be able to access scholarships and bursaries to help with study costs.
Fees and Funding
University 51±¬ÁÏÍø is a major investment, so it’s important to understand the costs and support available. A full breakdown of the fees associated with this programme can be found below. Eligible students may be able to access scholarships and bursaries to help with study costs.