We are a community of world-class environmental researchers, high achieving students, government scientists and commercial enterprises working together to address today’s biggest environmental challenges.
For more information, please read our guide on how Pathways work. The following modules are for entry year 2025.
The solid rocks that comprise Earth’s upper crust contain a record of change driven by processes originating from the core to the atmosphere over a period exceeding 2 billion years. This Pathway provides the basic skills needed to read this record and understand how Earth has evolved over both long and short periods of time. You will have the opportunity to take a number of field-based modules in both the UK and abroad.
*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability
| Year One | Year Two | Year Three |
|---|---|---|
| Core modules | Core modules | Core modules |
| Biogeochemical Cycles | Experimental Design and Analysis | Introduction to Geophysical Techniques |
| Geology | Geoscience in Practice | Optional modules |
| Hydrology: Water in the Environment | Optional modules | Dissertation |
| Natural Hazards | Aquatic Biogeochemistry | Dissertation with Work Placement |
| The Earth's Interior | Catchment Hydrology | Extended Essay |
| Optional modules | *Field Course in the Lake District - Environmental | *Field Course in Devon - Hydrological Processes |
|
Subject to A level portfolio, you may be required to replace one or more of the above modules with one or more of the following: |
*Field Course in Scotland - Geological Mapping | *Field Course - Volcanic Processes |
| Introduction to Environmental Chemistry | Soil Science | Geological Hazards |
| Numerical Skills I | Hydrogeology | |
| Numerical Skills II | Water Resources Management |
Interactions between organisms, the environment and humanity are often complex. You will receive a thorough grounding in ecological theory and how these biological principles relate to the conservation of wildlife and ecological habitats. The pathway also concerns the practice of ecology and has a strong fieldwork component designed to encourage you to develop your practical skills.
*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability
| Year One | Year Two | Year Three |
|---|---|---|
| Core modules | Core modules | Core modules |
| Aquatic Ecology | Populations to Ecosystems | Coral Reef Ecology |
| Biodiversity and Conservation | Principles of Biodiversity Conservation | Issues in Conservation Biology |
| Evolutionary Biology | Optional modules | Optional modules |
| Global Change Biology | Environmental Physiology | Animal Behaviour |
| Zoology | Evolution | Dissertation |
| Optional modules | Experimental Design and Analysis | Dissertation with Work Placement |
|
*Field Course in the Eden Project, Cornwall *Field Course in the Spanish-Doñana (One of these modules can be taken in place of Aquatic Ecology, Global Change Biology or Zoology) |
Field Biology | Environmental Plant Biology |
| Introduction to Eco-Innovation | *Field Course in Kenya - Tropical Biology and Conservation | |
| Research Design and Delivery | *Field Course in the Scottish Highlands | |
| Host-Parasite Interactions | ||
| Sustainable Agriculture | ||
This Pathway aims to train you in those areas of natural science (including chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, geology, physical geography) that are used to understand natural and anthropogenic processes on the surface of the Earth, rivers, lakes, oceans and the atmosphere, as well as Earth’s internal processes, against the backdrop of environmental change.
*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability
| Year One | Year Two | Year Three |
|---|---|---|
| Core modules | Core modules | Optional modules |
| Atmosphere, Weather and Climate | Experimental Design and Analysis | Climate and Society |
| Biogeochemical Cycles | Optional modules | Dissertation |
| Geology | Aquatic Biogeochemistry | Dissertation with Work Placement |
| Hydrology: Water in the Environment | Atmospheric Science | Extended Essay |
| The Earth's Interior | Catchment Hydrology | *Field Course in Devon - Hydrological Processes |
| Optional modules | Energy, Economy and the Environment | Global Change and the Earth System |
| Subject to A level portfolio, you may be required to replace one or more of the above modules with one or more of the following: | Environmental Data Visualisation and Analysis | Hydrogeology |
| Introduction to Environmental Chemistry | *Field Course in the Lake District - Environmental | The Causes and Consequences of Environmental Radioactivity |
| Numerical Skills I | Soil Science | Water Resources Management |
| Numerical Skills II |
To study on any particular Pathway you must meet the entry requirements of that subject. Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
