ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY | 15
Field Courses
Field courses are a fundamental part of our environmental degree
programmes and our current programmes include integrated local
area and overseas field courses at no extra cost to students.
Field courses provide excellent
opportunities to learn, develop and
practise skills in survey design, plant
and invertebrate identification, water
quality assessment, soil assessment,
sample collection and preservation
methods, as well as social science
research techniques. Our field courses
also facilitate interaction between
students and environmental experts
outside of the university. One-day field
trips and outdoor field work are integral
to several modules across all of our
environmental programmes, while
residential field courses are held in
the first and second year. These field
courses provide students with ‘real-
world’, hands-on experience of a range of
topical environmental problems as well as
providing important training and practice
in carrying out research projects, in
preparation for the final year independent
research project.
North Wales - Snowdonia and
Parys Mountain, Anglesey
In Year 1 all students participate in a
residential field course to North Wales,
UK. Here you will develop field and
laboratory investigation skills across
different aspects of environmental
science, including ecology, hydrology,
geology and geochemistry. Field
investigations are conducted at two very
different locations; Cwm Idwal, in the
Snowdonia National Park, and Parys
Mountain, a former copper mine site of
great historical importance on Anglesey
that is now a Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI). You will create sketch
maps, identify rock types and plant
species, conduct soil and water quality
assessments and examine aquatic
invertebrates that inhabit the lakes and
rivers. The field course concludes with a
small, student-led research project.
Students on the Environment and
Sustainability programme also attend
a weekend residential field course to
the Centre for Alternative Technology,
in Mid-Wales, which covers aspects of
renewable technology and sustainable
living, as well as well as applying learning
about the geology, geomorphology and
ecology of the surrounding environment.
In Year 2, students choose one residential
field course. Our current options include
Béziers, southeast France, and the
English Lake District, UK.
Béziers, France
Students conduct multiple investigations
into the ecology, biological diversity, water
quality and soil properties of this beautiful
region of France. Field sites include
rivers, a subterranean limestone cavern
and a sustainably managed orchard
and vineyard where experimental trials
are underway to assess the effects of
different management strategies. The
course enables hands-on experience
with additional techniques and new
pieces of equipment, providing students
with training and experience in the
initiation, design and execution of field-
based research projects. Terrestrial
invertebrate trapping, aquatic invertebrate
assessments, vegetation and soil surveys,
and water chemistry assessments are all
featured in the course.
Lake District, UK
Prized for its National Park status and
high conservation value, this spectacular
region of the UK is the setting for an
Environment and Sustainability themed
field course. Land use and management
issues, partnership working and
stakeholder engagement, renewable
energy and sustainable development,
eco-tourism benefits vs impacts and
other related topics all typically feature
in this interdisciplinary field course. You
will gain hands-on experience and skills
with survey techniques, research project
design, vegetation identification, aquatic
invertebrate identification and water
quality assessment. You will visit a range
of key sites under differing land uses, and
interact with experts from environmental
organisations, learning about the different
stakeholders involved in sustainably
managing such a region.
Please note that our field courses are
constantly reviewed and destinations may
be subject to change.
keele.ac.uk/gge