Animal Science with Foundation Year
BSc
Undergraduate with Foundation Year
September 2026
Overview
Get ready with a foundation year and learn the foundational skills and knowledge to complete a full Honours degree. You'll be able to embark on this qualification without meeting the level 3 entry requirements, giving you the opportunity to study at degree level through this four year course.
Study Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science at Canterbury Christ Church University and turn your passion for the planet into a practical, purpose-driven career. Whether you want to work with endangered species, manage habitats, or influence environmental policy, this conservation degree will equip you with the knowledge and experience to make a real impact.
What you’ll learn
- Develop practical field, lab, and digital skills to investigate and monitor wildlife and ecosystems.
- Apply statistical and analytical methods to decipher environmental data.
- Explore how to find, evaluate, and use scientific research to solve conservation problems.
- Build strong communication and teamwork skills for use in scientific and professional settings.
- Understand how conservation links to global issues like sustainability, policy, and social change.
What's more, you’ll have the opportunity to undergo fieldwork locally, nationally, and abroad. Previous trips include Spain, Wales, and Lundy Island, with more destinations available in the next academic year.
You’ll work alongside lecturers who are all heavily involved in active research in exciting areas such as beaver monitoring, molecular ecology, rewilding, and soil pollution. You may be able to get involved with current conservation and ecology research, as well as undertaking your own in your final year. Our academics are currently working with the likes of Princeton University, Wildwood Trust, and Kent Wildlife Trust.
I’ve always been passionate about the protection and preservation of animal species and the environment, and when I heard about this course, I instantly knew it was the perfect pathway to working within the industry by developing my knowledge and a wide range of industry-recognised skills.Molly, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science student
Why study Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science at CCCU?
Top 10
for graduates in employment (HESA 2025)
Joint 6th in the UK
for student satisfaction with the quality of teaching in the subject area of Biological Sciences.
Complete University Guide Subject League Table 2025
64
Total Points required
- Select your qualification
- Select your grade
- Add it and repeat
Qualifications:
Grades
Points required: 64
Accepted qualifications
We accept a wide range of general qualifications that attract UCAS Tariff points either on their own or in combination with others. Below are some common examples.
| Qualification | Grades |
|---|---|
| A Levels | DDE |
| BTEC | MPP |
| Access | Pass 45 Credits |
| International Baccalaureate | TBC |
Applicants without formal level 3 qualifications will also be considered.
More information
Contact us
Module information
As well as the core modules, you may also have the opportunity to study a number of option modules. Option modules will not be pre-selected for you. We provide examples of option modules. The availability of specific option modules may vary from year to year. The offer of an option will be subject to a minimum number of students choosing the module to ensure the appropriate student experience. The offer of option modules may also be affected by staff availability. It means we cannot guarantee the availability of a particular optional module. However, we will ensure you have a choice of option modules.
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
In your Foundation Year, you will be introduced to higher education with a range of supportive modules that prepare you for study in higher education and familiarise you with the core knowledge and skills of your chosen subject.
From Level 4 onward, each module features a mixture of practical sessions (in the field or laboratory), lectures, workshops and seminars. The emphasis is always on practical and applied skills development, so on a typical module we will spend more than half of our time with you in practical sessions, often two thirds of the module contact time. This is complemented by additional structured and guided learning resources we provide and curate for you. In addition, you will have time allocated for independent learning. Face-to-face teaching hours per week may vary but will typically be approximately 10-16 hours. Some modules include intensive weeks where you will have up to 24-30 contact hours in a week.
Modules feature a variety of independent learning materials that we curate and structure for you. This may include textbook chapters to read, videos to watch or research papers to review in preparation for or following on from a face-to-face session. You might engage in online discussions, post comments or otherwise interact with fellow students or academics as well. Some of the independent learning can be accompanied by short quizzes or revision aides to help you remember the key content you have covered.
As a full-time student, you should expect a workload similar to a full-time job during the weeks of the semester (each of your two semesters is 15 weeks long). You will be studying 60 credits worth of modules each semester, which corresponds to an overall workload of 600 hours per semester. Most of this time is set aside for your independent learning, however, you can use it flexibly around your other commitments, such as work or caring responsibilities. Your personal academic tutor and the course team will always be there to support you in engaging with your studies and meeting the learning requirements of the course.
Face-to-face sessions are typically led by academics – our focus is teaching and supporting you. Occasionally, industry experts or guest lecturers may provide specialist sessions and share their expertise with you. In some of our laboratory and field practicals or IT workshops, you will be supported by PhD students alongside the academic leading the session. The academics teaching you will have higher education teaching qualifications (such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, PGCAP) and may also be fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) or members of professional bodies and academic organisations.
We love spending time in the field with our students, especially during the residential field trips that will be part of your course. We will also teach you the skills you need to carry out lab analysis of water or soil samples, for example, using our modern lab equipment and facilities in the recently opened Verena Holmes building in Canterbury. Our priority are our students, so we spend a lot of time teaching you face-to-face to develop your practical and teamworking skills.Phil BuckleySenior Lecturer in Ecology and Course Director for Ecology
How you’ll be assessed
We understand that different students have different strengths and ways of learning. This is why you will be assessed in a range of ways during your degree. In your first two years of study, you will mainly be assessed by coursework (e.g. lab or field reports) and by timed online questionnaires. In your second and third year, your coursework assessment may include poster presentations, scientific reports, portfolios and others. Some of your modules will also include an exam, but no module will be assessed exclusively by an exam. In your final year, you will complete a dissertation module that includes a thesis assessment in semester 2 and a presentation where you can reflect on your achievements and journey as a student.
Your future career
Graduates from related courses preceding this one (e.g. Ecology, Environmental Science) at Canterbury Christ Church University have gone on to work as Head of Sustainability (Imperial College London), Senior Ecologist (Lloydbore), Conservation Livelihoods Event Coordinator (Durrell Conservation Trust) or Nature Conservation Officer (Habitats & Heritage). Some of our graduates go on to complete MScs or PhDs or purse postgraduate courses or train as teachers.
CCCU was integral in setting me up in order to complete my MSc. My undergraduate studies gave me multiple transferable skills and knowledge which is used on a daily basis in my career as an Environmental Health Officer. Environmental Health is a fascinating job where every day is genuinely different and brings with it new and interesting challenges.Joe Ford (Environmental Science)Environmental Health Officer, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
Related courses
Fees
Tuition Fees for 2026/27 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Industry links
Your course will feature guest speakers with specialisms in ecology, conservation and environmental sciences that will enhance your learning. We have hosted student internships in collaboration with the Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust and other wildlife and conservation concerns in Kent and beyond. There are also opportunities to complete your dissertation project with one of our industry partners.
The Industry, Careers and Enterprise module you will take at Level 5 will allow you to tackle a client brief from one of our partners where you apply the skills you have learned to a real-life problem.
We also host a careers fair specifically for students on our courses where you can talk to employers, find out about the exciting careers they offer and get advice on how to progress into those careers with the skills you have learned.
Apply now
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Duration:
4 yearsUCAS code:
C181Location(s):
Canterbury*We are advertising this course as ‘subject to approval.’ When we add new courses or update existing courses, we advertise the course as ‘subject to approval’. We do this to let you know the University still needs to agree to run the course. It is rare for a course not to gain approval, but it is not guaranteed. There may be changes to course and module titles, content and assessment, but we will tell you about these if there is a change. You can still apply to study a course subject to approval. We have prepared some questions and answers to tell you more.