FdSc British Wildlife Conservation

Real-world experience is paramount in conservation and wildlife management, which is why practical and academic studies are given equal emphasis. Once you have successfully completed the first year of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Higher Education before progressing onto the second year, where you will build on the knowledge and expertise gained in the first year and develop a deeper understanding of the key issues covered. You will also visit numerous environmental conservation and wildlife management enterprises.

You will have the opportunity to gain practical rural skills training within the areas of estate maintenance, forestry, machinery, vehicles, pesticides and health and safety, through the Rural Innovation Centre at Harnhill Manor Farm. The cost of the practical training courses is included in the tuition fees.

You will be assessed through research projects, examinations, case studies, management plans, portfolio, presentations, and practical skills. You will also be required to supervise and mentor other students on practical conservation activities as part of their training in volunteer management.

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and societies activities.

Modules

Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Each credit equates to 10 hours of total study time. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity.

Full-time students normally take modules worth 60 credits per 15 week semester but this can vary depending on your elective choice. Part-time students taking proportionally fewer credits per semester. All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 240 credits for the foundation degree as a whole. The overall grade for your foundation degree is based on marks obtained for modules taken at level 4 and level 5 (weighted 30:70) accordingly.

Typical modules study on this course are: 

Year one

• 1134 Field Ecology
• 1136 Practical Conservation Skills
• 1222 Wildlife Conservation: Principles and Practice
• 1257 Species and Environment
• 1303 Introducing Environmental Conservation and Heritage
• 1305 Wildlife Handling, Protection and Survey

Year two

• 2134 Supervisory and Mentoring Skills
• 2136 Landscape Conservation
• 2137 Wildlife Habitat Management
• 2138 Amenity, Access and Education
• 2302 Conservation Ecology
• 2303 Conservation Research Skills

All the module sheets can be found here.

Tuition fees cover the cost of a student’s academic studies. This usually includes teaching costs, registration and examination fees (not repeat or trailing modules, re-sit fees or coursework resubmission) and relevant courses at the RAU Rural Innovation Centre. Any costs associated with work placements will be the student's responsibility.

2019-20 Applicants

For the academic year 2019-20 the tuition fees for this course are: 

Part-time fees will be charged on a pro-rata basis.

Tuition fees may be subject to an inflationary increase each year as set out in our Access and Participation Plan 2019/20.

Please note: International students can study on a part-time basis only if they are in the UK with a different type of visa (other than Tier 4 Child/General) that allows them to undertake part-time study and their visa does not expire prior to the end date of the proposed course of study.

Please contact admissions@rau.ac.uk before you apply to confirm your eligibility.

For full details, please visit the fees and funding webpage.

Scholarships

The University offers a wide range of generous fee waivers and bursaries. To find out more about the scholarships, awards and bursaries available, please visit the scholarships webpage.