Environmental Science and Environmental Biology

Measuring the pH and conductivity of Highfields lake

You might have chosen your degree because of your interest in nature and our changing ecosystems, or perhaps the desire to make a positive impact on climate change. You could even have a passion to develop new sustainable solutions for farming, fuel and wastewater treatment.

Whatever your reasons were, as an environmental science or environmental biology student your degree will enable you to follow any number of different career paths.

Your next steps

Book an appointment or attend a drop-in

Join the Biosciences Teams site

What skills will I gain during my degree?

In addition to your subject-specific knowledge, your environmental science or environmental biology degree will equip you with a range of transferable skills including the ability to:

Design and conduct field-based experiments demonstrating good field practices through clear note taking
Discuss the social context and ethical considerations of environmental decision making
Analyse and interpret a large and varied data sets resulting from field and laboratory measurements.

Biosciences Core Graduate Competencies

You will also develop 12 competencies which have been divided into these four headings:

Fundamental skills
Interpersonal skills
Personal aspiration and development
Professional responsibility

Explore the Biosciences Core Graduate Competencies

How can I develop my skills and experience during my degree?

Consider a Year in Industry

Why not take an optional industry placement, between years two and three of your degree? This will extend your degree to a four-year programme.

Year in Industry

As part of this, it is possible to gain accreditation from the Science Council as a Registered Scientist (RSci)

Get a summer internship

Summer internships are also a great way to gain experience, whether in science or non-science based roles. Search for roles:

My Career - internships from companies targeting Nottingham students

Nottingham Internship Scheme

Sources of vacancies for internships

Try out some voluntary experience

Volunteering can help you to build your experience and develop new skills, as well as giving something back.

Students’ Union Volunteer Centre

Environmentjob volunteering vacancies

Volunteer with the Wildlife Trusts

Explore summer research placements

If you’re interested in the scientific side of your degree, the summer research placements might be a good option for you. You can find these through the School of Biosciences by approaching a relevant academic who is working in the area you are interested in.

There are also sponsored opportunities and funding for summer research placements, visit:

Royal Society of Biology - undergraduate studentships

Get involved in Students' Union activities

Involvement in relevant SU activities including volunteering, sports clubs and societies will always look good on your CV.

Conservation Society

Environmental Science Society

Volunteering

Join the Nottingham Advantage Award

The Nottingham Advantage Award offers a range of modules to help you expand, develop and evidence your skills and experience during your time at university. With over 200 modules across our three campus in the UK, China and Malaysia, there's something for everyone.

If you’re thinking of moving into consultancy after graduation, the Nottingham Consultancy Challenge module will help you develop and demonstrate all the right skills.

Nottingham Advantage Award - find out more and explore the modules on offer

Keep up to date with industry news

Knowing about the latest developments is important for a couple of reasons: firstly it may spark off your interest in a particular part of the sector and secondly, employers often ask questions about the factors that may be affecting their company at an interview as a way of gauging your interest in their business.

Institution of Environmental Sciences - FREE membership for UoN students

Please be aware that study abroad, compulsory year abroad, optional placements/internships and integrated year in industry opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities or placement/industry hosts, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university's control. Every effort will be made to update this information as quickly as possible should a change occur.

What are the range of careers I could enter?

Environmental science and environmental biology graduates enter a wide range of areas after graduation, including conservation, consultancy, project management, energy, education, agriculture, ecology and waste management. Find out more about the sub sectors of environmental careers.

Some of the employers who have recruited our graduates

ADAS
AHDB
Environment Agency
L&R Wildlife Trust
Leicester City Council
Nestlé
Network Rail
Nicholls Colton
World One

Some of the roles secured by our graduates

Assistant Ecologist
Environment Officer
Environmental Analyst
Environmental Consultant
Graduate Project Officer
Project Manager
Safety Heath and Environmental Sustainability Graduate
Technical Consultant
Trainee Analyst
Trainee Reserve Officer

What are my further study options? Watch our webinar on PhD study.

Each year a number of environmental science and environmental biology graduates start postgraduate courses either at Nottingham or other universities. Some examples of the types of courses Nottingham graduates study include: