Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ecology and Conservation

at Keele University United Kingdom

Effective management to maximise the performance of human resources (HR) is central to any business success. Employers need managers who can proactively and positively influence organisational strategy, developing and implementing the policies, benefits, employee relations and engagement that helps them recruit and retain the best talent.

By studying this professionally-accredited master’s degree, approved by the CIPD, you’ll gain cutting-edge strategic knowledge to leverage the employment relationship, needed now more than ever in the turbulent, competitive world of work where being able to change and innovate are critical success factors.  

Immerse yourself in literary texts from the English Renaissance to contemporary American graphic novels. As an English and American Literature student at Keele, you'll examine the full chronological range of English and American literature, considering their direct intersections from the nineteenth century onwards. You might study poets like Lord Byron, Derek Walcott and Allen Ginsberg, dramatists including Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams, and novelists such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry James and Jackie Kay. Our intellectually stimulating and engaging approach to exploring a wide variety of literary genres  produces intelligent, perceptive, socially aware and compassionate individuals who are able to make a real impact.

You will look at philosophical topics about knowledge, ethics, language and the nature of the mind and world from both historical and contemporary perspectives. You will learn reasoning skills, how to evaluate arguments and be encouraged to present and defend your own views. You'll explore a broad range of topics which may include the Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Science, which specifically address philosophical questions concerning psychology.

In psychology, you will learn about what the latest psychology research, including studies published by our own friendly and approachable staff, tells us about human behaviour from social, developmental, biological and cognitive perspectives. We will show you how to design and conduct your own psychological studies in our well-equipped laboratories, using a range of techniques including interviews, surveys and experiments. You will also learn about how our understanding of psychology changes over time.

The programme's interdisciplinary approach to understanding some of the world’s most pressing problems means you’ll study a wide range of subjects, including the social sciences, arts, humanities and the natural sciences. We adopt an innovative approach to teaching, for example, previous students have engaged in 'living labs' where students have explored local issues and their potential solutions through field trips.

You will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and generate evidence and understanding by engaging with living communities and landscapes. Students will pursue hands-on research into Britain’s industrial, social, economic and cultural history as well as current/future-oriented issues which may include economic regeneration, social and political challenges and environmental sustainability, citizenship and creativity with opportunities for learning analytical, communication, presentational, writing and research skills. Whilst hosted in the School of Social, Political and Global Studies, Liberal Arts is closely associated with the Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS). As part of ILAS, our Liberal Arts students are encouraged to engage fully in the Institute's lively events programme, including the Grand Challenges Lectures series, interdisciplinary workshops, discussion groups and research seminars.

Keele’s Biochemistry programmes offer broad and stimulating coverage of modern biochemistry. Whether you choose to study as combined honours or single honours, you’ll be studying life at the molecular level, investigating some of the most exciting areas of contemporary life science and medical research.

You might explore the secrets of the human genome, or the individually tailored molecular therapies of the future. Particular emphasis is placed on human and mammalian biochemistry, especially relating to health and disease. 

The Human Biology element of this course is ideal if you’re interested in biology but are looking for a particular focus on the human body and how we’ve adapted to our environment. This course provides a broad understanding of the physiology of the body’s major systems as well as human health and disease and the relationship between the human body with the environment. You might explore the impact of nutrition and the environment on health, how humans in turn impact on the environment, and specialised topics such as human parasitology and human evolution.

Keele’s multidisciplinary approach puts human biology in context, so you’ll have input from a range of experts which may include clinicians, physiotherapists, nutritionists, geographers and conservation biologists. You may engage in additional opportunities which might include studying abroad and work experience. 

The course is run by the School of Medicine in collaboration with the Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine.

Teaching takes place at the Guy Hilton Research Centre, a dedicated research facility located on the Royal Stoke University Hospital site, and also at the main University Campus. The School of Medicine is one of the top-ranked in the UK, and the research institute has an international reputation for world-leading research in medical engineering and healthcare technologies.

The School embraces specialists working in Royal Stoke University Hospital, County Hospital in Stafford and specialist Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry. You therefore have the opportunity to specialise in any of the varied clinical disciplines offered at these hospitals.

The School also runs MSc courses in Biomedical Engineering and in Cell and Tissue Engineering, and an EPSRC and MRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training, ensuring a stimulating academic environment for students and many opportunities for engaging with further study and research.

Studying English Literature and History at Keele will enable you to develop your appreciation of various global histories and literature, whilst enjoying the rich history of our local area. In your spare time, you might find yourself exploring the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon metalwork most likely deposited in the 7th century in the then Kingdom of Mercia. The Staffordshire Hoard provides a window to England in the 6th and 7th centuries and also to the warrior elite that existed during these times and now rests less than 5 miles away from Keele.

The History element of the programme will carry you chronologically from the medieval period to the present, and span the globe. You will be introduced to a wide range of history – from political, social, economic and cultural history to the history of gender, health, sexuality and religion. Throughout your first year, you may engage in modules that encourage you to explore topics such as how European rulers tried to strengthen their authority with the increase of military power between the late fifteenth and late seventeenth centuries, or some of the key defining moments in History which may include the 1720 South Sea Bubble in Britain, the 1791 Haitian Revolution or the 1933 Bauhaus movement.  

Throughout the degree you will explore and interpret literary texts that will challenge your views, advance your tastes, prompt your creativity. You'll be encouraged to delve deep into a range of literary works, which may include authors such as Emily Bronte, Aphra Behn, Tsitsi Dangarembga and J M Coetzee. Our intellectually stimulating and engaging approach to exploring novels, poetry, drama, graphic novels and other types of literature produce intelligent, perceptive, socially aware and compassionate individuals who are able to make a real impact. You'll tackle a range of issues and unprecedented challenges of our cultural moment, which could include decolonisation, sustainability and the environment, gender and sexuality, migration, political extremism, or the role of literature as an arbiter of truth in an era of information overload and fake news.

Through a range of activities and assessments, our diverse course will equip you with a wide array of attributes that employers are looking for, including problem solving, creativity, emotional intelligence, and digital literacy. You will pursue your passions, grow in confidence, and gain a unique set of transferable skills that will be invaluable for your future career in a variety of sectors.

Ecology and conservation field and lab skills are taught comprehensively across the programme, including extensive use of our green campus. Fieldwork and residential field courses are an integral part of the programme throughout, as are employability skills.

For the Computer Science element of this course, you will learn the underpinning theories of software, hardware and computing techniques – and how to apply them in the real world. You’ll learn to use technology to create new opportunities and to solve a wide range of problems, benefiting every aspect of society from the home to business, government and beyond. Our teaching is informed by our research, and we also reflect what’s happening now in industry.

You'll have the opportunity to explore topics linked to a range of specialisms which may include information systems, evolutionary systems, or creative computing. You’ll have access to our own computing labs, based on Microsoft Windows and Linux, plus a wide range of software.

Studying Neuroscience, you’ll explore a range of topics which may include how we learn and remember, how the brain controls the body, and how the brain can be targeted by disease but in some instances can repair itself. Within the course are interesting related disciplines such as neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology and neuropathology. 

Working in diverse ways, including in our well-equipped labs, you’ll develop your independent research skills as you learn to acquire, interpret and analyse data from multiple sources. You’ll also understand how neuroscience can help us understand medical problems and improve the quality of life.