Environmental Sciences with a Placement Year

Environmental sciences is the interdisciplinary study of the natural environment and the complex ways in which human activity affects it. It draws on physical geography, ecology, chemistry, biology, geology, and social science to understand the systems that make the earth habitable and the processes, including climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and resource depletion, that are changing them. The discipline is both analytical and applied: it develops the scientific rigour needed to investigate environmental problems and the practical understanding needed to address them.

This four-year full-time programme at the University of East Anglia includes a placement year, giving you direct professional experience in an environmental organisation. UEA is one of the UK's most distinguished universities for environmental research, with internationally recognised groups working on climate science, ecology, and sustainability, and the undergraduate programme benefits directly from this research culture. You will study the physical environment, including climate, atmosphere, oceans, and soils, alongside the biological systems and human dimensions of environmental change.

Fieldwork, laboratory analysis, GIS, and statistical data handling are developed throughout the programme, giving you the practical skills that employers in environmental science value most.

Graduates from this programme pursue careers in environmental consultancy, government environmental agencies, conservation organisations, the energy industry, water management, local authority environmental departments, and international development. The placement year is a significant advantage, giving you professional experience and a network before you graduate. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in environmental science, ecology, climate science, or sustainability, and UEA's research profile makes it a particularly strong environment for those who want to continue in academia or research.

The breadth and rigour of the programme mean its graduates are competitive across a wide range of environmental careers.