Countryside Management and Conservation
Foundation Degree Countryside Management and Conservation:
- 2 year (UCAS code D440)
- 3 year (UCAS code D4C1)
Foundation Degree in Countryside Management and Conservation
To conserve the natural resources of our countryside we must understand the pressures that wildlife and its associated habitats are facing. Land for conservation is a limited resource and efficient management of our wildlife is essential if there is to be a diverse and vibrant countryside. We must not only manage the formal nature reserves but must also integrate farming and conservation and bring wildlife into
Foundation degrees are vocational qualifications in higher education aiming to bridge the gap between initial entry to higher education and honours degrees, and are designed to allow progression to honours level.
If you are seeking a practical job working in the countryside, for example on a nature reserve or for the National Trust or national parks, then this course provides an essential first step. For those wishing to follow a vocational route to degree level or those who wish to retrain for a career change, our foundation degree in Countryside Management and Conservation is an excellent route to achieving your objectives. You will receive every encouragement to progress onto the final year of the BSc (Honours) degree scheme.
This foundation degree builds on our recognised expertise in applied, vocational courses. This course will provide you with a sound practical and scientific knowledge base to underpin your career in the countryside industry.
Content and Structure
Countryside managers need a wide range of skills and knowledge of the issues and processes that combine to create the countryside that we know, and therefore, this course includes a diverse range of subject matter.
Year 1
You will study range of subject areas including: practical estate skills; geology and landform; landscape history; the management of habitats; countryside recreation and tourism; countryside organisations; agriculture and land use; rural communities and study skills. There is also an integrative study tour in semester two.
Work Experience
On the foundation degree course you are required to undertake either six weeks or nine months of work experience. The placement for this course can be in any area related to countryside management or conservation and will be for an organisation such as a local authority countryside service, the Countryside Council for Wales, The National Trust, the RSPB, a local wildlife trust or a national park. If you take the six week work experience option, the foundation degree will take you two years to complete, whilst if you take the nine month option, the course will take three years. The work experience may be tailored to your particular interest.
Practical Estate Skills
In one year you will spend one day per week learning the skills required to carry out practical estate work. This will include such crafts as dry stone walling, hedge laying, fencing, tree planting and rights of way work such as bridges, kissing gates, steps and stiles.
There is a final year module developing professional management skills and an option to take advanced practical skills which will lead to relevant industry certification.
Year 2 or 3
You will study a range of subject areas including: advanced practical skills; farming and conservation; wildlife and habitat management; visitor management; human impact on the environment; landscape and the planning system; professional system; professional skills, research methods and statistics; individual project. You can select from a range of optional modules to tailor the course to your own particular interests.
Progression to BSc (Hons)
Upon successful completion of the foundation degree, you may progress onto the third year of one of our countryside related honours degree schemes, providing you have met the required entry qualification.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a mixture of continuous assessment and formal examination. Continuous assessment is in the form of assignments, which are designed to be as realistic as possible and will develop your skills as well as your knowledge. Example assignments include stile or footbridge construction; producing an environmental webpage; field visit log books production of a conservation management plan and the development or a recreational trail.
Career Opportunities
The practical skills you will acquire during the course and the work experience period are in great demand in the countryside today. We are proud of our students' employment record. Typical employment opportunities have included countryside estate workers, rangers and wardens, access officers, conservation officers, community workers, environmental interpreters and educators. Organisations employing these types of staff include national parks, the National Trust, the Forestry Commission, and local authorities. Within the industry we are considered to provide an excellent grounding for entry into a countryside management career.