Countryside Management Degree

BSc D455 - 3 years

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Video Transcript

If you want a career working in countryside management - for organisations like the National Trust or a national park - then this vocational Countryside Management degree is for you. The course equips you with the knowledge and skills required to gain employment in a Countryside Management capacity. In the Aberystwyth Countryside Management degree, you will study a wide range of subjects through a combination of lectures, visits, study tours and work related assignments. The optional modules in this Countryside Management degree scheme will enable you to tailor your course to suit your individual interests and career aspirations. You will also have the opportunity to undertake some of your study abroad in a European or American University to see some of the different countryside management issues which arise in different cultures and to do some work experience in the UK.

Countryside Management degree Key Features

• Vocational 3 year full time course
• Skills development
• Continuous assessment
• Study tours and visits
• Optional work experience
• Realism and relevance
• Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and supportive staff
• European and American exchanges

Countryside Management degree Content and Structure

Countryside managers need a wide knowledge of the issues and processes that combine to create the countryside that we know and love. As such the range of subject matter is diverse. Example subject areas include:

Year 1

In the first year of your Countryside Management degree you will be involved in subjects such as Geology and landform; ecology; countryside organisations; rural communities; countryside recreation; archeology; tourism; rural economics; agriculture. There is also a week's study tour in semester 2, which seeks to analyse locations and activites by bringing together material from the different topics which you have covered.

Year 2

You may take a six-week industrial placement in the vacation between your first and second year of your Countryside Management degree. Examples of subject areas include: habitat and wildlife management; visitor management; countryside access; forestry and woodlands; community development; landscape; human impact on the environment; countryside law; research methodologies; rural tourism; planning; environmental economics; advanced ICT; and food, farming and the environment.

Year 3

In your third year of the Countryside Management degree you undertake an individual research project and study the following: species conservation; global biodiversity; landscape ecology; recreation and tourism planning; interpretation and environmental education; farming and wildlife; current countryside issues; integrated rural resource management. There is also a week of study visits.

Detailed Course Structure

Countryside Management degree 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:

• Development of an environmental web page
• Production of a conservation management plan
• Assessment of issues in a real rural community
• Planning role play
• Development of a recreation trail

Countryside Management degree Careers

Former students of our Countryside Management degree are employed as countryside rangers and wardens, access officers, conservation officers, community workers, environmental interpreters and educators. Organisations employing such staff include national parks, the National Trust, the Forestry Commission and local authorities. Within the industry we are considered to be amongst the best providers of entry routes into a countryside management career.

Leo Henley Lock BSc Countryside Management Crawley, Sussex

I came to Aberystwyth on an Open Day, and I said if I couldn’t come to Aberystwyth I wouldn’t go to university. I fell in love with it straight away, everything’s so close together. It’s a really compact town. The department is really good. The lecturers are really helpful and friendly, and there’s always someone about to answer my queries. The sporting facilities are quite good. I went surfing last week, and climbing in North Wales yesterday, they’re all a stone’s throw away from Aberystwyth. There’s always a spare day, and if you programme your work right, there’s always time for a quick surf before lectures!! There’s a real community feel here. When you go into town you see a familiar face and you know there’s always someone you know around. I can’t think of anything I don’t like about Aberystwyth! Perhaps the journey up here, but it’s worth it. The social life here is really good, there’s a real atmosphere everywhere you go, and it’s different from anywhere else. There are a lot of bars and nightclubs, and they’ve all got their own unique atmosphere. I would definitely recommend Aberystwyth to others. For anyone thinking of doing rural sciences it’s perfect. It isn’t intimidating like a city, and there’s a real community feel.