This four-year course aims to give you an understanding of how life on this planet works and changes, and how organisms, plants and animal species react with one another within the ecosystems around us. You will explore topics ranging from the molecular genetics of populations, plant science and animal behavior, to environmental management, biodiversity and conservation – plus the essentials of economics and politics. You’ll get out into the natural environment too – gaining confidence in practical field skills, survey techniques and field projects. You can choose to join one of our residential field trips to Europe or go further afield in a sub-tropical climate (currently Kenya and/or Swaziland) to test your skills in a totally different environment. **Course Structure****Year 1**The first year of your Ecology degree is all about developing your field skills and theoretical knowledge to give you a solid grounding in the fundamentals of ecology. You will undertake a range of modules which will see you exploring biodiversity and taxonomy as well as evolution which will enable you to explore the processes which have driven the diversity of life on Earth. Alongside this you will also consider the challenges facing ecologists today and think about solutions to some of these problems from an interdisciplinary perspective by studying alongside students from the School of Environmental Sciences. Finally you will also undertake a module based around a programme of field trips exploring some of the wonderful habitats and landscapes found across East Anglia. **Year 2** The second year of your degree sees you further developing your theoretical knowledge with compulsory modules that explore population and community ecology, the management of populations including the role of citizen science and Big Data and a two-week long field course in Western Ireland exploring a range of habitats, refining your survey skills and analytical techniques. You also get to choose three modules to complement all of these and might find yourself exploring the aquatic and marine environment, undertaking a further field course in the tropics, currently in Swaziland in Southern Africa or exploring environmental policy and the role of politics in science and conservation.**Year 3**You’ll spend your third year studying overseas at one of our partner universities in Australasia, North America or Europe. All universities have their own area of research focus, and they’re reflected in their teachings. So your year abroad is a fantastic chance to cover aspects of ecology that aren’t our main focus at UEA.**Year 4**In your final year of your studies you will undertake an independent ecological research project. Working with one of the researchers from within the School or from one of our affiliated research institutions, this project is your opportunity to explore your own areas of interest, to answer a research question that you may have developed during your studies. You will also choose to study a range of modules that help you to specialise in the areas of ecology that suit your own interests, be they the evolution of social behaviour, the role of parasites in driving host evolution or biodiversity conservation and human society.By the time you finish this final year of your studies you will have had hands-on opportunities to explore a range of temperate and tropical habitats, spent time exploring organisms and their anatomy, considered the role of evolution in driving the diversity of life and developed many transferable skills from report writing through to science communication. You will graduate with an excellent grounding in Ecology and Conservation, ready to apply your skills to this increasingly important field of science.**Disclaimer**Course details are subjec