The University of Edinburgh 
                   School of GeoSciences 
                                   
                                   
           BSc Honours in Ecological and Environmental 
                             Sciences 
           BSc Honours in Ecological and Environmental 
                    Sciences with Management 
                                   
                     Years 3 and 4 – Honours 
                                   
                   2016/17 Course Information 
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
         
               Contents 
               Introduction ................................................................................................... 3 
               Ecological and Environmental Sciences Years 3 and 4 .................................... 3 
               Your course choices ....................................................................................... 3 
               Course summary ............................................................................................ 5 
               Key Dates ....................................................................................................... 6 
               Compulsory Course Information .................................................................... 7 
                 BILG09009    Population and Community Ecology .......................................................................... 7 
                 ECSC09004    Ecological Measurement ............................................................................................ 8 
                   ECSC10033        Ecological and Environmental Science field Course………………………………………………. 9 
                 ECSC10034    Critical Thinking in Ecological and Environmental Science ....................................... 10 
                 ECSC10030    Dissertation in Ecological and Environmental Sciences ........................................... 13 
                 ECSC10032    Professional Skills in Ecological and Environmental Sciences .................................. 15 
                 ECSC10031    Dissertation in Ecological and Environmental Sciences with Management ............. 17 
                
               Optional Course Information ....................................................................... 19 
                 ECSC09002    Natural Resource Management ............................................................................... 19 
                 ECSC09005    Environmental Pollution ........................................................................................... 22 
                 ECSC10036    Conservation Science ................................................................................................ 24 
                 ECSC10025    Effective Project Planning and Management ........................................................... 25 
                 ECSC10037    Current Issues in Ecology and Environmental Science ............................................. 27 
                    ECSC10014       Land Atmosphere Interactions ……………………………………………………………………………28 
                 Other popular optional courses ........................................................................................................ 30 
               Degree Programme Tables ........................................................................... 30 
                 Ecological and Environmental Sciences (BSc Hons) (UTBSCECOLE1F) .............................................. 30 
                 Ecological and Environmental Sciences with Management (BSc Hons) (UTBSCECOLM1F) .............. 32 
               Useful links .................................................................................................. 33 
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
        Introduction 
         
        This handbook describes the courses taught in the Honours years of the BSc Ecological and Environmental 
        Sciences and BSc Ecological and Environmental Sciences with Management Honours Degree programmes. A 
        synopsis of each individual course is given in this handbook, which also includes details of timetables for each 
        course, the degree programme tables and information about the learning outcomes for each course. 
         
        The details contained in the handbook are correct at the time of publishing. 
         
        Dr Margaret Graham 
        Degree Programme Convenor 
        BSc Ecological and Environmental Sciences 
        Ecological and Environmental Sciences Years 3 and 4 
         
        Ecological and Environmental Sciences / Ecological and Environmental Sciences with Management Years 3 and 
        4 During years 3 and 4, the two degree programmes broadly follow the same route with students of both 
        programmes studying the same compulsory courses. The focus in the ‘honours’ years of a degree is more 
        detailed than years 1 and 2 and students are expected to invest much more time and effort to self-study than 
        in ‘pre-honours’ study. 
         
        In year 3, you will be required to take the compulsory courses Population and Community Biology 3 and 
        Ecological Measurement. The Ecological Measurement course includes a field trip to the Highlands of Scotland 
        during the summer preceding the 3rd year. The courses focus on the collection and analysis of data both in the 
        laboratory and in the field and by the end of junior honours year, students should have gained a knowledge 
        and understanding of data and key techniques used to reach conclusions on the function of ecological and 
        environmental systems, as well as having attained an increased understanding of biological processes. 
         
        The focus in the fourth year, as your studies at Edinburgh come to their conclusion, is the 40-credit 
        dissertation project. You will be required to select a topic during your third year and will be assigned a 
        supervisor relating to that topic to guide you throughout collecting and analysing data and writing the report. 
        The dissertation project is also supplemented by 3 COMPULSORY courses, totalling 40 credits and an additional 
        40 credits of optional courses. Details of the courses and Degree Programme Tables are given later in this 
        handbook. 
        Your course choices 
         
        In your third and fourth years, you are required to take a mixture of compulsory and optional courses totalling 
        240 credits, 120 credits in each honours year. 
         
        Students of both BSc Ecological and Environmental Sciences and BSc Ecological and Environmental Sciences 
        with Management will study the same compulsory courses, totalling 40 credits in the third year and 80 credits 
        in the fourth year. However, the nature of each student’s compulsory dissertation course will relate to the 
        relevant degree programme. 
         
        The optional courses taken by students on each degree programme relate to the specific degree programme: 
        “With Management” students are encouraged to study courses from the School of Business and the School of 
        Economics, while Ecological and Environmental Sciences students will study courses with a more scientific 
        perspective. Students from both degree programmes will take 80 credits of optional courses in the third year 
        and 40 credits of optional courses in the fourth year. 
         
        We advise that you try to spread the weight of your options courses evenly across both semesters. Details of 
        optional courses available are found on page 18 of this guide.