About the Pathway

We are a community of world-class environmental researchers, high achieving students, government scientists and commercial enterprises working together to address today’s biggest environmental challenges.

For more information, please read our guide on how Pathways work. The following modules are for entry year 2025.

Earth Science

The solid rocks that comprise Earth’s upper crust contain a record of change driven by processes originating from the core to the atmosphere over a period exceeding 2 billion years. This Pathway provides the basic skills needed to read this record and understand how Earth has evolved over both long and short periods of time. You will have the opportunity to take a number of field-based modules in both the UK and abroad.

*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability

Year One	Year Two	Year Three
Core modules	Core modules	Core modules
Biogeochemical Cycles	Experimental Design and Analysis	Introduction to Geophysical Techniques
Geology	Geoscience in Practice	Optional modules
Hydrology: Water in the Environment	Optional modules	Dissertation
Natural Hazards	Aquatic Biogeochemistry	Dissertation with Work Placement
The Earth's Interior	Catchment Hydrology	Extended Essay
Optional modules	*Field Course in the Lake District - Environmental	*Field Course in Devon - Hydrological Processes
Subject to A level portfolio, you may be required to replace one or more of the above modules with one or more of the following:	*Field Course in Scotland - Geological Mapping	*Field Course - Volcanic Processes
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry	Soil Science	Geological Hazards
Numerical Skills I		Hydrogeology
Numerical Skills II		Water Resources Management

Ecology and Conservation

Interactions between organisms, the environment and humanity are often complex. You will receive a thorough grounding in ecological theory and how these biological principles relate to the conservation of wildlife and ecological habitats. The pathway also concerns the practice of ecology and has a strong fieldwork component designed to encourage you to develop your practical skills.

*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability

Year One	Year Two	Year Three
Core modules	Core modules	Core modules
Aquatic Ecology	Populations to Ecosystems	Coral Reef Ecology
Biodiversity and Conservation	Principles of Biodiversity Conservation	Issues in Conservation Biology
Evolutionary Biology	Optional modules	Optional modules
Global Change Biology	Environmental Physiology	Animal Behaviour
Zoology	Evolution	Dissertation
Optional modules	Experimental Design and Analysis	Dissertation with Work Placement
*Field Course in the Eden Project, Cornwall *Field Course in the Spanish-Doñana (One of these modules can be taken in place of Aquatic Ecology, Global Change Biology or Zoology)	Field Biology	Environmental Plant Biology
	Introduction to Eco-Innovation	*Field Course in Kenya - Tropical Biology and Conservation
	Research Design and Delivery	*Field Course in the Scottish Highlands
		Host-Parasite Interactions
		Sustainable Agriculture

Environmental Science

This Pathway aims to train you in those areas of natural science (including chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, geology, physical geography) that are used to understand natural and anthropogenic processes on the surface of the Earth, rivers, lakes, oceans and the atmosphere, as well as Earth’s internal processes, against the backdrop of environmental change.

*Please note: some field courses will incur additional costs and are subject to availability

Year One	Year Two	Year Three
Core modules	Core modules	Optional modules
Atmosphere, Weather and Climate	Experimental Design and Analysis	Climate and Society
Biogeochemical Cycles	Optional modules	Dissertation
Geology	Aquatic Biogeochemistry	Dissertation with Work Placement
Hydrology: Water in the Environment	Atmospheric Science	Extended Essay
The Earth's Interior	Catchment Hydrology	*Field Course in Devon - Hydrological Processes
Optional modules	Energy, Economy and the Environment	Global Change and the Earth System
Subject to A level portfolio, you may be required to replace one or more of the above modules with one or more of the following:	Environmental Data Visualisation and Analysis	Hydrogeology
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry	*Field Course in the Lake District - Environmental	The Causes and Consequences of Environmental Radioactivity
Numerical Skills I	Soil Science	Water Resources Management
Numerical Skills II

To study on any particular Pathway you must meet the entry requirements of that subject. Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.