Environmental Science (Study Abroad)

MSci Hons

  • UCAS code F851
  • Entry year 2025
  • A level requirements AAB
  • Duration Full time 4 years

We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Discover the global challenges facing our environment and broaden your horizons with an exciting international placement.

This flexible programme draws from a wide range of scientific disciplines to build a degree that matches your interests and career aspirations. Covering both natural and man-made environments, we will explore the main factors and processes that control today’s environment; how the environment has evolved to its current state; and how environmental conditions may change in the future.

You will spend the third year of your degree studying at another world-class university in North America, Australasia or Europe. There, you will undertake a similar set of modules that you would at Lancaster, whilst broadening your horizons and engaging with a different culture and society.

Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credit to your Lancaster degree. Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if core modules are unavailable. If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster.

Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad.

Your first year will address many of the fundamental themes of environmental science, from understanding hydrology and flood risk to learning about the atmosphere, weather and climate. You will be taught by internationally-renowned academics and will have access to our state-of-the-art laboratories, which offer excellent facilities for practical work.

Third year modules, taken abroad, will build on themes introduced in Years 1 and 2, whilst offering you a range of specialist modules to choose from. You will be given flexibility to shape your own path and focus on a specific topic area, be it geological hazards, soil science, environmental radioactivity or glacial systems.

This programme includes a fourth year of study which enables you to undertake an extended research project. You will also be given an opportunity to choose from a range of Master's level modules, such as Lake Ecology, and Flood Forecasting and Flood Risk Management.

In addition to your subject knowledge, you will gain communication and information technology skills and will become familiar with data handling and environmental sampling and analysis. Throughout your degree, considerable weight is placed upon these transferable skills by potential employers.

MSci Hons Environmental Science

As an alternative to our Study Abroad degree, you may wish to consider the MSci Hons Environmental Science variant. You will spend your third year at Lancaster instead of at one of our partnering universities.

Assessment

The assessment process varies across modules, but includes laboratory reports, essays, independent project reports, group presentations, multiple-choice tests and exams. Assessment is an ongoing process, rather than being left solely until the end of the module. This means we are able to offer feedback to you throughout your degree and, equally as importantly, it relieves pressure on you when modules are examined at the end of each year.

Our community

We offer support in a variety of ways to ensure that you achieve your full academic potential. You’ll be assigned a student mentor to help you settle in, and you can receive help with any aspect of your degree from your academic tutor, Director of Studies, teaching coordinators and student learning advisor. We strive to inspire and encourage our future environmental scientists.

Course accreditation

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This programme is accredited by the Community for Environmental Disciplines in Higher Education (CEDHE), the education committee of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES). A programme accredited by CEDHE is assured to meet high standards, contain a strong component of practical, field and theoretical activities, and has excellent opportunities for training, work experience and links to the professional environmental sector. Students enrolled on CEDHE-accredited programmes can apply for free Student Membership of the IES and for a fast-track route to membership once they graduate. This programme is aligned with the academic requirements for Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) and starts graduates on a route towards becoming a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) or Chartered Scientist (CSci).

Learn more about the CEDHE accreditation

Careers

The environmental sciences are pivotal in helping society take on the most pressing environmental challenges. This increasingly important area of study means that more and more global jobs are becoming available, and as a graduate of the environmental sciences, you can make a difference using your specialist knowledge of the local, regional, and global impact our actions have on the world. Environmentally-focused careers include Environmental Consultant, Weather Forecaster, Conservation Officer, Sustainability Consultant, Toxicologist, Wastewater Manager, Hydrologist and many, many more. You may wish to continue in academia or work in a non-environmental role where your skills in problem solving, critical thinking, data handling, project management and commercial awareness make you an in-demand graduate. Graduates from our courses are also well-paid, with the median starting salary of graduates from Lancaster Environment Centre being £24,347 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).

Here are just some of the roles that our BSc and MSci Environmental Science students have progressed into upon graduating:

  • Environmental Consultant – AECOM
  • Environmental Technologist – 4 Rail Services
  • Conservation Delivery Support Officer – Natural England
  • PhD Candidate – University of York
  • Technical Environmental Consultant – MSS Group
  • Marine Environmental Officer – Carnival Corporation
  • Environmental Specialist – Environment Arabia
  • Geo-Environmental Consultant – IDOM Consulting, Engineering and Architecture
  • Low Carbon Sector Advisor – GC Business Growth Hub
  • Climate and Environment Policy Advisor – Government Office for Science
  • Flood Resilience Advisor – Environment Agency
  • Carbon Modeller – Bezero Carbon

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

A Level AAB

Required Subjects A level grade B in one science from the following; Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Human Biology, Mathematics, Physics or Psychology.

Please note, for students who do not have A-level Chemistry or an equivalent qualification, we require you to take our Introduction to Environmental Chemistry module in the first year. Students who do not have A-level Mathematics or an equivalent qualification will be required to take our Numerical Skills II module in the first year. Students who do not have at least Grade 7 in GCSE Maths will be required to take Numerical Skills I in addition to Numerical Skills II. These chemistry and mathematics modules are not replacements for A-levels, but are skills modules taught on a need-to-know basis to support you in the rest of your degree. Further details regarding these modules can be found under ‘Course Structure’.

GCSE Mathematics grade B or 5, English Language grade C or 4

IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.

Other Qualifications

International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including one science subject at HL grade 6

BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction to include sufficient science. We require Distinctions in majority of relevant science units. Not all science-based BTECs will include sufficient relevant science units. Please contact the Admissions Team for further advice.

We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.

Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

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.

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Fees and funding

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.

Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,535 £29,820

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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