Undergraduate

BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies

On this page

• Description
• Planning your studies
• Career relevance
• Courses
• Learning outcomes
• Credit for previous study elsewhere
• Classification of your degree
• Regulations
• How to register

Description

If you’re awarded this degree you’ll have a broad understanding of the relationship between human activity and environmental change, and of the principles of sustainability. You will recognise the effects of large-scale human activities (such as agriculture, resource extraction, energy supply, transport and urbanisation) on natural and modified ecosystems, and the options for managing them. You’ll be able to bring together skills from science, technology and social science to investigate and analyse environmental issues that you encounter in your life or work and to advocate changes in management and policy.

Planning your studies

We advise that you start with a course at Level 1. This degree requires that you complete 60 points of study at this level, from either Environment: journeys through a changing world (U116), Exploring science (S104) or Introducing the social sciences (DD101) (or the two 30-point courses DD131 and DD132). We recommend U116 if you are entering the OU with a broad interest in environment. DD101 and S104 also have significant environment content from social science and science perspectives respectively. Whatever your choice, if you complete this Level 1 work successfully you’ll have a firm foundation for future studies as well as credit points to count towards your degree.

If you’re new to study or to the OU, however, you may wish to start with the introductory course Introducing environment (Y161) from our Openings Programme before embarking on one of the above courses.

The structure of this qualification is changing from 2013. If you are currently studying towards this degree and plan to complete your studies by 31 December 2012, you can choose from either of the pathways below. If you complete your studies after 31 December 2012, you must follow the first pathway.

You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual courses, or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have already studied towards the degree. This gives you the flexibility to delay your decision or to change your mind as your studies progress. There is no time limit for obtaining the required credit points for this qualification; however, you should note limitations on individual courses as mentioned below. You must include at least 120 points from OU courses that have not been counted in an OU diploma or other first degree you have been awarded. If you have graduated with an OU BA or BSc degree without honours this requirement is reduced to 60 points.

Career relevance and employability

Environmental studies graduates are found working in public, voluntary and private sector occupations, such as environmental management, environmental policy and information systems. This degree may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. You can download Recognition leaflet 3.2 Royal Town Planning Institute and Recognition leaflet 3.4 Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management, or ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for copies. Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for the careers publication OU study and your career if you want to find out more about the process of career development and about sources of careers information and guidance.

For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.

There’s more information about the career relevance of degrees on the national HE Prospects website.

Courses

If you complete this degree after 31 December 2012 for this 360-point honours degree you require:

60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses DD100, DD121, DD122, S103

60 points from the following compulsory course:

Or the discontinued course U206

And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses DT210, S268, S269, S278, ST240, T205, T237, T265, U208, UZX213

And 60 points from one of the following compulsory courses:

And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses DU310, S328, SXR369, T303

*Only if not already studied as the compulsory Level 3 course

To complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining points up to a maximum of 60 points can be from any OU undergraduate courses. For those of you with an interest in science, we recommend these 10-point short courses: Archaeology: the science of investigation (SA188); Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis (S186); and Understanding the weather (S189). You must ensure that you have the required number of points at each level.

The courses listed can count towards this degree for a maximum of ten years after we have stopped presenting them. Please see course descriptions for presentation plans.

If you complete this 360-point honours degree before 31 December 2012 you can choose to either follow this pathway or the one above:

60 points from the following compulsory course:

Or the discontinued course U206

And at least 120 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses DT210, S268, S269, S278, ST240, T205, T237, T265, U208, UZX213

And 60 points from one of the following compulsory courses:

And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:

Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses DU310, S328, SXR369, T303

*Only if not already studied as the compulsory Level 3 course

To complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining points up to a maximum of 60 points can be from any OU undergraduate courses. You may, include environment-related courses in this ‘free choice’ element, such as Introducing environment (Y161); Archaeology: the science of investigation (SA188); Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis (S186); and Understanding the weather (S189). You can also include our 30-point Level 1 course Working with our environment: technology for a sustainable future (T172) (now discontinued).

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Cognitive skills
• Practical and professional skills
• Key skills

Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.

Credit for previous study elsewhere

If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.

Credit transfer details for this qualification:

• Essential Information Sheets - BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies

Classification of your degree

On successful completion of the required number and type of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science (Honours) Environmental Studies degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 points from the courses above Level 1 listed above. At least 120 of those points must come from courses at Level 3. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony to collect your award certificate.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.

Award Regulations

• Introduction to the Award Regulations
• General Award Regulations
• BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies
• Schedule A to the Award Regulations

Student Regulations

The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.

How to register

To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.

About this page

An undergraduate qualification in Environment, Development and International Studies and Science.

Study explained

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