BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation with Foundation Year
- Entry year:
- 2026/27
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Full-time
- Campus:
- City
- UCAS Code:
- 6Z79
Available in Clearing for 2026 entry
Visit our Clearing hub: You can call one of our helpful and friendly Clearing advisors on 0808 5 564 565 or complete our online application form.
Why study this course with LJMU?
- Accredited by The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
- Option to take a 4-6 week placement and/or a 12-month sandwich placement in the UK or overseas
- 95% of students surveyed on this course said teaching staff were good at explaining things (NSS 2025)
- Teaching from conservation experts involved in collaborative research projects including primate conservation, large African mammal conservation, human wildlife conflict, species reintroduction, biogeography and species distributions, bird social behaviour and ecosystem services
- Learn practical skills: field surveying, animal and plant identification, GIS and recording animal behaviour
- Learn conservation practice skills: Habitat Management Plans, protected area designation, zoo conservation and conservation technology
- Innovative Geographical and Environmental Consultancy Module offers real world project experience
- £6 million invested in state-of-the-art facilities
About your course
The BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation at Liverpool John Moores University is taught by conservation experts and will allow you to develop the skills and knowledge you need to work in a professional conservation organisation.
About the Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the ability to study for a degree but don't have the qualifications to enter directly onto the Wildlife Conservation honours degree programme. It provides you with a strong scientific underpinning which will prepare you for the rest of your degree. Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria). The Foundation Year is assessed using a variety of creative methods, rather than examinations and tests.
About BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation
With greater public awareness of the environment and increasing concern about the exploitation and destruction of wildlife resources, this BSc degree looks at the causes of biodiversity loss, provides underpinning scientific knowledge into biodiversity loss and develops practical and sustainable ways to halt and reverse it.
During the course you will develop your knowledge of ecology, genetics, evolution, animal behaviour and environmental sustainability and apply this knowledge to develop practical solutions to conservation problems and conservation practice. You will also develop practical skills, such as animal and plant identification, wildlife surveys and conservation technology, recording animal behaviour, creating Habitat Management Plans and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). These are the skills and knowledge you need to work in a professional conservation organisation.
A key feature of this programme is the opportunity it presents to observe wildlife first-hand in natural habitats. There are many UK-based fieldtrips throughout the course, as well as a residential field trip at level 5. You will also have the opportunity to go on an international trip at level 6 — the destinations are subject to confirmation but currently include the primeval forests of Poland and volcanic landscapes of Iceland.
You will also have the opportunity to undertake a short (4 to 6 week) placement and/or 12-month sandwich placement with an organisation in the UK or overseas.
Course modules
What you will study on this degree
Please note that your choice of options may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Ecology and Conservation
20 credits
20 credits
This module covers key concepts within ecology and conservation including the abiotic environment; species, populations, communities, and ecosystems; human impacts on the environment; and various scientific applications of ecology. Case studies will be incorporated from different types of ecosystems reflecting their geographic distributions. Part of this will be achieved through field visits to a range of habitats.
Core modules
Conservation Practice
20 credits
20 credits
This module introduces you to conservation practice and management through largely field based activities on sites of conservation protection or importance. The module is developed to work alongside conservation practice organisation. You will gain knowledge on development and implementation of conservation management plans, protected area designation and other conservation practices such as habitat restoration and agri-environment schemes.
Optional modules
Sandwich Year - Wildlife Conservation
120 credits
120 credits
The aim is to provide students with an extended period of work experience at an approved partner that will complement their programme of study at LJMU. This will give students the opportunity to develop professional skills relevant to their programme of study as well as the attitude and behaviours necessary for employment in a diverse and changing environment. This extended placement forms a key part of a sandwich degree. All placements need to be assessed and approved prior to commencement in line with the LJMU Placement Learning Code of Practice. The Code of Practice requires students to conduct themselves in a professional and responsible manner during the placement - failure to do so may lead to the placement being terminated prematurely. Placements are normally for one calendar year on a full-time basis. Split placements of a shorter duration may be permissible. There is an expectation that a minimum of 1200 hours will be spent in the workplace.
Study Year Abroad - Wildlife Conservation
120 credits
120 credits
Study Semester Abroad - Wildlife Conservation
60 credits
60 credits
Optional modules
Work-Based Learning
20 credits
20 credits
This module provides relevant, stimulating and career-orientated experiential learning to encourage you to develop transferable skills relevant to the work environment and to foster initiative and independence of thought.
Professional accreditation
The degree is accredited by the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES), the education committee of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES).
The academic team also has links with local, national and international conservation agencies, such as the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the British Ecological Society, Wildlife Trusts and the North of England Zoological Society. They provide consultancy advice and form collaborative partnerships via research projects and membership of trustee boards.
Your Learning Experience
Excellent facilities and learning resources
We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.
Teaching is via lectures, seminars and online activities with interactive workshops in the form of group discussions, practical demonstrations and fieldwork and laboratory sessions, which give you the chance to observe animals and plants first-hand and develop your practical skills.
Small tutorial groups provide a forum for discussing course material more informally. Lecture material can also be found in our library and on our virtual learning environment, Canvas.
Work-based Learning
As part of your work-related learning, you have the opportunity to undertake a short (4-6 week) work-based placement or a 12-month placement with a relevant organisation in the UK or abroad.
This work experience will not only give you a chance to put into practice what you have learnt at LJMU, it will also help you develop your personal skills and add real value to your CV. Such experiences are not only extremely rewarding, they can lead to permanent employment through contacts made.
Recent sandwich placements have included: management and surveying in RSPB reed bed sites, tracking game birds at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust; surveying for wolves in Italy, evaluation of top wildlife sites on an MoD estate; surveying seabirds with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust; rearing of endangered species at Blackpool and Chester Zoos; and working for a wildlife rehabilitation centres in Costa Rica and Bulgaria.
Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support
Throughout your course you will have the support of a personal tutor who will be available to discuss course-related matters in both tutorial sessions and one-to-one progress review meetings. These meetings are to monitor your performance and identify action plans for improvement. A dedicated supervisor will also provide support during your research project and/or work-based learning, including visits to your workplace if you opt for the 12-month work placement.
The school is fully committed to promoting a learning environment that supports a culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) and has a Disability Support Coordinator, an EDI Coordinator and a School EDI Working Group. Personal Tutors also play a vital role in promoting awareness of support services for students.
Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.
All students perform differently depending on the way they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. Exams may therefore include a range of question types e.g. multiple choice, short answer, interpretative, problem-based learning and essay. Coursework assessment could be in the form of phase tests, fieldwork/practical reports, data handling, oral presentations, poster presentations, group discussions, essays or the evaluation of your practical skills, and are based on individual assignments though some require group work.
Feedback on coursework assessments is normally provided within three weeks of submission and may be via Canvas, face-to-face or as written comments. We believe that constructive feedback is vital in helping you identify your strengths as well as the areas where you may need to put in more work.
Where you will study
You will study at the Byrom Street site in the university's City Campus in the heart of Liverpool. You will have access to first class teaching facilities, laboratories and study areas. The City Campus Library is within easy walking distance and here you'll find all the information you need to support your studies.
I have loved being at LJMU. The amazing people I have met throughout my university experience have been a catalyst for achievement. Friends, lecturers and employers have all made my experience thoroughly enjoyable, and made Liverpool a special and endearing place which I will always feel at home in.
Career paths
Our BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation graduates go into a hugely diverse range of careers both in the UK and overseas.
Graduates find jobs in nature reserve management, conservation NGOs, zoos, aquaria and wildlife parks, conservation charities, countryside ranger departments, ecological consultancies, fisheries management, agri-environment advisory services, environmental education, ecological research and overseas conservation projects.
Recent graduates can be found working as wildlife trust reserve managers, wildlife rangers, environmental and ecological consultants, zookeepers, zoo scientific and education officers and children's nature activities leaders.
Postgraduate study or research is another option - MSc Wildlife Conservation
A number of our graduates are currently undertaking research degrees within the School, on topics such as assessing reasons for success and failure of species reintroduction, the effects of climate change on plant communities and assessing the effectiveness of vegetation buffer zones on maintaining water quality.
Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service
A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.
Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website.
Tuition fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students beginning their studies in September 2026 will be £9,790 for the 2026/27 academic year, subject to Parliamentary approval.
In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are set in accordance with the Government’s regulated fee cap. The Government has confirmed that this cap will be £9,790 for 2026/27 and £10,050 for 2027/28, in both cases subject to Parliamentary approval.
The Government has also indicated that from the 2028/29 academic year onwards, the fee cap may be adjusted annually in line with inflation. As a result, tuition fees in future years may increase in line with inflation. We will provide confirmation of any changes as early as possible in advance of each academic year.
The university reserves the right to increase tuition fees in accordance with any changes to the maximum allowable fees set by the UK Parliament.
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus Wi-Fi.
Financial Support
The University offers a range of scholarships to support students through their studies. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist funding pages, including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs including those for placements, visas and travel for studying abroad and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
* Practical and field activities underpin all programmes in the School. PPE is provided for all necessary practical work. There are no costs for day field trips for core and optional modules. Residential field trips associated with core modules are subsidised and include travel and half-board accommodation costs. Any residential field trips for optional modules will incur a cost to the student. Locations may be subject to change and also subject to national and international travel restrictions.
A DBS check is not required for your application, however a DBS may be required for modules where there is a work based learning placement option. Work based learning placements that do not require a DBS check are available.
Applying via Clearing
Minimum UCAS points required:
For the latest entry requirements, complete our Clearing Application Form or call our Clearing hotline on 0808 5 564 565.
You can find out a wealth of useful information and support with the Clearing process on our Clearing webpages.
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