Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ocean Science and Marine Conservation (Optional Placement)

at University of Plymouth United Kingdom

Physical geography and geology examines how the Earth’s surface is shaped by natural and human processes. This knowledge is key to addressing many of the complex sustainability challenges facing the planet. Our new modules explore geohazards and risk, clean energy transitions, and long term environmental change. Students gain specialist academic, international fieldwork and laboratory skills providing a springboard to an exciting and diverse range of careers.

Have you Considered

• BSc (Hons) Geography
• BSc (Hons) Geography with Ocean Science
• BSc (Hons) Geology
• BSc (Hons) Geology with Ocean Science

Key Features

• Our new modules address critical sustainability challenges: reducing risk from natural hazards, harnessing cleaner energy sources and how to combat climate and environmental change.
• Our approachable staff share their cutting-edge research and expertise through varied teaching practices in lectures, tutorials, practical classes and field courses.
• Learn to apply the latest techniques in the field and laboratory. Our substantial fieldwork programme provides opportunities in a variety of UK and overseas locations including Death Valley USA, Spain, Sicily and Cyprus.
• Study modules dedicated to addressing the connection between physical geography and geology, such as ‘long-term landscape development’.
• Progress your skills in our open access laboratory, LABplus.
• Develop your confidence with a personal tutor, providing you with weekly guidance throughout your first year.
• Our PALS mentoring scheme provides you with support from students in the year ahead.
• Plymouth's coastal location, close to Dartmoor and two UNESCO World Heritage sites provides the perfect setting for studying geology, with opportunities for fieldwork right on our doorstep.
• Receive essential field safety equipment free as part of your welcome package.
• Work towards becoming a Chartered Geologist, our accreditation by the Geological Society, the world’s oldest and most prestigious national learned society for geology, helps you to gain the required experience.
• Take the opportunity to spend your second year studying abroad in Canada, Australia, USA or elsewhere through our direct exchange, Erasmus or ISEP programmes. Plymouth is currently the only UK institution to offer exchanges through ISEP, giving our students the greatest range of Earth science exchange opportunities available.

In the financial world, high-level mathematics equips you to understand and model the markets. Key topics in this course include stochastic calculus and time series, which are used for modelling the pricing of financial options or quantifying your exposure to risk. You are introduced to the structure of the financial world through modules in accountancy, financial institutions and investment management. You gain strong communication skills through presentations and small group tutorials.

Key Features

• The degree includes high level mathematical and statistical techniques, with financial applications ranging from accountancy to financial markets and investment management.
• You will be taught by staff with expertise in financial mathematics and statistics from both the Centre for Mathematical Sciences and Plymouth Business School.
• Financial statistics is lectured by someone who has worked for a hedge fund. Other important mathematical material for financial markets includes partial differential equations, time series and optimisation techniques.
• Model and simulate financial products with Bloomberg Professional service and the statistical programming language, R. These skills are valued by financial employers.
• An optional but strongly recommended placement between the second and final years gives you excellent career prospects. Recent placement providers include Vauxhall Motors (finance division) and reinsurance giant Swiss Re.

Do you want to understand how a computer really works? You'll gain technical skills in computational theory, software development on a variety of devices and platforms, database development, computer hardware and networking. In addition to the technical content, you'll acquire an awareness of social, legal and ethical aspects of the IT industry.

This degree has a strong emphasis on practical skills which are extremely useful in the workplace. This provides an opportunity to accelerate your career. An optional, but strongly recommended, placement year is an opportunity to gain industrial experience and enhance your CV. Recent placement providers for our students include: the BBC, the Met Office, Microsoft, the National Physical Laboratory and Nestlé.

Have you Considered

• BSc (Hons) Computing and Software Development
• BSc (Hons) Cyber Security
• BSc (Hons) Games Development Technologies

Key Features

• We have strong connections with industry, including links with Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Cisco, Intel, Apple, Nvidia and many more. We are a member of Microsoft Imagine (formerly DreamSpark) which enable our students to acquire free software to support their studies.
• Distinguish yourself with a degree that’s accredited by and entitles membership of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT (Subject to approval). You may also gain registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and will partially meet the educational requirements for Chartered Engineering (CEng) registration.
• Be inspired by the creativity that our practical, hands-on course nurtures. Our ‘learning through doing’ ethos means you’ll quickly achieve expertise.
• Learn from dedicated teaching staff, who are engaged in internationally significant research, are actively creating and developing applications, and have a wealth of industry contacts.
• Lay strong foundations for a successful career, using our extensive industry links to secure a one-year work placement – giving you the vital industry experience and connections you’ll need when you graduate.
• Discover the many collaboration opportunities, which mirror the teamwork at the heart of the industry. In the second year, you’ll work in a team of developers on our integrating project, to create a complete system from concept to delivery – honing your professional and communication skills.
• Immerse yourself in our modern and well equipped labs, which run industry standard developer tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio, NetBeans, Android Studio, Apple X-Code (Apple labs only) and much more. The labs are regularly updated and refurbished and they all have free, unlimited and very fast Internet access.
• Benefit from our focused and relevant research, we work closely with our Big Data Group and our Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems, which conducts leading research reputation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, big data and robotics.  You will be offered practical and theoretical modules ranging from Machine Learning, computational theory and AI through to computer vision and parallel computing. You will have access to current AI and robotics platforms for final year projects on topics such as deep learning, cognitive robotics and big data.
• Ensure you have the business, communication and personal skills employers are looking for, with our teaching programme that reflects the strong entrepreneurial spirit driving the computer industry.

Enhance your skills in the areas of management, leadership and innovation - required by a wide range of healthcare professionals and health service managers. MSc Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation is designed to be a highly flexible entry into management within the health and care service, whether your interests lie in leadership, quality improvement, innovation methodology, organisation development, patient safety, or education.

You will study aspects of management, leadership and innovation in healthcare, relevant to professionals seeking to lead services and organisations into the future and explore the management and leadership theories pertinent to health and care practice. Gain practical experience of multi-disciplinary team working through problem identification and problem solving to encourage innovation and creativity in project design, development and knowledge transfer. You'll also be offered the choice of a traditional research-based dissertation or the option to undertake a work-related professional project or quality improvement project built on improvement science principles

Key features

Do you want to promote and restore people’s health and well-being? On this two year masters programme you'll learn how to enhance people’s occupational engagement in everyday life in order to meet their biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs through exploration and adaptation. You will become a highly skilled, reflective and confident occupational therapy practitioner, able to critically evaluate the importance of occupational engagement for every stage of an individual’s life.

Key features

• Study full time over two years and gain an MSc as your entry qualification to the profession.
• Join an enthusiastic team of occupational therapists, undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students who are pushing forward the boundaries of knowledge on  occupational therapy and occupational science.
• Take the opportunity to study on the only programme of its kind in the South West.
• Cover the required 90 weeks of pre-registration study in two years, instead of the usual three years, on the full-time accelerated programme, to qualify and gain employment quicker.
• Develop your understanding of the philosophy of the profession and the relevant sciences that guide practice, as well as the creative reflexivity for effecting necessary change.
• Benefit from the experience of being out on placement for 29 weeks – gain invaluable knowledge, skills and industry contacts which will help boost your future career prospects.
• Looking for a change of career? Prepare yourself for a new future role. Your first degree does not have to be from a health profession background to study on this programme.
• Successfully complete the programme and you’ll be eligible to apply for registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council and to be a member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists.
• Your qualification will be recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, meaning you may be eligible to apply to work overseas.

Deepen your knowledge of the business environment and your understanding how organisations operate. Discover how and why businesses innovate and why enterprise is critical in the marketplace. Prepare for a career in the world of business and improve your professional and business communication skills.

Designed as a one or two year top-up programme, BA (Hons) Business provides an opportunity for students some prior higher education or relevant work experience to be employable, enterprising and well equipped for lifelong learning and the professional world through a combination of academic analysis and the development of a broad range of key personal, cognitive/intellectual, transferable, practical and employment skills.

Key features

• Study this course over two years (Level 5 and 6) or one year (Level 6 only). Providing a route for students from a range of business foundation degrees (and equivalent) to top up to Honours. The two year programme offers students the opportunity to undertake a placement between their first and second year.   
• Our innovative one or two year course embraces a broad spectrum of industry relevant modules and is especially attractive to students who wish to build a career in business. We aim to provide students with the ability to exercise personal responsibility and decision-making in the competitive world of business.
• Develop an appreciation of the dynamic marketplace in which businesses operate and the implications of this for business decisions and organisational culture.
• All undergraduate modules within Plymouth Business School have integrated within them a CV building activity, for example, through micro-credentialing; real world problem-based learning; or embedded direct employer activity.
• Benefit from academic staff with strong relevant industrial and academic experience and tutors who not only provide excellent teaching but also great pastoral care.

Do you want to make a difference to patient care? Radiography is one of the core diagnostic healthcare roles, helping patients get the treatment they need. It is also at the forefront of technological developments, offering a dynamic career full of potential. With hands-on, interprofessional learning and patient care at its heart, this innovative, evidence-based course, will give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to become an outstanding radiographer for the modern health care setting.

Nurturing critical thinking and a caring approach to your practice, we’ll help you develop the clinical and communication, teamwork and leadership skills for a top career in radiography. The University of Plymouth BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and once you have graduated you will be eligible to apply for HCPC registration as a diagnostic radiographer.

Key Features

• Train using advanced medical imaging technology, at the forefront of modern patient care.
• Learn using state of the art teaching facilities.
• Take part in expert-led discussions around clinical case studies and the latest medical science breakthroughs, through our structured small groups teaching approach, including enquiry-based learning. These are also a great opportunity to learn from other students’ knowledge and experience.
• Develop empathic, technical and professional healthcare skills in a practical, innovative modern training programme.
• Benefit from close relationships and training with our hospital partners, including the Southwest Regional Trauma centre, Derriford Hospital and the Peninsula Radiology Academy.
• Train alongside other health profession students to enrich your experience and understanding of different healthcare roles.
• Learn from real patients from the outset, with clinical placements starting in the first semester of Year 1.
• Practise your clinical and communication skills in the safe setting of our Clinical Skills Resource Centre (CSRC), which features specially designed replicas of hospital wards and emergency rooms, with high-specification patient-simulators.
• Utilise online systems to support your learning including the student logbook, custom-made for our students to access lecture notes, online assessment systems and lecture sessions.
• Deepen your understanding of the structure and functionality of the human body at our Life Sciences Resource Centre (LSRC), with expert-led life science sessions helping you apply this information to radiography.
• In Year 1, students will study in Plymouth, with all of their clinical placements within daily commute. In Years 2 and 3, all students will complete a semester in Plymouth for the academic delivery, and then a semester on clinical placement in the following locations: Plymouth, Truro or Taunton.

Do you have a passion to understand and protect life in our seas? This course offers an integrated approach to understanding the oceanographic processes that support life in our oceans, how marine ecosystems function and how marine activities can be managed sustainably. You’ll learn about the policy structures designed to protect marine ecosystems and our oceans, and be primed with the skills and enthusiasm to confidently start a job in marine conservation management and scientific research.

You will gain specialist skills including ecological survey methods and quantitative data analysis, and qualitative skills related to stakeholder data collection such as structured interviews and questionnaires. You’ll develop your range of practical skills with our own fully-equipped fleet of boats, a £4.65 million Marine Station used as a base for fieldwork afloat, and industry standard oceanographic and surveying equipment.

Key Features

• In the 2019 National Student Survey, 100 per cent expressed overall satisfaction with the course; 100 per cent of students felt staff on this course were good at explaining things; 100 per cent felt that the staff made the subject interesting and 100 per cent found the course intellectually stimulating.*
• Gain specialist skills including ecological survey methods and quantitative data analysis, and qualitative skills related to stakeholder data collection such as structured interviews and questionnaires. 
• Prepare for careers in marine conservation and other marine industries such as environmental consultancy and the marine energy sector.
• Draw on expert staff involved in internationally-leading research including managing protected populations and marine protected areas (MPAs), marine and coastal governance, marine ecosystem services and economics, and society and the sea. 
• Develop your range of practical skills with our own fully-equipped fleet of boats, a new £4.65 million Marine Station used as a base for fieldwork afloat, and industry standard oceanographic and surveying equipment.
• Option to take the industry-recognised professional diving qualification (HSE Professional SCUBA) alongside your degree and an optional dedicated scientific diving module to provide training and qualification for diving-based research projects and employment (limited places and additional costs apply).
• Experience an overseas field course that is aimed at integrating ocean science and marine conservation knowledge and understanding across the different sub-disciplines to address real-world issues.

In this hands-on degree, one of the best in the UK and with an international reputation, you’ll explore the diversity of marine life from coastal margins to the deep sea and gain an in-depth understanding of the biology of marine organisms. Teaching takes advantage of the South Devon coast as well as some of Europe’s best marine facilities – so you’ll have the opportunity to not just experience marine biology but to practice it at the highest levels in both the laboratory and out in the field.

You'll gain an understanding of marine life at the level of the biology of organisms – ranging from microbes found on coral reefs, the physiology and behaviour of marine vertebrates, to the biology of the marine algae that underpin the vast majority of other marine life. The aim of the degree is not only to teach you about marine biology, but to equip you with the practical, intellectual and scientific skills to be a practising marine biologist.

Key Features

Study the literature of the sea in the Ocean City and explore the Devon settings that have inspired authors like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. From the graphic novel to transatlantic literature, English at Plymouth will take your love of reading in new directions. Explore texts that have shaped our world as you navigate the challenges of the future. We’ve decolonised our curriculum, giving you free rein to study an eclectic range of literature across cultures and geographies.

Key Features

• Personalise your degree by choosing from a wide variety of optional modules in literary studies and creative writing, or widen your horizons by taking specialist modules in other subjects in the school.
• Learn from internationally recognised research-active staff.
• Receive free set texts for all core modules throughout the three years.
• Benefit from assessment through coursework, with no written exams.
• Make the most of a rich cultural life with The Arts Institute programme and the University’s links with local cultural organisations, like The Box and Theatre Royal.
• We’re very proud of our National Student Survey (NSS) 2020 return – 94% of students agreed staff are good at explaining things, and 94% said that the course is intellectually stimulating.*