Land Use and Environmental Management

Description

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable students to achieve their full academic potential.

On the BSc Land Use and Environmental Management we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners.

Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:

• Lectures: introduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers).

• Seminars/tutorials: Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). These provide significant opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.

• Self-directed study: This is an important part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.

• E-Learning technologies: Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example, online discussion forums, research methods modules involving statistics, additional learning resources, online readings, and opportunities to use IT programmes in project- based work.

• Supervised research: In final year, students will be expected to carry out a significant piece of research on a particular topic. They will receive support to guide them in terms of how to carry out their research and will be provided with feedback in person and via email.

• Personal Tutor: Undergraduates are allocated a Personal Tutor from their first day at the university. The Personal Tutor is available to meet with them and to give advice throughout their time at Queen’s, in support of their academic development and to act as an important point of contact with the School.

• Peer Mentoring:We offer a peer mentoring scheme for our BSc students, which sees specially- trained second and third year students, under the guidance of staff and the Centre for Educational Development, help first year students settle into life at Queen’s through social events, small group or one-to-one informal support and learning skills workshops.

• Work-Related learning/Field Trips/Study Tours: Study visits and field trips are integrated into several of our option modules. The purpose of these tours is to help students apply their learning to the real-work context and to exercise critical thinking and interpretation. Back in the classroom, students undertake a number of group-based tasks in workshops focused on the field trip and present their findings to classmates.

• Placement: For Land Use and Environmental Management, all students are required to complete a compulsory 16-week work placement period as an integral component of Stage 2. For Land Use and Environmental Management with Professional Studies, on completion of Stage 2, all students are required to undertake a compulsory 46-week period of work experience, including a project agreed between the student, the School and the employer. Placement is assessed within the module Professional Studies. Work placements take place in a wide range of organisations including Farrans, Northstone Quarries, CETA Waste Management, Ulster Wildlife Trust, DARD Countryside Management, Colin Glen, National Trust, Property developers, Property management companies, Environmental consultancies and Councils. Those students interested in teaching as a career may take part of their placement in a school. Work placement overseas is encouraged and students have worked in America, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and England.

Whilst the responsibility for securing work placements rests with the student, a dedicated School Careers Advisor supports students in attaining work placement. The students who have undertaken placement have been extremely well received by the employers, with all the placement organisations indicating they would want to take students in future years.

RICS Accreditation:The course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This means that after completing the BSc, a student can embrace the Chartered Surveyor profession upon completion of a two year training in a RICS related business and passing an exam. Students doing the BSc Land Use and Environmental Management with Professional Studies can start the two year training during the 46 week work placement at the end of Level 2.

Careers

Careers are diverse, with expected employment not only within the rural and land use industries and government services, but also within private sector industries, financial institutions and agribusiness concerns of various kinds.
Graduates of these programmes will have a knowledge of the natural environment, be able to demonstrate familiarity with the issues of sustainable development, conservation and environmental protection and also be able to demonstrate an understanding of the integrated and holistic nature of land use and environmental management.
Possible career destinations include environmental management within the private and public sectors including consultancy and environmental impact assessment with environmental organisations such as the RSPB and the WWF.
Graduates can become Chartered Surveyors. Opportunities also exist within the full range of occupations associated with graduate employment. Graduates also have the opportunity for further postgraduate study through research (MPhil/PhD) or taught programmes, including RICS accredited courses

Other Career-related information: Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 20 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers. Queen’s students will be advised and guided about career choice and, through the Degree Plus initiative, will have an opportunity to seek accreditation for skills development and experience gained through the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer.

Degree Plus and other related initiatives: Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s. Students are encouraged to plan and build their own personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports.

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students). Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts. As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.