Environment, Economics and Ecology

Environment, economics and ecology is a degree that brings together three interconnected ways of understanding the natural world and humanity's relationship with it. Ecology provides the biological framework for understanding how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment, how ecosystems are structured and function, and how they respond to disturbance and change. Economics provides the tools to understand how human societies allocate resources, how markets and institutions shape environmental outcomes, and how the costs and benefits of environmental decisions should be evaluated.

Environmental science and policy connects both to the practical challenges of managing natural systems under pressure from economic development, population growth, and climate change.

At the University of York, this three-year full-time programme examines the complex relationships between economic development and the natural world, addressing the growing pressures on environments and resources that economic and population growth generate. You will study ecological theory and field methods alongside environmental economics, policy analysis, and the quantitative tools needed to assess environmental change. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities, giving you professional and international experience that complements the academic curriculum.

York's location and its strong environmental research profile provide a distinctive context for this interdisciplinary study.

Graduates are well placed for careers in environmental consultancy, conservation organisations, governmental and intergovernmental environmental agencies, green finance, sustainability roles in business, and academic research. The combination of ecological knowledge and economic analytical skills is particularly valuable in roles that require cost-benefit analysis of environmental interventions, natural capital accounting, or the design of policy instruments to manage environmental problems. Postgraduate study in environmental science, environmental economics, or conservation biology is a natural progression.