Environmental Science with Professional Experience

Environmental science sits at the crossroads of biology, chemistry, geography and policy, concerned with understanding the natural world and the pressures that human activity places upon it. It is a discipline driven by urgency: from climate change and biodiversity loss to pollution and resource depletion, the questions it tackles are among the most consequential of our time. At the University of Reading, this four-year full-time programme includes a professional experience element, giving you the opportunity to apply your academic learning in a real working environment before you graduate.

You will study the physical and biological systems that underpin the Earth's environments, exploring how soils, water bodies, atmosphere and living communities interact. The programme develops your ability to collect and interpret field and laboratory data, to use quantitative methods with confidence, and to evaluate environmental problems from scientific, social and economic perspectives. You will build skills in environmental assessment, data analysis and scientific communication, learning to move fluidly between fieldwork and desk-based research.

The professional experience year deepens this practical foundation, allowing you to build a professional network and demonstrate to future employers that you can operate effectively in a workplace context.

Environmental science graduates are well placed for careers in government agencies, environmental consultancies, conservation organisations, research institutions and the private sector. Roles in environmental monitoring, ecological surveying, sustainability management, policy analysis and geographic information systems are all typical pathways. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study, taking masters or doctoral programmes in environmental science, ecology, climate science or related fields.

The combination of scientific rigour and practical workplace exposure that this programme provides is particularly valued by employers in both the public and private sectors.