Environmental Science and Mathematics BSc (Hons)

Environmental Science as a discipline has grown out of increasing concern for the environment and the need for a scientific approach to the study of human impacts on the natural environment. Today’s environmental scientists are challenged to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as climate change, pollution, energy, loss of biodiversity and the sustainable provision of food and clean water. Our course provides the necessary grounding in the science and the technical training needed to investigate these problems and find appropriate management solutions. Fieldwork is integrated throughout the course. Stirling provides an ideal location for studying the environment – the campus has a loch and woodlands set against the backdrop of the Ochil Hills. There is also easy access to landscapes as diverse as the Scottish Highlands, the Forth Estuary and land degraded through past industrial activities. A residential field class is held in the Scottish Highlands in Year 2, and we offer a choice of optional field trips to southern Spain or Iceland in Year 3 to study unfamiliar environments and develop an understanding of how these landscapes have evolved and the environmental management issues they present. (Students must pay most of the costs of their travel, accommodation, and subsistence for the field courses.) Do you enjoy numbers the way others enjoy music, poetry or art? Mathematical training develops both specific skills and broad analytical expertise, which are valued across all professions; and there is a particular demand for graduates who not only have quantitative skills, but also know how to use them. Our courses deliver that sought-after combination – both through our teaching style and our focus on real-world applications of both mathematical and statistical techniques. For instance, you will use the mathematics computing laboratories as an integral part of your learning process, making your study as much experimental as theoretical. Our Mathematics and Statistics department provides a stimulating and supportive learning environment and we have a strong and active research group. Its major interest is the application of mathematics to biology, economics and life sciences, and we offer combined Honours degrees in the relevant disciplines.