Rural Studies BSc (Hons)

This degree is ideal if you're interested in studying the social, economic and political systems we use to manage the countryside and support rural businesses and communities.

Course overview

You focus on rural development and resource management, studying diverse topics from landscape management to social geographics, and from crop and livestock production to marketing.

You'll visit various rural enterprises and sites throughout the course. These introduce you to a range of countryside professions and equip you with insight into the challenges faced by today's rural businesses.

You can boost your employability and professional skills with an optional placement year in industry or the commercial sector. You also benefit from:

• access to our two University farms for hands-on experience
• training in key business skills to enhance your employability
• expertise at our Centre for Rural Economy, recipient of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2014

Teaching methods

In stages 1 and 2, just over half of your teaching time will be spent in classroom-based lectures or seminars. The remainder will be made up of field classes, computer classes, and practical lab work. In your final year, greater emphasis is placed on project work, culminating in a final-year project based on a topic of your choice.

Your future

Many of our graduates have found employment in a range of organisations, including:

• national park authorities
• the European Parliament
• Met Office
• National Trust
• UK wildlife organisations

Our Countryside Management and Rural Studies graduates most commonly end up in land-based and environmental careers such as chartered surveying, as a rights of way officer or part of a local conservation team working for charities and pressure groups.