Level 1 Biodiversity – Co Down

A 3-day residential course encompassing marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecology projects. Based at fantastic facilities at the Greenhill YMCA site, students travel up into the Mourne Mountains to assess water quality, examine species diversity and create mesocosm experiments on the shores of Strangford Lough and investigate the impact of disturbance on soil invertebrate communities at Mount Stewart.

Level 1 Environmental Sciences- Belfast

This is a non-residential first year field course, based in and around Belfast, which introduces students to skills that are crucial in environmental consultancy, conservation, and natural site management. This course is run in collaboration with Botanic Gardens and in addition to learning about urban biodiversity, students will get hands-on experience of natural pest management and horticulture.

Level 2 Applied Ecology – Co Tyrone

5-day residential course based in the Gortin, Co Tyrone with visits to local farmland, lakes and rivers and Gortin Forest Park. Working in small groups, directly supervised by a member of academic staff, students design and conduct a unique research project. Work is based in farmland, woodland, bogs, freshwater lakes and rivers and involves a wide range of taxa from plants to lichens, insects to mammals.

Level 2 Coastal and Oceanic Biology – Queens Marine Lab, Portaferry

1-week course based at our QUB Marine Lab, ideally located right on the shoreline of the beautiful Strangford Lough. As a Designated Special Area of Conservation, Strangford Lough enables students to study diverse coastal habitats, such as rocky shores and vast mudflats, protected species such as common seals, and the effect of the immense tidal flow in this unique habitat. This field course is designed specifically to enable Marine Biology students to put into practice everything they have learnt in lectures to study marine life in a practical, quantitative and progressive way.