Course overview

Marine environmental science involves a wide range of scientific disciplines (physical, chemical, biological and social) brought together to understand how the marine environment functions and human activities affect environmental processes in the sea. It provides an integrated, quantitative and interdisciplinary approach to the study of marine environmental systems and encompasses issues such as marine pollution, climate change, conservation, coastal management and protection, and the use of natural resources.

Whilst the oceans cover over 60 per cent of the surface of the Earth, there is a remarkable shortage of scientists qualified to understand the marine environment. In recent years there has been an increasing public and scientific awareness of the harm that is being done to the oceans, including increasing levels of pollution and the extinction of species of marine animals. The UK Marine and Coastal Access Act aims to provide better protection for our marine wildlife and habitats, and improve planning and management of our seas and resources. Employers including local authorities, environmental agencies, consultancies, engineering and construction firms, and environmental conservation organisations are looking for highly skilled people who can exert a positive and informed scientific influence on all types of activities that have an impact on the marine environment, in order to safeguard marine resources for future generations.

Professional accreditation

This degree is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES). Professional accreditation is the first stage towards professional certification which is increasingly required for environmental scientists to work throughout the EU and for chartered career progression within the UK.

Course content

Before getting to grips with environmental investigations you will need to study the basic sciences in Year one. You will learn specialist topics and laboratory, field and computational skills in Year two and then you will gain in-depth, expert subject knowledge in Year three. You will learn to analyse materials for elemental composition and structure using state-of-the-art equipment such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), X-ray fluorescence and diffraction systems, electron and atomic force microscopes and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICPMS). You will also learn how to document your work and produce reports to professional standards.

Year one

The programme is structured so that core units common to both Environmental Science pathways make up Year one. This makes transfer between this degree and BSc (Hons) Environmental Science very easy at this stage. Core units in your first year include:

• Science for Earth Systems: ensures that you have the basic chemistry and physics knowledge and related laboratory skills to succeed in the analytical and contamination units that appear later in the course.
• Environmental Systems: introduces the complex nature of our world and its problems, from climate change to soil erosion, ever increasing populations and resource depletion.
• Quantitative Methods: covers the basic mathematical and IT skills necessary to complete scientific calculations and use standard and specialist software.
• Planet Earth: looks at  the Earth’s geological processes, systems and functions.
• Introduction to Oceanography: introduces the geology, biology, physics and chemistry of the oceans.
• Marine and Terrestrial Ecology: focuses on interactions between organisms and between organisms and their environment. The unit also integrates theoretical knowledge with work in the field.

Year two

Our degree pathways diverge in Year two with the following and those following this course will take the following core units:

• Environmental Fieldwork and Analysis: a one-week residential field course involving a range of field investigations, sampling and analytical methodologies. This work currently takes place in Tenerife or Malta. You will also learn how to apply the correct statistical analyses to the results of environmental surveys.
• Environmental Geochemistry and Analytical Techniques: explores the relationships between the Earth's formation and evolutionary processes, global biogeochemical cycles, element mobility, and the creation and conservation of soil resources. It also provides group demonstrations and hands-on practical work, using appropriate advanced analytical instrumental techniques, to gain experience and understanding of the methods involved in measuring selected key elements from the biogeochemical cycles.
• Oceanography: examines key coastal and open oceanography aspects in more detail with a practical hands-on approach including boat survey work, coastal sampling, field visits and laboratory work.
• Marine Organisms and Ecosystems: explores the major marine ecosystems and habitats of the world's oceanic and coastal regions and looks at the interrelationship between marine organisms and their environment.

Typical Year two unit options include:

• Environmental Monitoring
• Energy Resources
• Hydrology and Freshwater Ecosystems
• Environmental Forensics
• Scientific and Technical Diving Techniques (PADI accredited course)

Year three

In your third year the core units include:

• Environmental Auditing Assessment: explores the techniques required to conduct environmental audits, risk and impact assessments, and the legislation behind these processes.
• Environmental Science Project: allow you to focus on an individual research project on your chosen environmental topic.
• Coastal Ecosystems: looks at all the major types of coastal ecosystems and the impacts of human activity on them.

The following specialist options are available:

• Climate Change
• Waste Management and Environmental Pollution
• Applied Coastal Geomorphology
• Environmental Science Study Tour (field trip to Belize or Cyprus)

Teaching and assessment

Unit assessment is typically a combination of coursework and examination. Coursework may be professional field or laboratory notebook recordings, reports, site surveys, poster displays or oral presentations. Computer-based exercises and environmental data analysis are also incorporated into some unit assessments.

As a final-year student you will choose and undertake a major field and/or laboratory-based research project with support from our internationally experienced course tutors. Some students use this as an opportunity to be adventurous and travel abroad; recent projects have been conducted in Brazil, Canada, USA, Romania, Ukraine, Tenerife, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Costa Rica, Zakynthos and Iceland.

Career prospects

The range of career opportunities within the environmental field is increasing annually and our graduates have recently been employed in such wide ranging areas as:

• environmental, engineering and ecological consultancies
• regulatory authorities and government agencies
• private company environmental departments
• underwater exploration
• conservation
• postgraduate training and research

Facilities and features

Our Environmental Research Institute and School building contain fully equipped environmental laboratories for the analysis of a wide range of environmental samples. Marine environmental scientists will also have access to a modern, well-equipped, harbour-side marine teaching and research facility, as well as boats and harbour facilities for marine excursions and diving courses. We also make use of several local coastal and harbour study centres which support our educational activities. This includes a multi-activity outdoor environmental laboratory on the Isle of Wight that offers excellent resources for studying climate change, coastal erosion, landslide hazards, tidal ecology, hydrology, woodland ecology, conservation and the impact of tourism on the environment.

The fieldwork programme is a particularly important aspect of this degree with a residential field course available in each of the three study years. Current locations include Malta, Portugal and Belize. You will take part in a number of local day excursions to examine the environmental aspects of local marine, coastal, island and industrial/contaminated sites. You will learn correct field sampling, storage and transit protocols, diligent laboratory analysis, results collation and report-writing, much of which is now increasingly prescribed by law.

These professional level observational and recording skills are fundamental pre-requisites for becoming a professional environmental scientist. This is a key objective of environmental courses at the University of Portsmouth.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Marine Environmental Science for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).