Combinations of a selection of these subjects with Chemistry and the Environment provides a sound coherent programme of study for students wishing to obtain a balanced view of environmental science. It also provides a sound understanding of many scientific ideas and processes of relevance to students of health and human biology. Level One of the course provides students with the opportunity to study some chemical and physical principles which operate in and control the environment. At Level Two the emphasis is placed on the interaction with and impact on the environment by people and their activities. Studies at Level Three provide opportunity for overview, rationalisation and evaluation of the influence of physical science in an environmental context.
Teaching methods are a combination of lectures, practical work and field study sessions.
Additionally, and particularly at Level Two , seminars will fulfil an increasingly important role. These will be used as a vehicle for the presentation of material obtained during student centred activities on tasks chosen by students to satisfy their individual interests. Topics studied at Level One are air, water, energy and environmental monitoring. Within the first three topics, ideas are developed of the interlinking physical and chemical processes fundamental to the understanding of the topic. Environmental monitoring involves the evaluation of the techniques available for determining environmentally significant parameters, such as levels of pollutants in air and water.