The new Foundation Degree in River Conservation Management has been developed by the Westcountry Rivers Trust and Duchy College. The two-year course is designed to help people access work within the environmental sector and delves into the biology, physics and geography of the river basin in relation to its management, including aspects of countryside maintenance, habitat management and river corridor monitoring (see table 1).

The degree focuses heavily on generating the real life experiences and relationships necessary to gain employment within the environmental sector by maximising student-employer interactions and setting up work-based learning opportunities within environmental organisations.

If you have any questions try reading the information below or looking in the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

Further Information

   »  Foundation Degree Leaflet:             Download

   »  Foundation Degree Prospectus:     Download

We are already booking places for the September 2009 cohort, so if you are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental sector or would like to increase your knowledge, practical skills and experience of managing aspects of the river basin then this is the course for you. The Foundation degree is designed to stand alone but after completing successfully the two year course you could go on to complete a third year to gain a Bachelor of Science.

If you would like more information please contact either Dr Laurence Couldrick at the Westcountry Rivers Trust or Duchy College admissions department (01579 372233 or stoke.enquiries@duchy.ac.uk). You can also book onto the course by going to the Duchy College web page.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a Foundation Degree? Foundation Degrees were introduced in 2000 to bridge the gap between the practical based Higher National Diploma and the academic based Bachelors Honours Degree. They combine elements both the practical skills and academic knowledge together with industry placements and experience necessary to gain employment.

2. How Long is the Foundation Degree? Foundation Degrees are 2 years long if you study full time. However you can do the degree through a part time route over 3-5 years by completing several of the 20 credit modules each year. To find out which modules are on which days and how you might be able to follow a part time route speak to Duchy College.

3. What are the entry requirements for the Foundation Degree? The entry requirements for the degree are very flexible reflecting the wide range of students with varying different backgrounds, skills and experience. If you are thinking of starting a new career and are worried that you may not have the necessary requirements speak to Duchy College.

4. I am a mature student and I am not sure if the course is right for me? Unlike many university degrees the foundation degrees at Duchy College have a wide range of students the majority of whom range from 25 - 60 years old. Many of these people are fed up with their current job and wish to pursue a new career and many are just interested in the environment.

5. I left school a long time ago and don't feel my science/IT/maths skills are up to scratch? Because Duchy College only allow a small number of cohorts each year onto the degree courses there is a wealth of extra support for students, whether that be for IT, maths, english, science, etc... This low cohort number also gives a better lecturer to student ratio and allows for more question time and debates through sessions.

6. Can I progress onto a third year into a Bachelors Honours Degree after the second year? Although the degree is designed to be a stand alone degree it is designed to fit within the rest of Higher Education and as such on successful completion of the second year you can register for a third year 'top up' route towards a Bachelors Honours Degree.

7. River Conservation Management seems very specific, will doing the course reduce my chance of finding employment? Although the degree title seems specific in reality the course is very generalistic as it has to come areas of geology, geography, biology and chemistry. River Basin Management is one of the newer approaches to managing all the environment and due to up and coming legislation is becoming increasingly important. Undertaking this course gives you an overview of how the river can indicate the health of the entire catchment and will stand you in good stead for any environmental group. Many of the larger environmental employers have representatives that sit on the steering group for the degree.