Last modified: 11 Aug 2025 13:46
This course is a residential field course that takes place in the Cairngorm National Park. During this course you will gain experience relating to the broad theme of environmental science and management.
You will develop a greater understanding of the dynamics of the landscape and the interactions and conflicts between stakeholders. You will be focusing on issues associated with different land uses within the Cairngorms National Park and associated decisions which directly impact the environment. This will be done by a number of site visits to sporting estates, forests, farms, and national nature reserves.
Dates for this field course are 23rd March – 27th March 2026.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
|
||
One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
This is a five-day residential field course is structured to allow to you develop a greater understanding of the dynamics of the landscape and the interactions and conflicts between stakeholders. This will be done by visits to sporting estates, forests (plantation and semi-natural), farms, river management, and national nature reserves. These site visits are used to exemplify the complex relationships between semi-natural and managed environments and the people that occupy and use them.
During this course you will have the opportunity to reflect upon what sustainability means within a national park setting and the importance of people in conservation / environmental management. Also, you will be able to consider how current economic activity regularly creates unintended environmental and social consequences and how different business are run within a national park.
Taught topics covered include (note that these may vary slightly between years):
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Field trip transport and accommodation. | 95.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 37 | Feedback Weeks | 40 | |
| Feedback |
A poster worth 70% of the overall grade that will pull together data from scientific publications and observations from the field to present the current knowledge on an environmental topic related to the field course. Feedback to be given to each student via MyAberdeen.
|
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the current land management measures being implemented within the Cairngorm National Park. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Utilise scientific data to analyse the impact of current environmental management measures. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 37 | Feedback Weeks | 40 | |
| Feedback |
An 800-word reflective report worth 30% of the overall grade. Feedback to be given to each student via MyAberdeen. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the current land management measures being implemented within the Cairngorm National Park. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Critically evaluate and reflect on the current environmental issues within the Cairngorms Nation Park. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Resit 800-word reflective report. If the student has passed the Scientific Poster assessment, this result will be carried forward. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 70 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Resit scientific poster. If the student has passed the reflective report assessment, this result will be carried forward. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the current land management measures being implemented within the Cairngorm National Park. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Utilise scientific data to analyse the impact of current environmental management measures. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Critically evaluate and reflect on the current environmental issues within the Cairngorms Nation Park. |
We have detected that you are have compatibility mode enabled or are using an old version of Internet Explorer. You either need to switch off compatibility mode for this site or upgrade your browser.
