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Further information about the year abroad

The Environmental Sciences Study Abroad Adviser will help you with all the preparations for your placement abroad, and will keep in regular contact with you (by e-mail) whilst you are away. Support and advice is also available from the International Office at Lancaster, and from advisers at your host university abroad.

They will help you to choose courses which are similar in content and level to those offered at Lancaster, so that you will be well-equipped to take our third year courses when you return. The grades that you obtain whilst abroad will count towards your final degree classification.

If, at any time during your first year, you decide that you no longer want to participate in the exchange programme, you can simply switch to one of our 'standard' degree schemes.

Study Abroad Options for Environmental Science Degrees

Cate and Mo

Cate and Mo, enjoying the fantastic sports facilities at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

Why study abroad?

  • Gain experience of life and culture in another country.
  • Benefit from a wider range of teaching and research expertise.
  • Study different natural and man-made environments.
  • Enhance your job prospects - stand out from the crowd!
  • Take advantage of opportunities to travel.

What opportunities are available?

  1. A year in North America or Australasia (all BSc degrees)
  2. A year in Iceland (FF6V and F6L7 only)
  3. 3 months in mainland Europe on an Erasmus exchange (BSc or MSc/MRes degrees)
Emma Akam Jonathan Kinnear

ESG students in New York during the 2009 winter break. Emma spent a year at the University of Waterloo in Canada, and Jonathan studied at the University of California in Santa Cruz.

Study abroad

Jonathan got to see some amazing geological formations at Zion National Park in Utah.

Canada

USA

A Year in North America or Australasia

This option is open to students applying through UCAS to the following degrees:

  • F902 BSc Environmental Science / Study Abroad (ES)
  • FF6V BSc Earth and Environmental Science / Study Abroad (EES)
  • F6L7 BSc Earth Science with Geography / Study Abroad (ESG)
  • F141 BSc Environmental Chemistry / Study Abroad (EC)
  • F143 MChem Environmental Chemistry / Study Abroad (EC)

Entry grades are AAB. You will automatically be offered a place on the equivalent ‘standard’ degree as a back-up, so there is no need to apply for both.

You will spend your 2nd year (of a 3 year BSc degree or 4 year MChem degree) at a university in Canada, the USA or Australasia, studying courses comparable to those that you would have taken at Lancaster.

If, at any time during your first year, you decide that you no longer want to go abroad, you can simply switch to one of our 'standard' degree schemes. So it is worth applying, even if you’re not sure you want to go, to keep the option open!

Where can I go, and how is this decided?

The choice of destinations varies slightly from year to year, and also depends on your degree. Destinations that have been available in the last 3 years are listed below.

In Canada:

In the USA:

In Australia (n.b. we cannot guarantee that places in Australia will be available every year)

In Asia (China)

In your first term at Lancaster you will have a series of briefings with advisers, and opportunities to chat to students who have recently returned from a year abroad. You decide in January whether you definitely want a place abroad, and if so, where you would prefer to go.

Your academic advisor will then allocate provisional places (conditional upon getting good grades in your first year), and help you to select appropriate courses. Our International Office will help you to complete all the relevant paperwork (accommodation, visas, etc). You will normally be offered a room on the university campus.

We cannot guarantee that everyone will get their first choice of destination. However, past experience has convinced us that, wherever you are placed, you will have an excellent educational experience and a fantastic time socially!

Your Lancaster advisor will remain in close contact with you, via email and Skype, throughout your year abroad.

How much does it cost?

Study abroad

Lancaster University will waive 50% of the tuition fee for the year abroad, a saving of £4,500 for students admitted to Lancaster in 2012/13. There are no additional tuition fees payable to your host university.

You should be prepared for your period of study abroad to be more expensive than remaining at Lancaster, as you will need to pay for flights, insurance, extra books, obtaining a visa, and you will probably want to do some travelling while you are there.

Subject to means-testing, financial help may be available from:

  • An enhanced student loan (£6,535 in 2012/13, which is £1,035 more than the standard loan)
  • A grant from your Local Education Authority to cover travel expenses and insurance - less the first £303.

You can also work part-time during your year abroad if you wish.

For further information please contact the study abroad advisor:

Dr Emily Heath, email: e.heath@lancaster.ac.uk or tel: 01524 594209.

A year in Iceland

Iceland

This is an option available to students of any nationality, applying through UCAS for:

  • FF6V BSc Earth and Environmental Science / Study Abroad
  • F6L7 BSc Earth Science with Geography / Study Abroad

Entry grades are AAB.

You will spend your second year (of a 3 year degree) at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, studying Earth Science courses, all taught in English.

This is an excellent opportunity to study volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs and tectonic activity close-up! Course descriptions can be found at:

There will be no tuition fees at all for the year in Iceland - a saving of £9,000 for students admitted to Lancaster in 2012/13. The fee waiver is subject to confirmation for subsequent years. Students also receive an Erasmus grant, the level of which is confirmed each year, but we expect the grant in 2013/14 to be similar to previous years - approximately £200 per month. Erasmus students are also eligible for an enhanced student loan and a Government travel grant (means tested).

Iceland used to be a relatively expensive place to live, but the country’s recent economic problems have brought living costs down.

Accommodation costs are similar to those at Lancaster.

For further information please contact our study abroad advisor:

Dr Emily Heath, email: e.heath@lancaster.ac.uk or tel: 01524 594209.

3-month research placements in mainland Europe

Europe

Heather Mack spent the summer of 2009 at ETH Zurich, modeling the impact of volcanic aerosols on global climate. She was given an office with an amazing view towards Lake Zurich and the Alps.

Europe

Heather and friends walking in the Swiss Alps.

We currently have Erasmus exchange agreements with the following universities:

You can spend 3 months abroad, undertaking your dissertation project within an English-speaking research group - so being able to speak a foreign language is not essential.

There is no special UCAS code for European exchanges - they are organised on an individual basis after your arrival at Lancaster. Students of any nationality are welcome to apply.

You will receive an Erasmus grant of 225 Euros (approx £200) per month, and there are no extra tuition fees to pay.

Placements are available for MSc/MRes students (3 months between April - July) as well as BSc/MChem students (3 months between June – Sept at the end of 2nd year).

Recent projects have included research in hydrological modelling, wetlands management, volcanology, climate modelling and environmental chemistry .

For further information please contact the LEC Erasmus Co-ordinator:

Dr Emily Heath, email: e.heath@lancaster.ac.uk or tel: 01524 594209.