Course details

The aim of this Postgraduate Diploma programme is to facilitate students to acquire key practical skills in the ecological assessment of terrestrial and freshwater habitats and ecysystems in order to meet a growing demand for personnel skilled in methods of ecological assessment and to ensure that this process is underpinned by a sound, scientific, theoretical framework.

Course Details

The programme will consist of twelve taught modules with lectures, practicals, seminars, workshops, field study and self-directed learning. Each of the taught modules will be examined by a written paper and/or continuous assessment. 

Core Modules

  • AE6001 Ecological Site Assessment (5 Credits)
  • AE6002 Plant Identification (10 Credits)
  • AE6003 Habitat Classification and Survey (5 Credits)
  • AE6005 Quantitative Ecological Surveying (5 Credits) 
  • AE6006 Legislation and the Natural Environment (5 Credits)
  • GG5008 Applications of Geographical Information Systems (5 Credits)

Students choose 25 Credits from the following modules 

  • AE6007 Aquatic invertebrates (5 Credits)
  • AE6008 Grasses: Identification and Sampling (5 Credits)
  • AE6009 Carabidae: Identification and Sampling (5 Credits)
  • AE6010 Lichens: Identification, Sampling and Biomonitoring (5 Credits)
  • AE6012 Professional Ecology Work Placement (5 Credits)
  • AE6011 Bats: Identification and Survey (5 Credits)
  • AE6013 Bryophytes: Identification and Sampling (5 Credits)
  • AE6014 Spiders: Identification and Sampling (5 Credits)
  • AE6016 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) (5 Credits)

Further details on the content and modules are available on the Postgraduate College Calendar

Detailed Entry Requirements

A candidate for the PG Diploma programme in Applied Science (Ecological Assessment) must 

  • hold at least a Second Class Grade II Honours Degree in any area AND be able to demonstrate considerable knowledge /experience in some aspect of ecological assessment
  • have reached an equivalent standard through completion of a relevant diploma or other qualification in Biological Sciences AND be able to demonstrate considerable knowledge /experience in some aspect of ecological assessment.

The number of places is limited and selection will be made based on the candidate's qualifications and experience. Where relevant, candidates will have to prove their proficiency in the English language (spoken and written). Students successfully completing the PG Diploma programme may be eligible to enrol on the MSc programme in Applied Science (Ecological Assessment).

Updated on 08 November, 2015

About University College Cork

UCC was established in 1845 as one of three Queen’s Colleges - at Cork, Galway and Belfast. These new colleges theyre established in the reign of Queen Victoria, and named after her.

Queen's College, Cork (QCC) was established to provide access to higher education in the Irish province of Munster. Cork was chosen for the new college due to its place at the centre of transatlantic trade at the time and the presence of existing educational initiatives such as the Royal Cork Institution and a number of private medical schools.

The site chosen for the new college was dramatic and picturesque, on the edge of a limestone bluff overlooking the River Lee. It is associated with the educational activities of a local early Christian saint, Finbarr. It is believed that his monastery and school stood nearby, and his legend inspired UCC’s motto: ‘Where Finbarr Taught, let Munster Learn.’

On 7 November 1849, QCC opened its doors to a small group of students (only 115 students in that first session, 1849-1850) after a glittering inaugural ceremony in the Aula Maxima (Great Hall), which is still the symbolic and ceremonial heart of the University.

The limestone buildings of the Main Quadrangle (as it is now known) are built in a style inspired by the great universities of the Middle Ages, and theyre designed by the gifted architectural partnership of Thomas Deane and Benjamin Woodward. The iconic image of UCC, it is set in landscaped gardens and surrounds the green lawn known to all as the Quad.

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