Soil Scientist Apprenticeship
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 23,282 / per course
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
Introduction
The importance of sustainable and resilient soil management has surged in recent years. Soils, and their delivery of critical goods and services, are fundamental assets for the health, sustainability, and resilience of the terrestrial environment, and its ecosystems, as well as the longevity and productivity of society. Recently, there has been widespread recognition from researchers, industry, and policy arenas of the burgeoning pressures faced by soils, and the urgency needed to deploy robust land management strategies to address these.
Co-designed by the UK industry, the Soil Scientist Apprenticeship will equip and upskill organizations with the knowledge, understanding, tools, practices, and resources to achieve optimal soil management. It will deepen your knowledge of soils across diverse land-use contexts, delve into cutting-edge technologies for effective decision-making, showcase best practices in analyzing soils on and off-site, and help you build the personal competencies you need as a soil scientist.
Our Soil Scientist Apprenticeship meets the requirements of the Level 7 Soil Scientist Apprenticeship Standard, enabling graduates to perform effectively as professional soil scientists in a competitive ad fast-changing environment.
On completion of the program, you will acquire a Soil Scientist Apprenticeship and a Master’s Degree in Soil Science. You will also attain Technical Membership of the British Society of Soil Science, and you will be eligible to apply for Chartered Scientist status.
Ideal Students
Who is it for?
The course is suitable for:
- Soil scientists and consultants, who are keen to upskill their knowledge and understanding of soil monitoring and analyzing soil conditions, as well as those who assist farmers in determining soil health and optimizing sustainable management strategies.
- Employees of organizations that offer guidance on earthworks, construction and demolition projects, or urban green infrastructure, are keen to advance their expertise in assessing and mitigating the effects of such works on urban soils.
- Soil mappers and surveyors use a combination of digital technology and traditional tools like soil pit digging to evaluate soil types for various stakeholders.
- Environmental consultants specializing in providing advice on sustainable materials, waste management, biodiversity, flood control, and ecosystem restoration.
- Government agencies and non-profit organizations that inform soil policy decisions and develop guidance documents.
Admissions
Curriculum
The course comprises 12 taught modules and a reflective portfolio project. It will be primarily delivered online from Cranfield University’s new state-of-the-art teaching studio which allows students to engage interactively within a virtual classroom. This will also enable wide and diverse participation across the UK. Modules are evenly spread throughout the two years and will primarily be delivered live on Tuesdays.
Four modules (two in Year 1 and two in Year 2) will include one-week Residentials at Cranfield, where field-based and laboratory-based skills can be best demonstrated. This will provide ideal opportunities throughout the course for the cohort to get to know each other, network with academics and industry representatives, and create enduring supportive alumni groups.
Throughout the course, you will also work on an individual reflective portfolio which will draw upon the knowledge, understanding, skills, and behaviors that you accrue throughout the taught modules. This will provide an opportunity to demonstrate that you can apply the learning from the course in a practical real-world scenario.
Modules
Keeping our courses up-to-date and current requires constant innovation and change. The modules we offer reflect the needs of business and industry and the research interests of our staff and, as a result, may change or be withdrawn due to research developments, legislation changes, or for a variety of other reasons. Changes may also be designed to improve the student learning experience or to respond to feedback from students, external examiners, accreditation bodies, and industrial advisory panels.
To give you a taste, we have listed the compulsory and elective (where applicable) modules that are currently affiliated with this course. All modules are indicative only and may be subject to change for your year of entry.
Compulsory Modules
- Project Management and Portfolio
- Introduction to Soils
- Soil Policy
- Desk-based Soil Assessments and Basic Statistics
- Soil Surveying
- Field-based Methods for Rural Soils
- Fundamental Laboratory Methods in Soil Science
- Soils - a Nexus
- Soil Mapping, Modelling and GIS
- Advanced-Data Analysis and Statistics
- Field-based Methods for Urban Soils
- Advanced Laboratory Methods in Soil Science
- Sustainable and Resilient Land Management
Program Outcome
Why this course?
The course will equip and upskill organizations with the knowledge, understanding, tools, practices, and resources to achieve optimal soil management across both rural and urban settings.
The course aims:
- To help students critically evaluate soil properties and functions, and understand how soils interact with the wider environment to deliver critical ecosystem goods and services.
- To allow students to devise effective soil management plans that can integrate the principles of sustainable and resilient land management with the priorities of local and national policy.
- To provide students with a wide-ranging toolkit for effective decision-making across different land-use and management contexts, including GIS-based mapping, data analytical skills, field-based techniques, and laboratory analyses.
- To empower students to enhance their professional competencies and personal development in order to build the next generation of soil scientists ready to address the needs of internal and external stakeholders and tackle grand and complex challenges
Program Tuition Fee
Program delivery
Taught modules: 120 credits, Reflective portfolio project: 60 credits
Program Admission Requirements
Demonstrate your commitment and readiness to succeed in business school by taking the GMAT exam – the most widely used exam for admissions that measures your critical thinking and reasoning skills.
Download the GMAT mini quiz to get a flavour of the questions you’ll find in the exam.