This one-year full-time Masters programme is taught at our Penryn Campus in Cornwall by staff at the renowned Centre for Ecology and Conservation. The course boasts a significant research component, with substantial fieldwork opportunities in the UK as well as a field course in Africa. A distinctive and integral feature of our MSc is the high degree of input from conservationists in collaborating governmental and non-governmental organisations. This participation takes a variety of forms, including guest lectures, field visits and specific training courses, but may also include providing research projects in their organisations. Collaborating organisations include: Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, Natural England, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Zoological Society of London.
This applied degree provides excellent employability, with our recent alumni moving onto ecological consultancy work, government conservation programmes, NGO conservation projects and fully funded PhD positions in ecology and conservation.
The census research projects will see you spending a considerable amount of time in the field collecting data at several key research sites in West Cornwall and interacting with local NGOs (Cornwall Wildlife Trust, South West Lakes Trust).
This programme includes a two week field course in Kenya and will include visits to some of Africa’s largest and most important game reserves, as well as an introduction to some of the day-to-day problems faced by conservation biologists in developing nations. You will study the behaviour of animals in a natural ecological setting with a focus on large mammals, birds and insects. Travel and subsistence costs for this part of the programme are included in the programme fee.
Find out more about our field course modules at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biosciences/fieldwork/.
You can also keep up to date and share the experiences of our students in the field on our Field Course Fortnight website at http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/fieldcourses/.
The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first five months, during which time you will be encouraged to develop your census research projects. The rest of the academic year is dedicated to these projects.
This Programme is modular and consists of three compulsory modules and 2-4 optional modules.
The compulsory modules can include;
Examples of the optional modules can include;
The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
This course provides both theoretical and hands-on training in the application of ecological and evolutionary science to planning, monitoring, sustainable pest and population management and control.
This course is for students interested in a career in applied ecology or ecological consultancy, as well as those wishing to progress to a PhD in ecology or evolution.
Based at Silwood Park Campus, an internationally renowned centre of excellence for ecological research, the course is run with outside partners such as:
Each module is taught by a leading researcher in that field, focusing on the practical, quantitative and analytical skills that would be attractive to a diverse range of ecological employers (for instance, industry, government or NGOs) as well as being useful for a career in research.
For full information on this course, including how to apply, see: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/life-sciences/ecological-applications/
If you have any enquiries you can contact our team at: [email protected]
Are you dismayed, disturbed and totally disenchanted with what is happening to the only real planetary home we have? So are we.
But are you also excited by the opportunities and prospects this opens up for us to create a better, brighter and more beautiful world? So are we.
Then join us in this innovative new postgraduate programme from Schumacher College in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Design and Environment at Plymouth University, the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, the Dartington Hall Trust and surrounding communities.
Never has there been a more important time for a new approach for engaging with the challenging situations we face from the local to the global levels. In a rapidly changing dynamic situation, solutions rarely remain optimal for very long and continuous active participation is a necessary ingredient for success. Growing resilience in individuals and communities is the way to keep going despite the continuous change around us.
Our programme in Ecological Design Thinking embraces and explores this complex world of interactions with lively engagement and an optimistic approach. It offers powerful, practical and ecology-centred skills and knowledge to apply to a diverse range of practices from design, education and business to the more specific roles of leadership, management and consultancy.
The Ecological Design Thinking programme is trans-disciplinary, insightful and universal in its application; pragmatic and integrative in its operation. It brings together theoretical and practical discourses on ecologically inspired design, with methods of design thinking that are merged with the latest developments in anthropology, psychology and socio- political economics. It aims to create a novel ground for change makers at the forefront of our transition to sustainable societies.
Ecologically inspired design includes the study of ecological worldviews, systems dynamics and applied complexity theory alongside the philosophies and practices of permaculture and biomimetic design.
Design thinking is a well-established participatory technique grounded in the empathic understanding of the feelings, experiences and emotions of others. It engages people in lively conversations, visually stimulated interactions and playful prototyping. It frames problems as opportunities, forms insights and generates creative and collaborative solutions in complex situations.
The Ecological Design thinking programme aims to provide a nourishing environment for participants by incorporating short-courses led by internationally recognised thinkers, place-making projects in collaboration with the Dartington Hall Trust, the home of Schumacher College, and short placements offered by external partner organisations.
This programme is the fourth radical postgraduate programme developed at Schumacher College and contributes to and enhance the College’s ongoing collaborative inquiry into sustainable living – a live and networked inquiry of practice underway around the world by the College’s 20,000 alumni and others.
We would be delighted to receive your application whether you are coming directly from an undergraduate degree, taking time-out to study mid-career or wanting an opportunity to develop your understanding of a practice that is of great importance to all of our futures. We encourage applications from community practitioners and activists as well as planners, educators, architects, politicians and policy makers. You do not necessarily need a first degree in design to apply for this course. You only need to be enthusiastic, resilient and committed.
We are looking for enthusiastic agents of change who are ready to co-design new approaches to the way we live that are socially just and ecologically sustainable. We are looking for those prepared to take risks and stand on the cutting-edge of new practices in this area.
Schumacher College welcomes students from all over the world in a diverse mix of cultural experience and age that allows for rich peer- to- peer learning.
An interdisciplinary programme integrating design methods with those of ecology and the social sciences.
An integrative design programme rooted in deep ecological understanding and practice and informed by cutting edge thinking in new economic approaches and social dynamics.
A balanced distribution of time and resources on skill-based and cognitive-based knowledge and between practice and theory.
Access to some of the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners in design, Gaia theory, complexity, climate science, systems thinking, new economics and social change.
Short courses led by internationally recognised thinkers and researchers.
Short practical placements with a range of partner organisations operating at the leading edge of social innovation.
An immersive, integrative and transformational teaching and learning approach rooted in the principles established by Schumacher College and Dartington Hall, and engaged in a living and working community on and around the Dartington Estate in Devon.
Ecological Design Thinking can be applied to a wide range of contexts, from the personal to the societal. This programme aims to create a new generation of designers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, educators, researchers, consultants and activists. Graduates will have the skills and knowledge to work for sustainable change in the public and private sectors as well as in civil society, or to set up their own projects or organisations that will contribute to the transformation of society.
Students follow a curriculum with a highly practical emphasis and undertake hands-on exercises in field and laboratory settings. In the field, you will cover identification skills for a wide range of species, as well as industry-standard survey techniques such as phase 1 habitat surveying, habitat condition assessments, national vegetation classification and bird territory mapping. Laboratory sessions will include use of microscopes in taxonomy, and analysis of environmental parameters such as water oxygen levels and soil nutrient status to enable better understanding of species–environment interactions.
There will be opportunities to work on projects with linked organisations, including wildlife trusts, nature reserve managers, charities and public authorities. There is also the option to take a residential field trip; this currently takes place on a wildlife reserve in South Africa. The course is underpinned by the applied research expertise of the teaching team, which includes conservation of species, biotic responses to climate change, bird and mammal biology, insect behaviour and evolution, non-native species introductions, population and community ecology, and environmental biology. An additional theme of citizen science develops awareness of the role of public engagement in surveying and conserving species in the wider environment.
Modules
This course is block taught on two days per week. There is a range of coursework with an emphasis on field and laboratory research and consultancy reports. It is our expectation that assignments, and especially dissertation work, will have direct impact on the understanding and management of species and habitats. There are no written examinations.
Put your academic theory into practice by working on projects with linked organisations including the Royal Society of Biology, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, The Mammal Society, Natural England, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Birdlife International.
Benefit from the applied research expertise of our teaching team, including conservation of species in the wild and in captivity, biotic responses to climate change, avian and mammal biology, insect behaviour and evolution, non-native species introductions, population and community ecology, and environmental biology.
To help you build your experience you will be able to take part in field trips to locations such as nature reserves in the Severn Vale, Cotswolds, Forest of Dean and South Wales. There are also opportunities to undertake residential fieldwork at the Mankwe Wildlife Reserve in South Africa.
Sample modules:
Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.
All our master’s programmes emphasise the practical skills that employers need, whether that is the ability to identify plants, carry out environmental assessments or use the latest cutting-edge molecular techniques. As a University of Reading MSc graduate, you will be well equipped to work in the field or the lab, and in the private or public sector. Many of our graduates go on to study for a PhD and pursue a career in research either in industry or in universities.
Typical roles of graduates from our ecology and wildlife-based MSc programmes include conservation officers, project managers, field ecologists and environmental consultants. Graduates from our biomedical MSc programme typically go on to pursue PhD studies or work in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Master of Research (MRes) programme in Ecology and Environmental Biology provides research training for students wishing to enter a PhD programme or seeking a career in ecological science.
This programme consists of a taught component, and a laboratory or field based research project. The taught component consists of core research skills and specialist options in analytical and sampling techniques. The main part of the degree is devoted to experience of research techniques. You will carry out an extended research project chosen to reflect your interests and the skills you wish to acquire.
A total of 180 credits are required, with 30 flexible credits in the first term. See the accompanying detailed course descriptions found in the IBAHCM Masters Programme Overview. When selecting options, please email the relevant course coordinator as well as registering using MyCampus.
Key Research Skills (scientific writing, introduction to R, introduction to linear models; advanced linear models, experimental design). Coursework – 60%; scientific report – 40%
The programme will provide an excellent training for those who wish to apply for a PhD programme or enter ecological consultancy or conservation sectors. It also serves as an excellent introduction to research in the UK for overseas students.
Taught by internationally recognised experts active at the science/policy interface, this interdisciplinary programme examines both scientific and policy-oriented aspects of conservation. Teaching covers the breadth of this important field, examining how conservation goals may be achieved under climate change scenarios, in combination with food security requirements, while taking social justice issues into account. The breadth of the degree gives flexibility to pursue those areas most relevant to your professional development and contains a significant research component supported by leading researchers.
The degree is designed to offer you considerable scope to tailor your studies to focus on the topics you wish to pursue. Integral to the whole programme is extensive liaison with conservation practitioners from a wide range of collaborating governmental and non-governmental organisations (e.g., Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, Natural England), as well as a broad suite of international organisations (e.g., Kenya Wildlife Service, Solio Ranch, Wildlife Direct. Key individuals from some of these organisations contribute to classes and field visits and a number of our project students will be placed with such organisations.
A special feature of the programme is the Kenya field course, which includes visits to some of East Africa’s most famous conservation areas, as well as in-depth discussions with a wide range of stakeholders about synergies and trade-offs between conservation and development. The trip provides you with opportunities to see first-hand how conservation science operates within particular policy contexts. Travel and subsistence costs for this part of the programme are included in the programme fee.
This Masters is based on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall—an exceptional place in which to study issues related to the environment and sustainability. The duchy is a living laboratory offering a diverse range of marine and terrestrial habitats, a wealth of natural resources, and creative and resilient communities.
The Penryn Campus is home to the University's Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI http://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/) – a £30 million centre leading cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into solutions to problems of environmental change and enhancing people’s lives by improving their relationship with the environment. As a student on the MSc Conservation Science and Policy you will benefit from the ESI’s interdisciplinary approach to conservation science and policy and will have the unique opportunity to work on real world scenarios and problem solving in this area. You will be able to take advantage of a wide range of opportunities to engage with local, national and international experts through ESI events, guest lectures and research projects.
The census research projects will see you spending a considerable amount of time in the field collecting data at several key research sites in West Cornwall and interacting with local NGOs (Cornwall Wildlife Trust, South West Lakes Trust).
This programme includes a two week field course in Kenya and will include visits to some of Africa’s largest and most important game reserves, as well as an introduction to some of the day-to-day problems faced by conservation biologists in developing nations. You will study the behaviour of animals in a natural ecological setting with a focus on large mammals, birds and insects. Travel and subsistence costs for this part of the programme are included in the programme fee.
Find out more about our field course modules at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biosciences/fieldwork/. You can also keep up to date and share the experiences of our students in the field on our Field Course Fortnight website at http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/fieldcourses/.
The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first five months, during which time you will be encouraged to develop your census research projects. The rest of the academic year is dedicated to these projects.
This Programme is modular and consists of four compulsory modules and 2-3 optional modules.
The compulsory modules can include;
Examples of the optional modules can include;
The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
This course combines research and academic skills with field surveying skills, ready for practical application within the ecological consultancy industry. It’s designed to meet a rising need for highly skilled conservationists. Through practical experience, taught sessions and interaction with experienced field ecologists, you’ll gain taxonomic expertise. This will enable you to accurately identify a wide range of species and communities; use the appropriate field skills and techniques to carry out biodiversity surveys across different habitat types; and produce reports and assessments to professional standards. You’ll also have an additional and distinctive opportunity to be trained in the use of geographical information systems (GIS) – a vital tool in the surveying and management of the environment.
The skills you learn will be underpinned by a thorough knowledge of why some species and communities are conservation priorities in law or policy. You’ll also study the fundamentals of project planning, data collection and statistical analysis, in order to properly conduct your surveys and assessments. You’ll be given the chance to become a critical thinker, capable of evaluating what you do, and adept at reporting your findings to the key audiences.
This course is delivered with a strong practical approach to learning. You’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, field and laboratory work, and online learning.
Independent learning is required, and you’ll undertake high-quality research. You’ll research your chosen topic in depth, then design and implement a relevant research project, before communicating the findings to an informed audience in a comprehensive scientific report.
Teaching is supported by our Brackenhurst Campus – a 200-hectare country estate and working farm. The campus is part of the DEFRA Environmental Stewardship scheme, which supports effective environmental management of farm land and countryside estates. It offers a good range of wetland and terrestrial habitats, which are invaluable for learning and practising surveying techniques, and the sampling of species.
You’ll also benefit from active conservation projects on the estate, including bird ringing and small mammal trapping and monitoring, alongside environmental impact assessments on construction work and renewable energy technologies.
You’ll have the opportunity to take part in field trips to Rutland and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. There are also opportunities to complete a research project in the UK or abroad.
Find out more about our Brackenhurst Campus on our website
Want to find out more about studying with us? Find out more at one of our upcoming open days. Reserve your place.
For more information on our courses, please visit our website.
Biodiversity loss remains one of the key environmental concerns of our time, and conservation work requires experts who understand the science underpinning practical activities. The MSc Biodiversity and Conservation will develop your understanding, providing excellent preparation for careers in ecological consultancy or conservation management.
The conservation and enhancement of our biodiversity relies upon highly skilled environmental scientists. Our MSc Biodiversity and Conservation course draws on our world-class reputation for environmental research and provides an industry-relevant masters education for a career as an environmental scientist in conservation.
Through this course you will be able to accurately monitor species diversity, change, population abundance and distribution, all key skills in the protection and enhancement of our ecosystems.
In your first semester, you will develop the fundamental skills required for a career in ecology. You will learn about Environmental Impact Assessment, deepen your understanding of freshwater ecosystems and their management, whilst developing skills in spatial ecology and conservation. In the second semester, you will learn to action global change by analysing ecosystems and their impact on populations and communities.
Each semester, you have the option to specialise in modules related to your interests and career aspirations, from Environmental Pollution to Deep Sea Ecology to Environmental Law and Management. You will have the chance to apply geographical information systems, modelling and spatial analysis and acquire the interdisciplinary skills required for effective research project management. We provide students with the knowledge and ability to accurately monitor species diversity, change, population and distribution, in order to protect and enhance our ecosystems, individual species and habitats.
The final part of the year will centre on individual research. You will complete an advanced research project and be encouraged to work with industry to apply your newly deveoped knowledge.
View the specification document for this course
This course combines research and academic skills with field surveying skills, ready for practical application within the ecological consultancy industry. It’s designed to meet a rising need for highly skilled conservationists. Through practical experience, taught sessions and interaction with experienced field ecologists, you’ll gain taxonomic expertise. This will enable you to accurately identify a wide range of species and communities; use the appropriate field skills and techniques to carry out biodiversity surveys across different habitat types; and produce reports and assessments to professional standards. You’ll also have an additional and distinctive opportunity to be trained in the use of geographical information systems (GIS) – a vital tool in the surveying and management of the environment.
The skills you learn will be underpinned by a thorough knowledge of why some species and communities are conservation priorities in law or policy. You’ll also study the fundamentals of project planning, data collection and statistical analysis, in order to properly conduct your surveys and assessments. You’ll be given the chance to become a critical thinker, capable of evaluating what you do, and adept at reporting your findings to the key audiences.
This course is delivered with a strong practical approach to learning. You’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, field and laboratory work, and online learning.
Independent learning is required, and you’ll undertake high-quality research. You’ll research your chosen topic in depth, then design and implement a relevant research project, before communicating the findings to an informed audience in a comprehensive scientific report.
Teaching is supported by our Brackenhurst Campus – a 200-hectare country estate and working farm. The campus is part of the DEFRA Environmental Stewardship scheme, which supports effective environmental management of farm land and countryside estates. It offers a good range of wetland and terrestrial habitats, which are invaluable for learning and practising surveying techniques, and the sampling of species.
You’ll also benefit from active conservation projects on the estate, including bird ringing and small mammal trapping and monitoring, alongside environmental impact assessments on construction work and renewable energy technologies.
You’ll have the opportunity to take part in field trips to Rutland and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. There are also opportunities to complete a research project in the UK or abroad.
Find out more about our Brackenhurst Campus on our website
Want to find out more about studying with us? Find out more at one of our upcoming open days. Reserve your place.
For more information on our courses, please visit our website.
Department of Life Sciences – a leading international centre for research and training in ecology, evolution, conservation and the environment
