Masters Degrees (Kenya)

The MSc in Animal Behaviour addresses the interaction between environment, experience and physiology in the development and dynamics of behaviour. There is an applied element in terms of how the principles of animal behaviour can be applied to practical problems such as animal welfare and conservation. Students can gain experience of laboratory studies (of invertebrates) and field work. The programme features a strong numerical and research-orientated approach. A range of elective units are available, including Zoo Conservation Biology which takes place at Chester Zoo. There is also a compulsory residential field course in Poland or Tanzania.

The MSc is completed by a research-based project which can be carried out overseas or in the UK. There are also opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira.

Non means-tested loans of up to a maximum of £10,000 will be available to postgraduate master’s students.

Features and benefits of the course

-We work with the College of African Wildlife Management and the Kenya Wildlife Service and are able to offer unique fieldwork experiences in Tanzania and Kenya.
-You will have the opportunity to stay for six weeks at one of our research bases in Tanzania or Kenya to collect data for your own research project.
-Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course materials and assessment information are available via our online learning platform, Moodle.
-In the last ten years we’ve invested over £50 million in our home, John Dalton building, including high specification teaching and research facilities for biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics, microbiology, plant physiology, animal behaviour and exercise physiology and biomechanics.
-The course is taught by a vibrant community of research-active staff. Tutors are currently involved in research in Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius, Madeira, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Indonesia as well as the UK and every year many of our MSc students work within this project.
-Students are encouraged to carry out their projects in association either with staff interests or those of external organisations such as Chester Zoo, local and national conservation bodies, water authorities, etc.
-The School of Science and the Environment has strong links with with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and close association to a number of organisations across the North West, including Blackpool Zoo, Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari Park.

Placement options

There are optional three month placements for those taking MSc Zoo Conservation Biology and these can take place at many different zoos in the UK.

About the Course

Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course materials and assessment information is available via our online learning platform, Moodle. You will be assessed mostly through coursework, although some units have a formal examination.

Our Masters programmes in behaviour and conservation are run by a large group of research active staff with strong links to a variety of research institutions, national organisations and non-governmental bodies in the UK and overseas.

Each term there is a research colloquium in which invited speakers talk about areas of research directly relevant to our MSc programmes.

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About the course

This course engages with the challenges of international development in today’s complex world. You’ll develop skills and knowledge relating to development research and practice. The course includes a 10-day field class currently in Nepal or Kenya providing hands-on experience of research.

Your career

You’ll develop the skills to work in private or public sector research, or join the civil service. Recent graduates have started careers in consulting or with organisations like CAFOD, the Environment Agency and the British Library. Many of our graduates stay on to do research. We have a high success rate in securing funding for those who wish to study for a PhD with us after finishing a masters.

Study with the best

This is a vibrant postgraduate community, with strong international links. Our research partners are global, from UK universities to institutions in southern Africa, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and the USA. Our teaching is invigorated by work from several interdisciplinary research groups, like the Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research, the Urban and Regional Policy Research Institute and the Sheffield Institute for International Development.

How we teach

Our staff are active researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields. That research informs our masters courses. As well as the usual lectures and seminars, there are practicals, lab classes, field trips and research projects.

Facilities and equipment

A new £1m Sediment-Solute Systems lab enables geochemical analysis of aqueous and solid phases, especially in the context of biogeochemistry. We have equipment for chromatography, UV spectrometry and flow injection/auto analysis.

Our sample preparation facilities enable digestion, pre-concentration by evaporation under vacuum, and tangential flow filtration. There are alpha and gamma counters, a laser particle sizer and a luminescence dating lab. Field equipment includes automatic water samplers, weather stations, data loggers and environmental process characterisation sensors.

We have high-quality petrological microscopes for examining geological samples. We have labs for spectrometry and for palaeontological preparation, and you’ll also have access to specialist facilities in other departments at the University.

Laptops, camcorders, tape recorders and transcribers are available for your fieldwork. Our postgraduate computer labs have networked workstations for GIS research and climate modelling, ARC/INFO, ERDAS software and specialist software for remote sensing. GIS facilities are also provided by the £5m Informatics Collaboratory for the Social Sciences.

Our new postgraduate media GIS suite has facilities for Skype, video conferencing, web design, video editing and creative media.

Fieldwork

Most of our courses involve fieldwork. The MPH, MSc and MA International Development take students on a 10-day field trip where they put their research skills into practice. Recent classes visited the West Pokot region of Kenya, urban and rural areas of Nepal, the suburbs of Cairo and India.

Core modules

Ideas and Practice in International Development; Research Design and Methods in International Development; Professional Skills for Development; Dissertation with Placement; International Development Field Class, currently in either Kenya or Nepal.

Examples of optional modules

Understanding Environmental Change; Data, Visualisation and GIS; Key Issues in Environment and Development; Living with Climate Change in the Global South; The Political Economy of Natural Resource-led Development in the Global South; Key Issues in Global Public Health; Epidemiology; Using Policy to Strengthen Health Systems; Cities of Diversity; Cities of ‘the South’: planning for informality.

Teaching and assessment

There are seminars, lectures, workshops and reading groups. You’ll be assessed on your coursework assignments, project work and a dissertation.

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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 field, examining how conservation goals may be achieved under climate change scenarios, in combination with food security requirements, and taking account of social justice. 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 such as Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society and Natural England; and a broad suite of organisations in Africa including Kenya Wildlife Service, Solio Ranch and 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 trip, 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 firsthand how conservation science operates within particular policy contexts.

Perfect environment to study conservation science and policy

This Masters is based at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall in new buildings with state-of-the-art facilities, in a region facing key challenges in balancing conservation with other goals. Cornwall is an exceptional place in which to study issues related to the environment and sustainability. The county is a perfect living laboratory which offers 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.

Fieldwork

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/.

Learning and teaching

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.

Programme structure

This Programme is modular and consists of four compulsory modules and 2-3 optional modules.

Compulsory modules

The compulsory modules can include; Dissertation; Understanding Environmental Change; Environmental Sustainability in Practice; Key Skills

Optional modules

Examples of the optional modules can include; Terrestrial Biodiversity and Conservation; ; Marine Biodiversity and Conservation; Preparing for Ecological Consultancy; Statistical Modelling; Governing Sustainability and African Conservation Science and Policy Field Course

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.

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The MSc in Bird Conservation aims to provide students with detailed background on the evolution, taxonomy, ecology and behaviour of birds and then apply this knowledge to a wide range of practical conservation issues.

You will develop your understanding of how evolution has shaped many aspects of bird biology in response to the demands of flight. You will evaluate avian life history strategies, biogeography and population biology and how this information is used to design appropriate conservation measures. You will consider applied avian conservation management in relation to climate change, land-use practices, renewable energy development and other anthropogenic impacts.

There is a compulsory residential field-trip to either Poland or Tanzania which will provide you with practical experience of the essential techniques in the field of bird conservation.

The MSc is completed by a project which can be delivered in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation. There are also opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira.

Non means-tested loans of up to a maximum of £10,000 will be available to postgraduate master’s students.

Features and benefits of the course

-Overseas fieldwork plus opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira
-Research-based project which can be delivered in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation
-Teaching is delivered flexibly for students who have to work in order to fund their course.

Placement options

The MSc is completed by a research-based project which can be delivered in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation. There are also opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira.

About the Course

Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course materials and assessment information is available via our online learning platform, Moodle. You will be assessed mostly through coursework, although some units have a formal examination.

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The MSc Conservation Biology programme aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of the science which underpins conservation. Students can gain experience of essential techniques and fieldwork. The programme has a strong numerical and research-orientated approach. You can also gain experience in the increasingly important field of conservation genetics.

The course has an international outlook and provides opportunities for students to gain conservation experience overseas. There is a compulsory residential field course which can be in either Poland or Tanzania. Our facilities have recently been updated and you will engage with a large community of research active staff. There are exciting opportunities to complete your MSc research project abroad, for example you may join a project investigating the problems of conserving large mammals outside protected areas in Kenya. We also have links to research projects in many other countries.

Non means-tested loans of up to a maximum of £10,000 will be available to postgraduate master’s students.

Features and benefits of the course

-Optional two week field course in Northern Tanzania with visits to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. Many of our MSc students collect data for their research projects abroad.
-You will have access to recently refurbished laboratories, project facilities and resource rooms with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment.
-The course is taught by a vibrant community of research active staff. Tutors are currently involved in research in Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Indonesia as well as the UK and every year many of our MSc students work within this project.
-Flexible course delivery. Most lectures, even for full-time students, take place in the evenings and some units are available in blocks, by self-study or by distance learning. The online virtual learning environment (using Moodle) gives you access to lectures, other course materials and assessment information.

Placement options

There are optional three month placements for those taking MSc Zoo Conservation Biology and these can take place at many different zoos in the UK.

About the Course

The course has an international outlook and provides opportunities for students to gain conservation experience overseas. There is a residential field course which can be in either Poland or Tanzania.

Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course materials and assessment information is available via our online learning platform, Moodle. You will be assessed mostly through coursework, although some units have a formal examination.

Assessment details

You will be assessed mostly through coursework, although some units have a formal examination. Formal teaching begins in September and finishes with the field courses in mid-May or mid-July. Student research projects are usually completed by the end of September.

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This MSc responds to one of the greatest challenges humanity is facing today: the sustainable management of our planet's natural resources and environment, to provide sustainable livelihoods for all people into the twenty-first century and beyond.

The programme :

• is designed for those wishing to develop a career in natural resource management.
• allows you to explore and develop your own interests within a carefully designed and vocationally relevant set of taught modules and a dissertation.
• is taught jointly between ecologists, economists and geographers – meaning that you will study this programme to its fullest breadth and depth.
• offers postgraduates an unrivalled opportunity to understand the scientific basis of natural resource management through lectures, seminars, practical and field-based courses, both in the UK and overseas.


Course modules
Core:
• Research Design and Methods in Geography
• Living with Environmental Change
• Sustainable Management of Biological Resources: Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation
• Dissertation
Option modules:
• Earth Observation and Remote Sensing
• Global Climate and Environmental Change
• Biodiversity Conservation and Global Change: Tropical East Africa
• Environmental Economics
• Ecological and Environmental Assessment
• The Changing Water Cycle
• Water Quality Processes and Management

Teaching and Learning

We recognise the need for challenging and diverse methods of assessment. Our methods vary from traditional examinations, individual oral presentations, reports, web pages, research proposals, literature reviews and posters. We also include an amount of field-based teaching and computer practical sessions in our courses. As well as being taught subject knowledge, you will also receive training on how to plan, develop and execute a programme of individual research. We feel that the development of group skills is very important and a number of pieces of coursework involve a team of people. Coursework feedback is given promptly and in considerable detail, enabling you to improve continuously.

Opportunities/ Reasons to study

As a student on our MSc Sustainable Development of Natural Resources programme you will have the opportunity to:

• Engage with leading research and researchers in the field
• Select from a range of optional modules to best fit your interests and career aspirations
• Study part time if preferred, to fit with your existing professional and personal commitments
• Undertake fieldwork in the UK and Kenya
e.g. Biodiversity Conservation and Global Change: Tropical East Africa
The module will take place for ten field days at locations in the Rift Valley Kenya. It will be largely under canvas, in a safari camp that is already maintained by the Department of Biology for its Rift Valley Lakes research.
• Enhance your career prospects
• Complete an in-depth research project for your dissertation, with support from a dedicated supervisor.

World Class Facilities

Students have access to state-of-the-art Physical Geography instrumentation. There are separate laboratories for environmental, molecular stable isotope and palaeoecological research that can be used to reconstruct past climates and environments, the preparation of thin sections, hardware modelling using rainfall simulation and flume channels as well as a large, general-purpose laboratory that recently been completely refurbished.

Additional resources include an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, a Scanning Electron Microscope, a cold store, a Coulter Laser Diffraction particle size analyser, differential GPS and a wide range of field equipment. A new eddy covariance flux tower was purchased recently to measure carbon, energy and water fluxes between vegetation and the atmosphere.

The department has installed suites of PCs, LINUX work-stations and Virtual Reality Equipment (including a theatre) in several newly refurbished computing laboratories as a result of securing £3.9 million from HEFCE to house a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) on the subject of spatial literacy and spatial thinking.

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This course, which uniquely combines forensic genetic and conservation genetic elements within one of the largest forensic science academic departments in the world, runs in conjunction with other well established and popular MSc courses. Students will learn the fundamentals of molecular genetics, population genetics and phylogenetics that underpin the disciplines of forensic and conservation genetics and develop both theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Small cohort sizes will allow the use of a diverse range of assessments and the provision of considerable student support. Teaching will be carried out using a combination of lectures, tutorials, practicals, computer workshops and self-directed study. In addition to six taught modules, students will undertake a three-module research project which will develop laboratory and research skills. Depending on availability, students may also have an opportunity to visit and gain field experience at the Maasai Centre for Field Studies in Kenya.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

The forensic genetics group has dedicated pre and post-PCR laboratories housing an ABI3500, two ABI310 machines, an ABI7500 real-time PCR machine, a number of ABI2700 PCR machines, gel imaging systems, and several PCR cabinets. MSc students will carry out laboratory-based dissertation research projects within these well equipped modern laboratories. Research topics within the group are diverse, ranging from forensic genetics and human genetics, to wildlife forensics and forensic entomology. This will ensure that a wide choice of dissertation topics is available to our students. We also have a number of full-time and part-time MRes/MPhil/PhD students and an interest in research is actively encouraged and maintained throughout the year via seminars/ discussions.

The course will be delivered through lectures, tutorials, computer workshops, and practical classes, working independently or as part of a group. At least an equal amount of time should be spent in private study reading around the subject. Guided teaching and formal assessments on this course will enhance the development of a number of transferable skills such as the production of written case reports, formal presentations, active participation in discussions, ability to work to deadlines, computing skills, scientific analysis, adherence and development of laboratory protocols, and research methods.

Assessment is predominantly through coursework except for one module which is assessed by both examination and coursework. Coursework will include written essays, laboratory reports, case reports, presentations and in Part 3, a dissertation.

OPPORTUNITIES

Students graduating from this course will be well placed to undertake further research at the doctoral level or take up jobs in forensic/genetics/veterinary/diagnostic/wildlife protection laboratories.

Two of our graduates have taken on jobs as DNA analysts while a others have gone on to undertake further degrees or research towards a MPhil/PhD.

Depending on availability, students may have an opportunity to visit and gain field experience at the Maasai Centre for Field Studies in Kenya.

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How we teach

Our staff are active researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields. That research informs our masters courses. As well as the usual lectures and seminars, there are practicals, lab classes, field trips and research projects.

Facilities and equipment

A new £1m Sediment-Solute Systems lab enables geochemical analysis of aqueous and solid phases, especially in the context of biogeochemistry. We have equipment for chromatography, UV spectrometry and flow injection/auto analysis.

Our sample preparation facilities enable digestion, pre-concentration by evaporation under vacuum, and tangential flow filtration. There are alpha and gamma counters, a laser particle sizer and a luminescence dating lab. Field equipment includes automatic water samplers, weather stations, data loggers and environmental process characterisation sensors.

We have high-quality petrological microscopes for examining geological samples. We have labs for spectrometry and for palaeontological preparation, and you’ll also have access to specialist facilities in other departments at the University.

Laptops, camcorders, tape recorders and transcribers are available for your fieldwork. Our postgraduate computer labs have networked workstations for GIS research and climate modelling, ARC/INFO, ERDAS software and specialist software for remote sensing. GIS facilities are also provided by the £5m Informatics Collaboratory for the Social Sciences.

Our new postgraduate media GIS suite has facilities for Skype, video conferencing, web design, video editing and creative media.

Fieldwork

Most of our courses involve fieldwork. The MPH, MSc and MA International Development take students on a 10-day field trip where they put their research skills into practice. Recent classes visited the West Pokot region of Kenya, urban and rural areas of Nepal, the suburbs of Cairo and India.

Core modules

Ideas and Practice in International Development; Introduction to Research Methods; Key Issues in Global Public Health; Using Policy to Strengthen Health Systems; Dissertation with Placement; Professional Skills for Development; International Development Field Class, currently in either Kenya or Nepal.

Examples of optional modules

Data, Visualisation and GIS; Living with Climate Change in the Global South; The Political Economy of Natural Resource-led Development in the Global South; Epidemiology; Health Promotion; Informatics for Public Health; Communicable Disease Control; Disaster and Emergency Management; Cities of Diversity; Cities of ‘the South’: planning for informality.

Teaching and assessment

There are seminars, lectures, workshops, reading groups. You also do some fieldwork. You’re assessed on coursework assignments, project work and a dissertation.

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About the course

This is a vibrant postgraduate community, with strong international links. Our research partners are global, from UK universities to institutions in southern Africa, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and the USA. Our teaching is invigorated by work from several interdisciplinary research groups, like the Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research, the Urban and Regional Policy Research Institute and the Sheffield Institute for International Development.

How we teach

Our staff are active researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields. That research informs our masters courses. As well as the usual lectures and seminars, there are practicals, lab classes, field trips and research projects.

Facilities and equipment

A new £1m Sediment-Solute Systems lab enables geochemical analysis of aqueous and solid phases, especially in the context of biogeochemistry. We have equipment for chromatography, UV spectrometry and flow injection/auto analysis.

Our sample preparation facilities enable digestion, pre-concentration by evaporation under vacuum, and tangential flow filtration. There are alpha and gamma counters, a laser particle sizer and a luminescence dating lab. Field equipment includes automatic water samplers, weather stations, data loggers and environmental process characterisation sensors.

We have high-quality petrological microscopes for examining geological samples. We have labs for spectrometry and for palaeontological preparation, and you’ll also have access to specialist facilities in other departments at the University.

Laptops, camcorders, tape recorders and transcribers are available for your fieldwork. Our postgraduate computer labs have networked workstations for GIS research and climate modelling, ARC/INFO, ERDAS software and specialist software for remote sensing. GIS facilities are also provided by the £5m Informatics Collaboratory for the Social Sciences.

Our new postgraduate media GIS suite has facilities for Skype, video conferencing, web design, video editing and creative media.

Fieldwork

Most of our courses involve fieldwork. The MPH, MSc and MA International Development take students on a 10-day field trip where they put their research skills into practice. Recent classes visited the West Pokot region of Kenya, urban and rural areas of Nepal, the suburbs of Cairo and India.

Core modules

Ideas and Practice in International Development; Research Design and Methods in International Development; Understanding Environmental Change; Key Issues in Environment and Development; Professional Skills for Development; Dissertation with Placement; International Development field Class, currently in either Kenya or Nepal.

Examples of optional modules

Data, Visualisation and GIS; Living with Climate Change in the Global South; The Political Economy of Natural Resource-led Development in the Global South; Using Policy to Strengthen Health Systems; Cities of Diversity; Cities of ‘the South’: planning for informality.

Teaching and assessment

There are seminars, lectures, workshops and reading groups. You’ll be assessed on your coursework assignments and a dissertation.

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The MSc in Conservation Genetics addresses the essential theoretical background and develops applied skills in this new and rapidly expanding field. You will be trained in the use of molecular tools for aspects of taxonomy and classification, species conservation and in the application of the principles of genetics to the conservation management of small populations. You will develop problem-solving approaches to different evolutionary and population genetics scenarios. A range of option units are available and there is a compulsory residential fieldtrip to either Poland or Tanzania which will provide you with practical experience of the essential techniques in the field of conservation genetics.

The MSc is completed by a research-based project which can be completed in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation. There are also opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira.

Non means-tested loans of up to a maximum of £10,000 will be available to postgraduate master’s students.

Features and benefits of the course

-There is a residential fieldtrip to either Poland or Tanzania which will provide you with practical experience of the essential techniques in the field of conservation genetics
-The research-based project can be carried out in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation
-The course provides flexibility for students who have to work in order to fund their course.

Placement options

Your research-based project can be carried out in the UK or overseas, often in collaboration with an external organisation. There are also opportunities to work within Manchester Met research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira.

About the Course

You will be trained in the use of molecular tools for aspects of taxonomy and classification, species conservation and in the application of the principles of genetics to the conservation management of small populations. A range of option units are available and there is a residential fieldtrip to either Poland or Tanzania which will provide you with practical experience of the essential techniques in the field of conservation genetics.

Course delivery is flexible and most lectures take place in the evening. Lectures, other course material and assessment information is available via our online learning platform, Moodle. Teaching for this course begin in September 2016 and January 2017. Please note that January starters sit their examinations in January the following year, making the course duration 12 months.

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Introduction

This MSc develops the knowledge and analytical skills needed for a successful career in banking, finance and related areas. It is aimed at students from a variety of backgrounds, including students with no previous training in economics or accountancy.
The course is taught by Economics and Accounting & Finance in the Stirling Management School.

Key information

- Degree type: MSc, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate
- Study methods: Full-time
- Start date: September
- Course Director: Dr Siobhán Lucey

Course objectives

The overall objective of the course is to impart the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in banking and finance, or a related field. Developments in banking and finance are occurring rapidly, and with growing complexity. So people working in this area must be able to understand and analyse current developments, and also be able to anticipate future developments. The course is designed for students from a variety of backgrounds, and does not require any previous training in economics or accountancy.

The specific objectives of the course are:
- to provide knowledge and understanding of the nature of financial systems, and the particular roles of banks and the central bank
- to develop the capacity to appraise and compile economic and financial reports
- to understand those aspects of economics that are most relevant for a career in banking and finance
- to develop an appreciation of the international dimension of financial systems
- to develop the ability to apply appropriate risk management techniques
- to develop the capacity to understand, assess and comment on company accounts
- to develop the facility to use spreadsheets and econometric techniques to analyse corporate performance, and to identify trends in financial markets
- to develop the ability to appraise investment projects with capital budgeting techniques
- to develop an understanding of the key financial decisions made by corporations, and their use of the equity and bond markets to raise finance
- to provide knowledge and understanding of different types of banking and financial systems, including those in emerging countries and countries in transition
- to provide an understanding of the theory, methodology and techniques of research in banking and finance, and also of the potential limitations of this research

Learning outcomes:
The general learning outcomes in terms of knowledge and understanding that apply to the course as a whole are:
- a systematic understanding of knowledge in banking and finance
- a critical awareness of current problems and new insights in banking and finance
- a practical understanding of the techniques of enquiry and research used in banking and finance, and of how they are used to - create and interpret knowledge
- a conceptual understanding for evaluating current research and scholarship in banking and finance
- a conceptual understanding for evaluating methodologies and (where appropriate in a dissertation) for formulating hypotheses

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS: 6.0 with 5.5 minimum in each skill
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): Grade C
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): Grade C
- Pearson Test of English (Academic): 54 with 51 in each component
- IBT TOEFL: 80 with no subtest less than 17

For more information go to English language requirements https://www.stir.ac.uk/study-in-the-uk/entry-requirements/english/

If you don’t meet the required score you may be able to register for one of our pre-sessional English courses. To register you must hold a conditional offer for your course and have an IELTS score 0.5 or 1.0 below the required standard. View the range of pre-sessional courses http://www.intohigher.com/uk/en-gb/our-centres/into-university-of-stirling/studying/our-courses/course-list/pre-sessional-english.aspx .

Delivery and assessment

Modules are taught by a combination of lectures and small group teaching, in the form of seminars, workshops or computing labs. Assessment in most modules includes coursework, often a mid-semester test, and an end-of-semester examination. Resit examinations are available.
Successful completion of the taught element of the course leads to the award of the Diploma or allows you to continue for the award of the MSc by completing dissertation based on an original research question agreed by yourself and your supervisor. The project should reflect your own understanding and knowledge of selected topics learnt during taught modules.

Career opportunities

There is an excellent employment record among graduates, many of whom now work in financial institutions in the UK and abroad.
MSc Banking & Finance graduates are currently working around the world in countries such as Kenya, Indonesia, China, India, Norway, Ghana, Turkey, Greece and Malta. They are actively contributing to the performance of the following organisations: Alpha Bank, Ministry of Finance, Greece, Citibank, Santander, Ernst & Young, HSBC, Jones, Lang LaSalle, Grant Thornton UK LLP, Bank of China, Vodaphone, CITIC Trust, Emporiki Asset Management.

Graduates entering into employment in the past three years are currently working as:
- Associate, David Griscti & Associates (Malta)
- Banker, Bank of China
- Client Services Officer, JPMC (Vietnam)
- Audit Associate, Grant Thornton UK LLP

Alumni of the MSc Banking & Finance degree who graduated between five and ten years ago have since advanced into some of the following positions:
- Finance Manager, ActivTrades PLC (UK)
- Senior Auditor, Ernst & Young (Malta)
- Relationship Manager, Alpha Bank (Greece)
- Audit Officer, Banking Bureau (Taiwan)
- Business Development Manager, Jones Lang LaSalle (India)
- Debt Management Advisor, HSBC (UK)

Some of our more established alumni are currently leading and shaping the strategy of global financial organisations – here is an example of how a few former Banking & Finance students have advanced in their careers:
- Head of Banking Trends, Egnatia Bank (Greece)
- Principal Finance Officer, Teachers Service Commission (Kenya)
- Management Associate, Citibank (UK)
- Credit Partner, Santander Corporate Banking (UK)
- Head BPA Region, Novartis (Switzerland)
- Anti-Evasion Tax Force Officer, Ministry of Finance (Greece)

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This course runs at our study centres in Asia and Africa. It is for people who already hold a Diploma in Management Studies or an equivalent qualification.

Course overview

The top-up course is the fastest route to the Sunderland Master of Business Administration (MBA). We offer the course at study centres in the UK, Hong Kong, Kenya, and Vietnam. To join the course you should already hold a Diploma in Management Studies, or the Executive Diploma from the CMI, and you should also have suitable managerial experience.

An MBA is widely seen as a passport to new career opportunities. It demonstrates the breadth and depth of your functional competence, strategic knowledge and problem-solving ability.

The top-up course includes two taught modules: ‘Global Corporate Strategy’ and ‘International Business Environment’. You will also undertake an MBA dissertation on a topic that you negotiate with your tutor, based on your personal interests and career aspirations.
We understand that your MBA is part of an onward journey. We offer extensive career support to help you gain a rapid return on your investment in yourself – and achieve your personal goals.

Sunderland has a strong reputation among employers for courses that combine academic rigour with vocational relevance. Sunderland is ranked second of the country’s universities for business and management by The Guardian University Guide 2014. We offer the course at study centres in the UK, Hong Kong, Kenya, and Vietnam.

Course content

You will negotiate the topic of the dissertation to reflect your personal interests and career aspirations. Modules on this course include:
-Global Corporate Strategy (15 Credits)
-International Business Environment (15 Credits)
-MBA Dissertation (60 Credits)

Employment & careers

The applied nature of our MBA course will build on your previous managerial experience while moving you forward on a journey of practical professional development. The course is an investment in yourself that can lead to:
-Higher salary
-Promotion opportunities
-Greater employability
-Flexibility in an evolving job market

The most common reason for undertaking an MBA is to improve job opportunities. Previous Sunderland MBA graduates now work in roles such as:
-Financial Controller in the Gulf region
-Financial Analyst for ultra-high net worth investors
-Operations Director in an oil company
-Management Consultant with an international consultancy group
-General Manager in Eastern Europe
-Division Chief in China
-Business Development Manager for an automotive supplier
-Vice President of a Canadian corporation

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This MSc offers a critical approach to 'people-centred' development, addressing the challenges for equitable citizenship in the context of social diversity and globalisation, particularly in urban contexts. Participants engage in a critical analysis of the theory and practice of social development alongside gaining the skills required to be a reflective social development practitioner.

Degree information

The programme objectives are to give participants a solid grounding in social analysis skills and perspectives, rooted in social theory around identity, inequality, and social change processes. Students learn how development interventions can best support the citizenship claims of diverse groups of women and men, and girls and boys living in the Global South, and consider the role of the social development practitioner in this endeavour.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three core modules (90 credits), either one or two optional modules (totalling 30 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma (full-time nine months) is offered, comprising three core modules (90 credits) and one or two optional modules (30 credits).

Core modules - all three of the following:
-Social Policy and Citizenship
-Social Diversity, Inequality, and Poverty
-Social Development in Practice

Optional modules - one or two optional modules, totalling 30 credits, usually including the following, among others:
-NGOs and Social Transformation
-Communication, Technologies and Social Power
-Gender in Policy and Planning
-Participatory Processes: Building for Development
-Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
-Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practices and Alternatives
-Critical Urbanism Studio I and II
-Housing as Urbanism: Housing Policy and the Search for Scale
-Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options
-Neo-Structuralism and the Developmental State
-Political Economy of Development: Land, Food and Agriculture
-Political Economy of Development: Industrialisation and Infrastructure
-Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South
-Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development
-Urban Water and Sanitation, Planning and Politics
-Transport Equity and Urban Mobility
-Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture: Knowledge Systems in the Global South
-The City and Its Relations: Context, Institutions and Actors in Urban Development Planning
-Managing the City Economy

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project related to the main themes of the programme, culminating in a dissertation report of 10,000 words (60 credits). Topics may be chosen to enhance career development or for their inherent interest.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical classroom exercises, and fieldwork within the UK and abroad. Student performance is assessed through coursework, examinations, and a dissertation report as well as an assessment of practical work, including the international fieldwork group report.

Fieldwork
The programme incorporates group fieldwork in London and in a selected country of the Global South. The cost of flights, visas, necessary vaccinations, accommodation, and fieldwork-related travel and facilitations costs, are incorporated within the programme fees. Meals and other expenditure must be covered by the student.

Careers

Graduates of this Master's programme are likely to find employment as officers for local and international NGOs, as officers for international organisations, as officers in local or national government departments and as consultants. Some graduates pursue an academic career, either through doctoral studies or through teaching and research in a number of prestigious universities.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Head of Strategy Funding, Global Witness
-Researcher, Chinese Federation of Trade Unions
-Development Consultant, World Bank Group
-Corporate Responsibility Manager, Odebrecht
-Project Co-Ordinator, Thamani Youth of Kenya

Employability
Graduates of this programme are able to link theory to practice, critically reflect, and negotiate complex social relations as well as facilitate social processes in a context of diversity - all key transferable skills in the job market. Graduates have secured jobs in a variety of sectors and countries and built fulfilling careers in social development.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The programme introduces students to critical, analytical and practical skills that will be of use in their future careers, whether as academics, social development practitioners or advocates for the need to place the 'social' at the centre of development. Students have an opportunity to critically examine relevant bodies of knowledge, current debates and field experience in primarily urban contexts, and to consider the challenges of making development policy, planning and practice more socially responsive.

Students on this MSc benefit from the strong practical component, which includes fieldwork assignments in London and an international field trip to a city in the Global South. This trip provides the opportunity to develop practical skills, use tools for participatory action research, and reflect on the roles and responsibilities of social development practitioners.

The practice-based components of the programme also provide students with the opportunity to network with organisations and professionals working in the social development sector. In a complementary series of careers sessions, students can network with Development Planning Unit alumni and partners who are working in relevant fields.

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This MSc aims to educate a new generation of public policymakers and policy analysts, familiarising them with the necessary concepts, theories, methods and principles involved in the formulation and analysis of public policy. The programme draws on many disciplines, including political science, economics, law, public management and public health.

Degree information

Students develop a working knowledge of many aspects of political science theory relevant to understanding how public policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated. They gain a basic understanding of economic approaches to public policy analysis and of the concepts of economic efficiency and equity as societal objectives. Students also learn extensively about research methods which gives them the tools necessary to understand political processes and to analyse important policy issues.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules (75 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

Core modules
-Theories and Actors of the Policy Process (30)
-Public Policy Economics and Analysis (15)
-Introduction to Qualitative Methods or Advanced Qualitative Methods (15)
-Introduction to Quantitative Methods or Advanced Quantitative Methods (15)

Optional modules - choose one of the following 15-credit modules (the other two remain available as options):
-Law and Regulation (15)
-Public Management: Theories and Innovations (15)
-Agenda Setting and Public Policy (15)

Choose further modules up to a value of 30 credits in total. The following are suggestions:
-Health, Policy and Reform (15)
-Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Policy and Management (15)
-Policy-Making and Regulation in Europe (15)
-The European Union in the World (15)
-Making Policy Work (15)
-Democracy and Accountability: Holding Power to Account (15)
-British Government and Politics (15)
-International Political Economy (15)
-The Political Economy of Development (15)
-Democratic Political Institutions (15)

Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an individual research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and case studies, and is taught by scholars who have carried out theoretical and empirical research in the field. Students will be assessed by a variety of methods: unseen examinations, long essays, course work and the dissertation.

Careers

Graduates go on to a range of destinations both nationally and internationally including:
-Civil servants in central or local government in the UK and overseas, think tanks, NGOs and consultancies.
-Policy officers and researchers for UK members of parliament and members of the European Parliament.
-The European Commission.
-Other public and private sector organisations in a range of sectors, for example, Universities UK, Transport for London, the Legal Services Commission, Accenture, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Overseas Development Institute, United Nations Development Programme, Deloitte and Touche, Serco, KPMG, Confederation of British Industry, Civil Service Faststream, the Institute of Government, the Legatum Institute.
-Further research study at UCL or elsewhere.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Policy Adviser, The Law Society
-Economist, Government of Japan
-Policy Adviser, HM Treasury
-Principal Clerk Assistant, Parliament of Kenya
-PhD Political Science and International Relations, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje

Employability
The training that students receive in policy analysis, research methods, political science, economics and other disciplines equips them to work in a range of different organisations engaged in policy-making and policy analysis. Additionally, the emphasis on independent research, through the dissertation, enables students to think critically about policy problems and devise innovative solutions to such problems.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL Political Science is recognised as a centre of excellence in the field and offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of public policy.

The interdisciplinary aspect of this programme provides participants with the opportunity to address some of the key issues of contemporary governance and public sector reform.

UCL is uniquely well placed to draw together theory and practice in the field of public policy in health, where perhaps the most far-reaching of all public sector reforms has taken place.

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This one-year full-time Masters programme is taught by the Centre for Ecology and Conservation (http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/cec/) ; the fastest growing institute of its kind in the UK.

The course boasts a significant research component, with substantial fieldwork opportunities in the UK as well as a fieldcourse in Africa. Through taught modules and practical application, you will develop advanced skills in scientific method, ecological census and quantitative biology.

A distinctive and integral feature of our MSc is the high degree of input from ecologists 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, Food and Environment Research Agency and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Professional field biology and career development skills are embedded in the programme to enhance your employability. You will learn wildlife photography, geographic information systems, first aid for expeditions and field work, plus how to publish your own website, secure funding and communicate science to the general public.

Programme overview

- Designed in consultation with multiple external agencies to ensure relevant training that maximises graduate employability
- Substantial field work opportunities in the UK and Africa
- Provide opportunities to connect with external agencies and organisations throughout the programme to further enhance your training
- Delivered by leading international researchers in the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, who regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals
- Offers access to excellent facilities including state-of-the-art research laboratories, greenhouses, aviary and controlled environment rooms (http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/facilities/cornwall/)
- Ideal for individuals wishing to work in related consultancy and non-governmental organisations
- Includes modules that target both research and practical applied ecology skills

Fieldwork

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/.

Learning and teaching

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.

Programme structure

This Programme is modular and consists of five compulsory modules and one optional module.

Compulsory modules

The compulsory modules can include; Research Project; African Biodiversity and Conservation Field or African Behavioural Ecology Field Course; Ecological Census; Statistical Modelling and Key Skills

Optional modules

Examples of the optional modules can include; Terrestrial Biodiversity and Conservation and Preparing for Ecological Consultancy.
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

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