Masters Degrees (Wetland)

This taught one-year course will give students a thorough understanding of all aspects of wetland science and ecology. Students will also gain experience and knowledge on the complex conservation, restoration and management issues associated with wetlands. Field and laboratory work will cover the latest techniques in environmental analysis needed for contemporary wetland monitoring and experimentation.

Taught wetland and conservation modules

Wetland ecology
Classification of wetland types
Properties and functions of wetlands
Wetland zoology and botanical adaptations
Wetland hydrology and biogeochemistry
Carbon sequestration in wetlands
Use of wetlands for carbon offsetting
Wetland conservation and restoration techniques
Use and design of constructed wetlands
Wetland plant identification

Instrumental and environmental analysis

Students will learn a variety of instrumental analysis techniques suitable for ecologists interested in environmental analysis and those studying a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats – not just wetlands. The theory, practical use and basic maintenance of the instruments will be covered, along with sample collection and analysis.

The lab and field based techniques covered include:

pH, conductivity and Redox potential
Greenhouse gas (GHG) collection and analysis using a gas chromatograph (GC) and infra-red gas analysis (IRGA)
Cation and anion concentration analysis using ion chromatography (IC)
Stable isotope analysis with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS)

Wetland-based research project

The research project comprises a third of the MSc and is supervised by research active staff with excellent publication record and experience in their field.
Career Options

Students choosing this MSc will enjoy a modular course that will teach both the practical and theoretical aspects of wetland science and conservation. Successful students will therefore develop the skills and experience required to enable progression onto PhD studies in a wide-range of biological, biogeochemical, environmental and conservation based subjects.

The course will also allow students to seek employment in areas related to wetlands, soil science, water treatment and quality, conservation and environmental consultancy.

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This taught one-year course will give students a thorough understanding of all aspects of wetland science required for understanding, design and construction of treatment wetlands for pollution control. Students will learn the theoretical and practical skills needed in the application of a range of treatment wetlands for pollution control and water management. Field and laboratory work will also cover the latest techniques in environmental analysis needed for contemporary wetland monitoring and experimentation.

Taught wetland modules include:

Wetland classes and biodiversity
Wetland hydrology and biogeochemistry
Wetland Ecosystem Services
International wetland field trip
Constructed treatment wetlands
Instrumental and environmental analysis: alongside the theoretical and practical design skills needed for the building of constructed treatment wetlands students on this course will learn a variety of instrumental analysis techniques. These will be tailored for constructed wetland engineers and biogeochemists interested in environmental analysis and suitable for those studying a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats – not just wetlands. The theory, practical use and basic maintenance of the instruments will be covered, along with sample collection and analysis.

The lab and field based techniques covered include:

pH, conductivity and Redox potential
Greenhouse gas (GHG) collection and analysis using a gas chromatograph (GC) and infra-red gas analysis (IRGA)
Cation and anion concentration analysis using ion chromatography (IC)
Stable isotope analysis with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS)
Modelling for the design of treatment wetlands
Constructed treatment wetland research project: the research project comprises a third of the MSc and is supervised by research active staff with excellent publication record and experience in their field.

There is the possibility of working alongside a constructed wetland consultancy partner for part of the project.

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In recent years, there has been a growing world-wide concern about environmental water management issues, including concerns about coastal and estuarine water pollution, river flooding and urban drainage, wetland and mangrove management, and ecological aspects of lakes and reservoirs, to mention but a few. In addressing these and other environmental challenges, engineers and environmental managers are using sophisticated numerical models for predicting complex hydrodynamic, water quality and sediment transport processes. These models are increasingly complemented with decision support software systems and a wide range of related hydroinformatics software tools.

The MSc in Civil and Water Engineering will offer you the knowledge and expertise that you need for a career as a consulting water engineer within this specialist professional area of civil engineering. The course aims to complement a relevant undergraduate degree by introducing you to hydroinformatics, computational hydraulics and environmental hydraulics, including water quality indicators and sediment transport processes in coastal, estuarine and inland waters.

The MSc is aimed at graduates in Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Bio-Sciences. Good mathematical skills are an advantage. The degree programme is also aimed at engineers/scientists working in relevant areas wishing to upgrade or refresh their qualifications.

Distinctive features

• The School of Engineering received the highest rating in the UK for its research and its research impact in the Government’s latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014).

• The course lecturers have considerable experience of working on a wide range of practical environmental hydraulics project and their models have been mounted by over 35 companies for over 80 world-wide EIA projects and by over 45 universities in 17 countries.

• The MSc in Civil and Water Engineering is accredited by the ICE, IStructE, IHT and IHIE, as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer under the provisions of UK-SPEC for intakes 2014-2018 inclusive, for candidates that have already acquired a CEng accredited BEng (Hons) undergraduate first degree or an IEng accredited BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

Structure

The MSc in Civil and Water Engineering is run by the School of Engineering and is designed to provide specialised, postgraduate training in environmental water engineering whilst having a measure of flexibility to permit some study of related subjects in Civil and Geoenvironmental Engineering.

The aim of the programme is to enhance your engineering skills and the completion of an extended project within one of the water engineering fields forms a major part of the programme. Thus, the MSc in Civil and Water Engineering aims to complement an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, or similar, by introducing you to hydroinformatics, computational hydraulics and environmental hydraulics, including water quality indicator and sediment transport processes in coastal, estuarine and inland waters. You will have the opportunity to work with some of these models in an extended project. The degree programme is available on a one-year full-time basis or on a three-year part-time basis.

For a list of modules for the FULL-TIME route, please see website:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/civil-and-water-engineering-msc

For a list of the modules for the PART-TIME route, please see website:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/civil-and-water-engineering-msc-part-time

Teaching

A wide range of teaching styles will be used to deliver the diverse material forming the curriculum of the programme. You will attend lectures and participate in examples classes. You must complete 120 credits in Stage 1 in order to progress to the dissertation, for which you will be allocated a supervisor from among the teaching staff. Dissertation topics are normally chosen from a range of project titles proposed by academic staff, usually in areas of current research interest, although you will be encouraged to put forward your own project ideas.

Assessment

Assessment is conducted via coursework and examinations.

You will be required to undertake an individual research project in a specialist area of Water Engineering, leading to the preparation of a dissertation. Project work is undertaken under the direct supervision of a member of staff in one of the three participating departments.

Career prospects

The record of employment of graduates of the Cardiff University MSc in Civil and Water Engineering is excellent, with the majority of graduates joining engineering consultancies. A small number of graduates each year go on to further study, typically a PhD.

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Drawing on the expertise of our biogeography and ecology research group, this MRes programme advances your academic standing and enables you to conduct an original ecological research project.

It prepares you either for a PhD or for industry-based work, as you gain experience with a host of modern research methods and build on your theoretical knowledge of the subject area.

The research interests of our department include:

• wetland ecology and management
• GIS and landscape ecology
• conservation biology
• molecular ecology
• human-wildlife conflict
• mammal behaviour, ecology and conservation.

Course structure

The Ecology MRes is typically completed as a full-time, one-year degree. It largely consists of core modules, but also allows you to choose from a host of optional modules as part of the 180-credit MSc requirement. If you choose to opt out of the course early, you can qualify for a PGCert with 60 credits and a PGDip with 120 credits.

Areas of study

The research project is central to the course and allows you to work at the forefront of the discipline as you advance your knowledge of research methods and ecological principles. You design your own project under the supervision of one or more members of the Biogeography and Ecology Research Group.

Modules:

Research project
Research Methods
Issues in Ecology and Conservation

Options:

Ecology Field Skills
Molecular Ecology and Conservation
Introduction to GIS
GIS in Environmental Applications
Water Quality Analysis
Work-in-Progress Seminars
Introduction to Statistics using Excel and Minitab
Advanced Statistical Analysis

Past projects

Examples of past projects include:

• Pollinator conservation and the value of domestic gardens
• Social interactions of urban foxes in Brighton and Hove
• Habitat use of the northern clade pool frog at their reintroduction site in Norfolk, UK
• Protozoan parasites of bivalve molluscs: appearance and spread of diseases among bivalve molluscs in relation to climate change
• The impact of dry heathland management techniques on vegetation composition and Coleoptera abundance, species richness and diversity

Careers and Employability

Graduates from this course are thoroughly equipped to enter a PhD programme in ecological science, as well as careers in industry and the public sector. The MRes provides well-rounded and practical training, plus the necessary transferable skills to prepare you for employment.

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The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) is a specialised multidisciplinary organisation within the University of Greenwich providing research and consultancy in support of sustainable development, economic growth and poverty reduction, principally, but not solely, in the natural resources sector. NRI has a rapidly growing programme of research at MPhil and PhD level on social-scientific and interdisciplinary topics relating to development in the South and in Europe. The institute provides a vibrant research environment for MPhil and PhD students in development studies with students from a number of countries and a variety of backgrounds in research, government and non-governmental organisations. Students are also actively encouraged to network with peers from other universities in the UK.

The Livelihoods and Institutions Department works on a number of themes related to natural resources, environment and development. Particular interests include participatory and client-oriented methods of agricultural research and their institutionalisation, agricultural service delivery, performance and impact assessment methodologies, community based natural resource management, land tenure, urban agriculture and rural-urban linkages, pastoralism, vulnerability to disasters and climate change. The Food and Markets Department works on many economics-based development issues. Important themes include the performance of agricultural markets, value chains, international standards and agricultural trade, micro-finance, enterprise development and poverty reduction, ethical trade and corporate social responsibility.

We welcome applications from potential students from either a social or natural scientific background. We can offer full-time or part-time registration, with students based on our campus in Medway or in their home countries, or some combination of the two.

Recent research project topics include:

- Forbidden (Sacred) Lakes and Conservation: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in the Management of Wetland Resources in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

- Farmer organisations and their impacts for pro-poor growth among smallholder farmers in Malawi

- Understanding the influence of livelihood features on cassava value chains

- Rural territorial dynamics in North East Brazil: the Jiquiriçá Valley in Bahia

- Pro-poor market-based approaches for economic recovery in post-conflict countries: the case of Liberia

- Cross-borrowing and its impact on microentrepreneurs' repayment performance and well-being in Peru.

The aims of the programme are:

- To provide an environment for innovative, intellectually rigorous and developmentally significant research, primarily on developing countries.

- To strengthen the research capacity of students from a variety of intellectual and professional backgrounds.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/res/devstudies

What you'll study

The aims of the programme are:

- To provide an environment for innovative, intellectually rigorous and developmentally significant research, primarily on developing countries.

- To strengthen the research capacity of students from a variety of intellectual and professional backgrounds.

Fees and finance

Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Find out more about our fees and the support available to you at our:
- Postgraduate finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/pg)
- International students' finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/international)

Assessment

Students are assessed through their thesis and oral examination.

Career options

Postgraduate research students from NRI have a good record of finding employment within their specific technical discipline or in the field of international development.

Find out how to apply here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply

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Deepen your knowledge and experience in a rigorous biology graduate program customized to you and your research interests. At Acadia, you will be part of one of the most vibrant and community-focused departments in the region.
In Acadia's Master of Science in Biology you will enhance your expertise in modern research methods in biology and deepen your knowledge in your chosen area of study. Although we have a wide variety of research areas to suit your interest, you will benefit from a small school experience, working closely with your supervisor and others in the same research group, and developing a close relationship with your fellow graduate students.

Within our graduate program emphasis is placed on research rather than coursework. You will work with your supervisor and advisory committee to determine an individualized program of study suited to your research interests. Through many of our research programs you will also gain experience working with individuals and organizations in the local community.

Be Inspired

Acadia is located near the tidal mud flats of the Bay of Fundy (named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World) and within the Annapolis Valley, so our location provides you with access to a variety of ecosystems including, aquatic, wetland, farm, and forest. These habitats are used in field-based research work to give you a balance of outdoor and indoor learning experiences throughout the program.

We have also taken leadership roles in some of the largest projects in the Atlantic region. Acadia, through the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute, is actively involved in tidal power initiatives in the Bay of Fundy. Acadia is a partner with Ducks Unlimited Canada in waterfowl and wetlands conservation projects. Watershed management and estuarine systems are studied through the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research, the only centre of its kind in Canada.

Research Interests

-Animal movement and its relationship to population dynamics and conservation
-Cancer immunology
-Coevolution of parasites and hosts
-Conservation biology
-Developmental biology, and its relation to evolutionary change
-Ecology and health of coastal habitats
-Fungal endophytes of coastal and marine plants
-Immune cell developmental pathways
-Impacts of anthropogenic disturbances in coastal ecosystems on fish
-Insect pheromone processing and behaviour
-Interaction between parasites and host ecology
-Management and recovery of species at risk
-Molecular evolution and molecular systematics in bivalves and mammals
-Natural history of beetles and birds in forested and agricultural landscapes
-Floral character evolution in family Rosaceae and genus Vaccinum
-Pest management in forestry and agriculture
-Plant ecology
-Plant systematics, phylogeny and evolution
-Population dynamics
-Role of relaxin family peptides and their receptors in neuroprotection
-Tidal energy and its impacts
-Watershed management

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