Masters degrees in Environmental Physiology offer advanced study of the physiological responses of plants and animals to environmental change.
Courses range from taught MSc degrees, to research-based MRes and MPhil programmes. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as Biology or Environmental Science.
Plants form the basis of life as they convert sunlight into an inexhaustible source of food and renewable raw materials. Plants also have a stabilising effect in (agro) ecosystems, a landscape function and ornamental value. In a nutshell, we can't do without plants. Modern molecular biology has opened up a whole new range of techniques and possibilities to scientists working in the different fields of the classical plant sciences (e.g. plant physiology, plant breeding, plant pathology). The combination of these disciplines forms a challenging domain: Plant Biotechnology.
Plant Biotechnology aims to impart understanding of the basic principles of the plant sciences and molecular biology, as well as the integration of these disciplines, to provide healthy plants in a safe environment for food, non-food, feed and health applications. Besides covering the technological aspects, Plant Biotechnology also deals with the most important environmental, quality, health, socio-economic and infrastructural aspects.
On the programme of Plant Biotechnology page you can find the general outline of the programme and more detailed information about courses, theses and internships.
Within the master's programme you can choose one of the following Specialisations to meet your personal interests.
Graduates in Plant Biotechnology are university-trained professionals. Their main career focus will be on research and development positions at universities, research institutes and biotech or agribusiness companies. Read more about career perspectives and opportunities after finishing the programme.
Related programmes:
Ecology is an important discipline to inform many different environmental management issues which often involve wider impacts being assessed for planning and other purposes. There is an increasing desire to utilise sites which are environmentally sensitive and this puts pressure on ecology and habitat survival. There are many other types of environmental impacts which are often hidden but also affect Ecology such as the many different pollutants which are often highlighted monthly. Species decline is becoming a well known issue globally and the ability to maintain and continue species and grow is important in a declining environment.
The programme comes from a very strong department which has been ranked consistently at number 1 in soil science and soil ecology in the UK (REF 2014). The Master's in Ecology has very solid foundations as it has been taught to generations for over 50 years and with this comes considerable knowledge and experience. With this programme you get a chance to influence how we utilise our environment and manage it to the best ability to preserve our ecology.
Our MSc programme provides flexibility to enable you to gain knowledge and skills to meet your career aspirations, whether in research or as a practicing ecologist. The programme runs through a full year, starting with a field course and culminating in a major research project. You will have the opportunity to gain hands on experience of everything from field survey to chairing discussions, from statistics and modelling to report writing and from identifying important ecological questions to researching them and writing a scientific paper. Previous graduates have gone on to the top of their chosen profession in research, consultancy, conservation, policy, education and advocacy.
Semester 1
Optional Courses
Semester 2
Compulsory
Optional
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
Find out about international fees:
Find out more about fees on the programme page
*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs
The Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience are pleased to announce the launch of our new MSc in Agroecology, Water and Food Sovereignty. The programme will commence in September 2018 and January 2019 - recruitment is now open!
The new MSc is structured according to the thematic pillars of our Centre’s research and will be a multi- and transdisciplinary course introducing students to a range of different approaches to foster equitable and sustainable food and water systems.
In the context of wide-ranging and persistent global challenges to food and water security, resilience, including climate change, malnutrition and ecological degradation, this course will equip students with cutting edge knowledge in the field to enable them to critically understand the complex interactions between social and natural systems, between scientific and non-scientific knowledge, and between politics and food and water system outcomes.
The programme is designed for students from a range of disciplines, converging on agriculture, water and food systems from complementary angles that include physical and natural sciences, geography, social sciences and humanities, economics, and political sciences.
Why Agroecology, Water and Food Sovereignty?
Agroecology is the discipline that addresses practical aspects of resilient food production and natural resources management, their environmental impact as well as the governance and socio-economic challenges facing current food and farming systems.
Water and Food Sovereignty widen the focus of the course, closely linking agroecological approaches that reflect the need to address pressing global issues (i.e. access to adequate nutrition), our right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods; and people’s right to define their own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems.
Food Sovereignty also promotes the formulation of trade policies and practices that serve the rights of people to safe, healthy and ecologically sustainable food production.
This is a unique approach to the design and management of socio-ecologically resilient water and food systems in that it goes beyond the issue of access to natural resources, food and water, and addresses their governance locally, nationally and at global scale.
The course includes modules which address key themes in:
Each module involves ‘face-to-face’ contact at the university (including lectures, seminars and workshops), accompanied by directed and self-directed study. Modules are delivered both on campus as well as our Centre’s base at Ryton Organic Gardens. Transport is provided for the modules delivered at Ryton Gardens.
To apply via the University's application page please click here. The course code is EECT008.
If you require any assistance please contact:
Liz Woodard - Administrative Assistant (Postgraduate Support) [email protected]
If you are interested in earth science, and environmental science but you want to specialise in the study of soil specifically the Aberdeen programme gives you in depth knowledge and a range of experts and alumni who consult at government level. Aberdeen is further supported by having the James Hutton Institute within the city limits, a notable institute specialising in soil science over the years known formerly the Macaulay Institute.
Soil Science is becoming increasingly important to our ability to sustain life on earth as we look at how to keep the soil clean from pollutants in water, air and polluting industries, pesticides and all sorts of changes to soil. There are also growing concerns that as the population increases and climate change also increases how do we farm in the future? The degree gives you all the skills and knowledge you need to work as a soil scientist either as a researcher, within government or regulation or as a consultant working with industry and other organisations devoted to soil science.
You learn about soil science, sustainability, land use planning, food security, GIS, and land use with intensive laboratory analysis from one of the top centres in the world for soil science. We also take you into the field to study specific situations and you are guided by our world renowned researchers in the environmental sciences. This is one of only a handful of Soil Science programmes with cutting edge technologies to help you analyse and study soil in depth. Soil science falls within agricultural sciences which were ranked No. 1 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014) and the highly acclaimed Environmental Science disciplines which Aberdeen has made a name for itself in over the years.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Optional
Semester 3
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
Find out about international fees:
Find out more about fees on the programme page
*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs
The Masters degree in Sustainability Science Studies offers an academically grounded education in sustainable development research. Our goal is to provide the theoretical, methodological, organisational and communicative skills needed to conceive, implement and critically reflect upon the interdisciplinary projects and research that define sustainability studies. In addition, the degree programme aims to train students to become agents for change in the economic, scientific, political and civil organisations, so that they can promote, manage and evaluate how these organisations make a transition toward sustainable policies.
Plants form the basis of life as they convert sunlight into an inexhaustible source of food and renewable raw materials. Plants also have a stabilising effect in (agro) ecosystems, a landscape function and ornamental value. In a nutshell, we cannot do without plants.
The Plant Sciences programme has been designed to help meet the worldwide demand for scientific expertise in the development of plant and crop production and farming systems. It not only covers the technological aspects of crop production, but also deals with important environmental, quality, health and socio-economic aspects. Interdisciplinarity is a hallmark of the programme.
On the programme of Plant Sciences page you can find the general outline of the programme and more detailed information about courses, theses and internships.
Within the master's programme you can choose one of the following Specialisations to meet your personal interests.
Graduates in Plant Sciences are university-trained professionals who are able to contribute to the sustainable development of plant production at various integration levels, based on their knowledge of fundamental and applied plant sciences and their interdisciplinary approach. Read more about career perspectives and opportunities after finishing the programme.
Related programmes:
MSc Forest and Nature Conservation
Plant Science graduate program offers advanced study in applied plant biology, with a commitment to development of sustainable managed agroecosystems. Our graduate program offers opportunities for advanced studies in basic and applied research, leading to M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees, in plant production, plant protection, plant biotechnology, plant physiology and biochemistry, and plant-environment interaction.
Graduate students have the option to develop research programs that address problems through an interdisciplinary approach involving collaboration with faculty members in other graduate programs (e.g. Soil Science, Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, and Forest Science) on campus.
Our graduate program offers students the opportunity to develop their graduate studies uniquely tailored to their professional goals and research interests in consultation with their research supervisor. The diversity of plant agriculture in British Columbia provides excellent opportunities for students to select a cropping system most suitable for their thesis research. Students have the opportunity and are encouraged to develop their research programs through an interdisciplinary approach involving other departments on campus.
Excellent facilities for thesis research are available on the UBC campus in the MacMillan Building, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, Totem Field Laboratory, UBC Wine Research Centre, the Michael Smith Laboratories, and the Horticulture Glasshouse. Some Plant Science graduate students also work with our Adjunct Professors, spread throughout the province of British Columbia.
Plant Science graduates (M.Sc., Ph.D.) generally opt for a teaching and/or research career. Some also work for government agencies (Agri-Food Canada, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture), agri-industry, or do consulting work in plant science.
The Master of Environmental Sciences (MEnvSci) is a 180 point interdisciplinary degree that draws on a wide range of papers across the Biological, Chemical, Earth and Engineering Sciences.
A key feature of this degree is the development of scientific and interdisciplinary (cross-faculty) research skills, including collection and analysis of data and critical review of the relevant literature.
The MEnvSci is normally a 12-18 month degree comprising a minimum of 90 points in taught papers at 500 level and a maximum 90 point thesis. The balance of thesis papers to taught papers may be altered subject to permission from the graduate co-ordinator in your discipline of choice.
Study an MEnvSci at Waikato University and you will enjoy more lab and field work, more one-on-one time with top academics and access to world-class research equipment. Our great industry contacts may also mean exciting collaborations with local, national and international companies and organisations.
While the bulk of your papers will be drawn from the Faculty of Science & Engineering, you may also include papers from the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Waikato Management School, the Faculty of Maori and Indigenous Studies and Te Piringa - Faculty of Law.
The University of Waikato's School of Science is home to a suite of well-equipped, world-class laboratories. You will have the opportunity to use complex research equipment and facilities such as NMR spectroscopy, DNA sequencing and the University of Waikato Herbarium.
The School of Engineering’s specialised laboratories includes the Large Scale Lab complex that features a suite of workshops and laboratories dedicated to engineering teaching and research. These include 3D printing, a mechanical workshop and computer labs with engineering design software.
Depending on the major completed and your particular interests, graduates of this degree may find employment in a range of science-related industries, including local and regional councils, Crown Research Institutes, energy companies, environmental agencies, government departments, environmental consulting companies, private research companies, universities, food and dairy industries and agriculture and fisheries industries.
With our Master's in Global Environmental Change, you'll gain a solid foundation in environmental science, data collection and analysis, and land/water-use interactions. You'll develop key skills and knowledge needed to address some of the world's major challenges.
Changes to the environment manifest globally but will incur varied, and potentially devastating local impacts. This Master's programme seeks to reflect the interactions or 'nexus' between land use, water demands, food provision and energy supply. This framework becomes more pressing in a future under climate change. The compulsory courses will embody the complexity of this 'nexus', providing both a theoretical foundation on topics such as climate change and complementary practical skills such as carbon accounting which will enhance employability. Core courses include:
The programme also offers a range of optional subjects including:
Global Environmental Change is a wide-ranging programme which reflects the strength of unique expertise held within the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), where recent interdisciplinary research ranges from practical areas with a direct relevance to climate adaptation – such as agricultural practices – to issues of equity and environmental economics. NRI staff who lead courses in this programme have contributed to global initiatives such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports.
You will be based at the University of Greenwich, Medway Campus in Kent, where you will benefit from the expert knowledge within the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), a prize-winning research and teaching institute specialising in food, environment, agriculture and sustainable development.
