Masters degrees in Soil Science offer advanced study of the properties of soils, the processes involved in their formation, and their distribution.
Taught MSc degrees are typical for the field, though research-based MRes and MPhil programmes may be available at some institutions. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as Environmental Science or Geology.
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
An internationally significant career
Use your knowledge of soils to open doors to international careers in sustainable food.
Find out more about the Master of Science parent structure.
This qualification will give you the in-depth knowledge of soils that will open up meaningful, relevant careers that address sustainable food production globally.
As an aspiring soil scientist you will deal with the productive capacity of the land and how its management impacts on the environment. At Massey we have a reputation for producing high calibre graduates that go on to work in the international agricultural research scene.
When you study soil science, you will be able to take advantage of Massey’s expertise in land-related disciplines. We have a wide and relevant group of expertise within the university, from agriculture, horticulture and earth science to ecology, environmental management and social sciences.
You will learn from, and research with, highly-skilled internationally-recognised and active researchers in these fields, with a huge depth of knowledge and experience. Whatever focus you’d like to have in your postgraduate study and research, there is likely to be an expert at Massey who can help you dig deeper into your area of interest.
Some examples of areas you could focus your research on include:
Massey University’s proud record dates back to 1927 when we offered New Zealand’s first degrees in agriculture and horticulture.
Massey is world-ranked and New Zealand’s No 1 university in agriculture according to the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) rankings. We are also ranked in the top 150 universities worldwide for agriculture by the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
As a student, you will benefit from our internationally recognised capability and leadership in this area.
We work to ensure that our teaching fits with the changing environment, which means that you will emerge with a relevant qualification valued by potential employers. Massey has strong links with industry, used to help you find relevant and topical research projects.
Postgraduate study is hard work but hugely rewarding and empowering. The Master of Science will push you to produce your best creative, strategic and theoretical ideas. The workload replicates the high-pressure environment of senior workplace roles.
Postgraduate study is not just ‘more of the same’ undergraduate study. Our experts are there to guide but if you have come from undergraduate study, you will find that postgraduate study demands more in-depth and independent study. It takes you to a new level in knowledge and expertise especially in planning and undertaking research.
The Master of Science (Ecosystem Science) offers students the flexibility to develop their own interests by selecting from a wide range of coursework subjects, including discipline core subjects and a professional skills module that provides high-level training in the areas of science communication, data analysis and modelling, ethics and/or leadership in science.
This degree provides students with essential skills, knowledge and research training through a Research Project in one of the discipline areas represented in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. These include: conservation biology, ecology, ecophysiology, environmental psychology, environmental and landscape management, forest science, genetics, horticulture, hydrology and soil science.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
As a graduate, you may find a rewarding career in:
If you are interested in studying for advanced level skills in measuring and analysing different issues in the environment and assessing their risks to that environment the programme at Aberdeen allows you to cover core disciplines and allows you to specialise in specific areas of interest. You can convert from a range of science and engineering degrees which are especially relevant though you can apply with demonstrable competency to study at postgraduate level from any degree discipline.
There are many employment options with an environmental science degree which can include regulating the environment across industry areas at government and local level. At Aberdeen you can choose to specialise in Hydrocarbon Risk Assessments which are very relevant to the city's oil and gas industry and air pollution generally worldwide, you can study ecology and management plans in relation to development, catchment management in relation to waterways and you can look at how we protect soils and other essential resources related to the food chain and species protection.
You can work in policy, regulation, consultancy or private companies with social responsibility and regulatory concerns internationally. There is also opportunity to explore further research and new enterprise development, further specialisms within environmental sciences and regulatory areas over the course of your career.
The systematic approach of this MSc programme enables you to deal with all scales of the environment. Throughout your studies you will have various opportunities to participate in work outdoors and apply your classroom and field work knowledge to real life situations. You will also gain experience using a range of tools for biological, chemical and physical measurement as well as models and data handling methods. Most importantly, at Aberdeen you will be part of a community that will help improve your knowledge and awareness of environmental science.
Semester 1
Optional
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
This programme aims to introduce students to the concepts of soil for the 21st century and is suitable for students wishing to pursue a career in land-based management or environmental protection.
Soils underpin the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems and are key to food production. Soils form the basis of all agricultural production, but they also store water, mediate the impact of pollutants, provide biological habitats, have an impact on the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, are involved in dealing with society’s waste, are a source of extractable minerals and provide the foundations for the housing and roads on which society depends.
You will learn about soil function and management, and soil classification, assessment and analysis, with a strong emphasis on practical skills. You will gain expertise in the relationship between soil and sustainable approaches to land resource use.
This programme is run in collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
This programme involves two semesters of compulsory and option taught courses followed by a period of individual dissertation project work.
Compulsory courses typically will be:
Option courses:
In consultation with the Programme Director, you will choose from a range of optional courses^. We particularly recommend:
Courses are subject to timetabling and availability and are subject to change.
Field trip
An integral, week-long study tour lets you refresh skills learned on the programme and develop new tools and techniques, useful during the dissertation process. The tour has historically been held in Mende, France. In addition to the formal taught component, students had the opportunity to go rafting and visit the Aven Armand caves.
There may also be a short tour during induction week, to give students a chance to get to know each other.
Students will:
A recent report by the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) identified soil science as an area in which there are critical skills shortages, meaning graduates will be in high demand.
Soil scientists are employed in a broad range of vocations including environmental consultancy, research, overseas development, environmental impact assessment and analysis, site reclamation and remediation, and conservation as well as advising on government policy, archaeological excavations and laboratory analyses, forensics, and landscape design.
Would you like to know what it’s really like to study at the School of GeoSciences?
Visit our student experience blog where you can find articles, advice, videos and ask current students your questions.
Designed to meet the increasing demands to manage and restore degraded land as close as possible to its original status, this course aims to provide the knowledge and skills required to bridge the gap between damaged land and fully restored ecosystems.
Land reclamation and restoration MSc is suitable for ecology, science, geography and engineering graduates, or professionals from either a science or technical background.
The course comprises eight taught modules, an integrated group project, and an individual thesis project. It provides the skills to assess, plan and implement strategies needed to restore, reclaim and remediate degraded land in order to support ecosystems functions and services.
The course is designed to respond to the industry demands of highly-trained engineers and science professionals able to implement appropriate, innovative and sustainable soil and land management strategies. There is an emphasis on analysis of real problems with practical field work to reinforce learning. This provides the tools required for the group and individual projects.
The postgraduate level Land Reclamation and Restoration course integrates new scientific understanding of environmental processes with relevant engineering and management skills. These skills are then used to develop new, integrated land management solutions at relevant scales including field, city, catchment, national and global.
Graduates from this programme are highly sought after by government agencies, businesses, consultancies, and non-government organisations (NGOs).
Land Reclamation and Restoration MSc/MTech/PgCert/PgDip is accredited by Institute of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) and Landscape Institute.
The modules include lectures and tutorials, and are assessed through written examinations and assignments. These provide the tools required for the group and individual projects.
Group project
This project provides students with the opportunity to take responsibility for a commercially-orientated, consultancy-type project with a UK-based industrial partner, while working in teams under academic supervision. It involves survey design, data collection and analysis, and synthesis and presentation of results to the client. This provides experience equivalent to a real life working environment aiming to provide a solution to a problem faced by industry in an integrated approach drawing upon mixed expertise across various disciplines.
Individual project
This project provides an opportunity to concentrate on a particular aspect of land reclamation and restoration. It also allows students to demonstrate their ability to research independently, to think and work in an original way, to contribute to knowledge, and to overcome genuine problems in this specialist area of land management. Many of the projects are supported by external organisations.
Assessment
MSc taught modules (six core and two electives) and 40%, group project 20%, individual thesis 40%.
Takes you on to career opportunities in consultancy, research, education, public and private sector industry. Successful students go on to a wide range of careers such as consulting engineers, conservationists, environmental and design planners/consultants, land and sustainability managers and advisors, researchers, and educationalists.
Employers include statutory agencies and ministries, conservation trusts, environmental companies, international development organisations, land and natural resource management businesses, large agri-food companies, local authorities, non-government organisations (NGOs), and research organisations.
There has never been a more urgent need to train food security researchers who are equipped with skills in agronomy, plant pathology, plant disease and plant genetics, and knowledge of modern agricultural systems and agricultural policy. As outlined in The Royal Society’s 2009 report Reaping the Benefits: science and the sustainable intensification of global agriculture, it is of vital importance that we increase crop yields significantly over the next 50 years, while also decreasing our dependency on chemical intervention and fertilizers.
This interdisciplinary programme was developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, including: the agricultural industry, government agencies (including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) and The Food and Environment Research Agency (fera)), and farmers and food manufacturers. Research-led teaching in molecular plant pathology, plant sciences, and microbiology is strongly supplemented by Rothamsted Research, North Wyke expertise in grassland management, soil science, and sustainable farming systems. The combination of expertise in both arable and pastureland systems ensures a truly rounded learning experience. Leading social scientists also provide valuable input on land use and economic practices in rural areas.
The curriculum is designed to address critical shortages of experts capable of working in government agencies, agriculture, and the food industry as researchers, advisers, policy developers, and managers. The programme provides opportunities to gain industrial and practical experience and observe food security issues first-hand during field trips.
Teaching is enriched by expert contributions from a broad cross-section of the industry. Scientific staff from Fera provide specialist lectures as part of the Crop Security module, members of the Plant Health Inspectorate cover field aspects of plant pathology, and a LEAF1 farmer addresses agricultural systems and the realities of food production using integrated farm management. In addition, teaching staff from the University and BBSRC Rothamsted-North Wyke will draw on material and experiences from their academic research and scientific links with industry.
All students will have opportunities to gain industrial and practical experiences. Teaching visits will be made to the Plant Health Inspectorate in Cornwall to see quarantine management of Phytophthora, and to a local LEAF farm to review the challenges and approaches to food production in integrated farm management systems. You will gain specialised experience in practical science or policy making through a dissertation or project placement with external agencies. Defra and Fera, for example, are offering five dissertation and/or project placements annually.
The programme is made up of modules. The list of modules may include the following;
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. Please see the website for an up to date list (http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biosciences/foodsecurity/#Programme-structure)
The MSc Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture curriculum has been designed in collaboration with the agricultural industry to tackle the skills shortage that exists in this vital interdisciplinary area. This programme will provide the highly skilled individuals required in government agencies, agriculture and food industries for critical roles in scientific research, advice, evaluation, policy development and implementation tackling the challenges of food security.
With food security and sustainable agriculture a global concern, opportunities for specialists in the areas of agronomy, plant pathology, plant disease and plant improvement will be worldwide. By combining expertise across the natural, social and political sciences, this programme provides valuable interdisciplinary knowledge and skills in both arable and pastureland systems. Graduates will be prepared to take on the global challenges of food security and sustainable agriculture, being able to adapt to farming systems across the world and identify cross-disciplinary solutions to local agricultural problems.
The programme is enriched by expert contributions from a broad cross-section of the industry, with specialist lectures, teaching visits to observe the practical application of techniques, and industrial placement opportunities for project work or dissertations in practical science or policy making.
This programme will give you a fundamental understanding of the issues affecting the Earth enabling you to play a vital role in devising and enacting strategies to protect and conserve the environment, both in Europe and beyond.
Human activities are recognised as having an increasingly significant effect on the Earth’s biosphere. Our use of natural resources, deforestation, soil erosion, the release of potentially toxic compounds and pathogens, and the increase in greenhouse gases are all examples of pressures that have potentially serious consequences for humanity and other life on Earth.
On this programme you will learn about the issues that face the Earth and gain an in-depth understanding of natural resource management and the processes that give rise to environmental degradation and pollution problems.
It will allow you to play a vital role in planning and putting into action strategies to protect and conserve the environment.
This programme is run in collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
This programme is affiliated with the University's Global Environment & Society Academy.
This programme involves two semesters of taught courses, which are a balance of lectures, seminars, workshops and visits, plus a research dissertation project of about 16,000 words.
Compulsory courses typically will be:
Option courses:
You will also choose four optional courses^. We particularly recommend the following:
Courses are offered subject to timetabling and availability and are subject to change.
Field trip
Part of this programme is a week-long study tour in spring. Past study tours have been held in France, Greece, Portugal, Israel and Morocco.
Students will:
Our graduates have a solid record in finding employment in the environmental sector while some choose to further their studies through a PhD.
There are also opportunities in consultancy positions and with environmental regulators, government and NGOs.
Would you like to know what it’s really like to study at the School of GeoSciences?
Visit our student experience blog where you can find articles, advice, videos and ask current students your questions.
The M.S. degree in Sustainable Agriculture aims to provide advanced knowledge in the field of agricultural systems as well as skills to develop and manage sustainable production systems.
The context of the topics is international, having as its main area of investigation warm-temperate environments at a global level. The graduate in Sustainable agriculture must work to achieve food security objectives associated with improving the quality and wholesomeness of food products. The graduate must know the issues related to biodiversity, global change and ecosystem services, which are analyzed according to a systemic and adaptive approach, considering also the traceability of processes.
To address the global challenges, students are equipped with a wide learning platform, and are able to make comparisons between different production systems at the international level in terms of environmental, socio-economics, and regulatory environments.
With the aim of strengthening this global approach to sustainability and food security, the degree program has been included in an internationalization project in collaboration with the University of Georgia, USA, which enables students to achieve a dual degree in "Sustainable Agriculture" (Italy) and "Crop and Soil Science" (USA).
The course is intended for highly-motivated national and international students and is conceived for Bachelor graduates with a main interest in agricultural and environmental sciences.
The graduate in Sustainable Agriculture is able to perform a wide range of activities in a professional and efficient manner:
1) Operate internationally by conducting activities of planning, management, monitoring, coordination and training in agricultural production processes to meet the needs of the international market;
2) Be involved in activities of experimentation and research in both the public and private sectors (eg. Biotechnology companies);
3) Fill a position or interact with international organizations such as FAO, EU and World Bank;
4) Be involved in the transfer of technologies (innovation broker);
5) Manage technical and international business related to agricultural products and processing, and related to agricultural mechanization;
6) Play an active role in private and public structures aimed at land management and the management of water resources, including historical, cultural and landscape values of agricultural land;
7) Collaborate in the establishment and operation of projects in basic and applied research in the field of agricultural production in the international arena.
The training course in Sustainable Agriculture, lasting two years, includes two main areas of study:
1) Production: training in the areas of agronomy, crop and animal productions, soil science, plant breeding, and integrated management of pests and diseases, all aimed at the sustainability of the production process and its social implications;
2) Technology: training in the areas of management and protection of air-soil-water, use of biomass of agricultural plants and animals, land management, and management of the production process (at different geographic scales) considering both innovative technologies and socio-economic aspects.
Learning is based on active studies covering activities in the classroom, in the laboratory and in the field as well as the possibility of using the contribution of Italian and foreign teachers, and industry experts that can provide specific case studies. The program offers intensive individual tutoring of students, as well as the opportunity to intern for six months, in companies in the public and private sectors, possibly abroad, for the study of cases of excellence in preparation of the thesis
Visit the MSc “Sustainable agriculture” page on the Università di Padova web-site http://www.unipd.it/en/educational-offer/second-cycle-degrees/school-of-agricultural-sciences-and-veterinary-medicine?ordinamento=2016&key=AV2293 for more details.
The University of Padova, the Veneto Region and other organisations offer various scholarship schemes to support students. Below is a list of the funding opportunities that are most often used by international students in Padova.
You can find more information below and on our website here: http://www.unipd.it/en/studying-padova/funding-and-fees/scholarships
You can find more information on fee waivers here: http://www.unipd.it/en/fee-waivers
