MSc applicants should normally meet one of the following requirements:
A good honours degree (or equivalent) in anthropology, botany, environmental studies or a related discipline.
A good honours degree (or equivalent) in other subjects together with relevant experience.
Please note that although the programme can be offered part-time, this is only by special arrangement, and you should contact our admissions office for further advice. The programme is very intensive and teaching is timetabled for most days of the week, especially in the first term. Moreover, to accommodate Kew and other specialist teaching, the timetable will vary from one week to the next. You will be provided with a detailed timetable upon arrival.
Applications may be submitted at any time of year, but preferably by 30 June for entry in September of the same year.
Applicants should provide evidence of their academic qualifications, and of their ability in English (if relevant) to the Information, Recruitment and Admissions Office. They should also arrange for two academic referees to send reports to the same address.
Prospective students who have little knowledge of botany will find it useful (but not essential) to attend relevant courses before starting the MSc. Suitable short courses are offered in some countries, and include:
More advice: Botanical Society of the British Isles (http://www.bsbi.org.uk) or your local botanical or natural history society.
Students are also advised to join the Society for Economic Botany, the professional association for ethnobotanists. Student membership costs $25 and includes online access to the past 60 years of the Society’s journal, Economic Botany. Recent articles in the journal offer a good overview of trends in the subject. SEB has a European Chapter with an active student group.
