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MSc in Conservation Biology
Enhance your knowledge and the practical experience to address issues relating to biodiversity conservation & management.
The Conservation Biology programme provides students with a knowledge base and the practical experience to address issues relating to biodiversity conservation and biodiversity management. In particular, it will provide students with information and knowledge to:
- Minimise the negative effects of development on species, habitats and ecosystems.
- Increase awareness of the issues surrounding biodiversity conservation nationally and globally.
- Ensure that local communities living around areas of conservation importance are respected and have their interests taken into account when developing management plans for protected areas.
- Integrate the planning and management of biodiversity conservation with education, applied scientific research, and sustainable development.
The programme is relevant to the work of conservation biologists and managers, NGOs, consultancy firms and contractors, international agencies, and donors. In particular, it is designed for conservation professionals who wish to gain formal scientific training and students with prior academic qualifications who wish to re-train for a new career in biodiversity conservation. The majority of graduates have resumed conservation work in their own countries, secured employment or are carrying out further research
The Academic Programme
Qualifications in Conservation are:
- MSc (normally taken over one year full-time, but is also available part-time over two years by arrangement with the Director of Graduate Studies)
This programme is a modular degree comprising six months of coursework, followed by a five-month research project.
Most modules are assessed by coursework assignments and short class tests. Two modules in the first term have written examinations in January.
All students undertake a relevant research project, over five months. Students will have the opportunity to develop their own ideas for the research project, or alternatively, participate in an international conservation project run by DICE or one of its partners. The project is written up in the form of a research paper for publication rather than a lengthy thesis-style report. DICE is active in encouraging its mission in the selection of research topics so that the programme remains truly international in outlook and interdisciplinary in focus.
The MSc Conservation programme comprises a suite of four linked programmes each of which are 12 months full time or 24 months part-time. The assessed taught programme extends over a total of 24 weeks. Study on the programmes is divided into a number of blocks called modules with a number of credits indicated in the table below. One credit corresponds to approximately ten hours of “learning time”. This includes all taught and supervised classes and all private study and research.
The programme is divided into two stages, the first (taught programme) comprising 120 credits and the second stage (research dissertation) comprising 60 credits. Thus the programme involves approximately 1800 hours of “learning time”. Students must achieve specified requirements before being permitted to proceed from Stage 1 (terms 1 and 2) to Stage 2 (term 3).