© University of Kent - Contact | Feedback | Legal | Cookies
The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T +44 (0)1227 764000
MSc in Conservation & Business
NEW 2012: Successful biodiversity conservation relies on an understanding of business principles, practices and tools.
In this MSc programme, students will be introduced to key business concepts and practices such as customer behaviour, market competition and financial performance and how they relate to biodiversity conservation. We will also explore the potential role and contribution of commercial firms and ‘for–profit’ business models to preserving biodiversity.
Students on this programme will have a strong interest in conservation and business with a view to working for a conservation-related business or in a leadership role in conservation NGOs. Some students, with a more business background, but with a strong passion for biodiversity conservation should also apply, as students on the Conservation and Business MSc will be given the opportunity to study a range of modules focused on conservation science, policy and practice.
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.
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 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).