MSc in Ecology and Management of the Natural Environment

Programme Content

The MSc programme has been carefully designed to take students from a first-degree base to a high level of professional expertise and competence.

The programme consists of three taught units and one research unit.

Each taught unit introduces students to essentially very different aspects of the work of the professional ecologist.

The first unit covers the application of ecological principles to practical ecological management.

The second unit teaches practical skills, including how to survey for protected species such as badgers, newts and bats, and how to prepare the ecological components of Environmental Impact Assessments.

The third unit introduces students to the professional side of ecological practice and includes such topics as ethics, project management and environmental law.

The research unit involves a written report on a self-motivated investigation of applied ecological significance.

Course programme

Unit 1 – Ecological Principles in Management (40 credit points)

This Unit provides the foundations of ecological knowledge and builds competence in applying ecological principles to applied tasks such as habitat management and environmental assessment. There are four one-week blocks covering Physical Environment, Biodiversity, Community Structure and Human Impact. Each week involves field work, seminars and group work.

Unit 2 – Practical Ecological Management (40 credit points)

This Unit aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to either carry out practical work themselves or to be involved in some other way, such as contracting, directing and co-ordinating ecological appraisals. The four one-week blocks focus on Practical Surveying Techniques, Habitat Creation, Monitoring and Management and Environmental Impact Assessment.

Unit 3 – Professional Practice in Ecological Management (40 credit points)

This Unit provides students with the professional knowledge and skills required to practise as a fully-qualified consultant ecologist. The Unit introduces the planning process, environmental law, ethics, project management, giving evidence at Public Inquiries and the production of high quality environmental statements. The four one-week blocks are titled Context, Process, Business and Employment.

Unit 4 – Independent Research Project (60 credit points)

This Unit requires students to carry out a substantial, applied and individually-motivated piece of work, giving them the opportunity to apply their new-found ecological knowledge to the real world of conservation and environmental management. The project will be carried out in the student’s own time on a topic agreed with the Course Director. The principal requirement is that your project should contribute useful knowledge for the improvement of professional ecological practice.

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