MSc by Research in Ecology and Evolution - Ecology and Conservation

This 12 month programme features no taught content, rather you will undertake a research project and write a thesis from your results. Similar to a PhD, you will have a supervisor who is based in your chosen field. MSc by Research will develop your academic and practical skills and is an excellent option should you wish to explore your area of interest further but feel that a PhD is not the right choice at this time. MSc by Research students often go on to PhD study or to work in industry.

At the largest scale, we seek to understand ecosystems and biodiversity in a holistic sense. Fundamental research into spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity, and how those patterns change under changing environmental conditions, is a core part of our work. Academics within the group work on a range of theoretical problems in biodiversity science to understand how animals and plants are distributed in the landscape and how best they can be measured and quantified. Applied projects seek to understand some of the most important but threatened ecosystems on earth. Work on the plant communities in the African savannah examines the combined roles of large herbivore grazing and long-term climate change in the determination of plant communities and their function as a store of carbon. Research projects on tropical and temperate coral reefs are monitoring coral bleaching events in real-time, with long-term data that central to understanding the resilience of these highly productive communities to extreme heat waves.

copies of your degree certificate(s),
copies of your transcript(s) of marks achieved for all qualifications,
CV including information on academic study, work experience and any publications

The minimum University language requirement is IELTS band score 6.0 - with not less than 5.5 in any skill area or Internet based TOEFL 87 (with not less than 20 in listening, 20 in reading, 22 in speaking and 21 in writing).