Master of Science by thesis - Ecology and Biodiversity

Get a degree that's recognised worldwide and contribute to knowledge in your field. A Master of Science (MSc) will develop your technical, laboratory and academic writing skills to prepare you for a career in science. The MSc by thesis will take you between 12 and 15 months to complete. You'll carry out in-depth supervised research and write a thesis. During your studies you might also author publications for peer-reviewed journals.

To do an MSc by thesis you'll need an Honours degree or postgraduate diploma in an appropriate field, with an average grade of B or higher in your subject area.

Advance your understanding of the diversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms that live on earth. You might choose to explore topics such as the measurement and analysis of biological diversity, or the physical and biological processes in ecology and population genetics using molecular biology tools. Delve further into plant ecology and conservation, animal ecology and behaviour, and evolution. Or you could focus on how polluted waterways can affect the environment, examine soil salinisation and ocean acidification, or analyse rising UV and carbon dioxide levels and changes in our climate. There is an urgent worldwide effort to research and address the problems created by human activities that are affecting the survival of many species. Taught by the School of Biological Sciences, you'll study at the number one ranked tertiary institution in New Zealand for overall research quality in ecology. The MSc by thesis will take you between 12 and 15 months to complete. You'll carry out in-depth supervised research and write a thesis. During your studies you might also author publications for peer-reviewed journals.

A Bachelor's degree with Honours or relevant postgraduate diploma
IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.5 with no sub-score below 6.0
TOEFL: minimum score of 90 for the internet-based test with a minimum of 20 in writing
EAP: minimum final scores of 4,4,5,5