Program Overview

MSc Global Conservation Biology

The MSc Global Conservation Biology course at Manchester Metropolitan University aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of the science that underpins conservation. The program has a strong numerical and research-oriented approach, with core modules in statistics and research design, practical techniques and analysis in conservation biology, bird evolution, behavior and conservation, and species conservation and recovery.

Course Overview

The world's habitats are undergoing rapid transformation, with the impacts of climate change causing species extinction at an unprecedented rate. Conservation biology as a discipline looks at the science behind these changes, including the identification of ecosystems at risk, ways of conserving biodiversity, and the role of genetics and demography. The course tackles these issues, providing students with the knowledge and skills for a career at the forefront of conservation.

Features and Benefits

• Overseas fieldwork opportunities: Students gain valuable practical experience in ecological and data collection techniques through the Field Course module, with the opportunity to visit some of the most famous wildlife sites in the world.
• Recognised for research excellence: 100% of the university's research impact in Ecology and Environment is world-leading or internationally excellent, and students work in association with these staff projects at the cutting-edge of discovery to hone their research skills.
• Flexible learning: The course includes evening lectures, all backed up by the university's online learning platform, allowing students to make time for research, lab work, and independent studies.
• Professional study environment: The university has invested over £115 million to transform the way it teaches and the way students learn, providing dynamic learning spaces, world-class teaching and research facilities, and collaborative study zones.
• Outstanding on-site research facilities: The university is home to the UK's only university-based Amphibian Conservation Research Facilities, which works with zoos to determine the best way to conserve amphibians in captivity and halt their ongoing decline.
• Expert teaching: Students learn from a passionate community of teaching staff who bring extensive experience of field research into the classroom to shape their studies.

Year 1

Core Modules

• Biodiversity, Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services: This module evaluates the latest techniques for assessing and monitoring biodiversity, natural capital, and ecosystem services, drawing on examples from around the world.
• Bird Evolution, Behaviour and Conservation: This module deals with both fundamental and applied aspects of avian biology, including an introduction to avian taxonomy and phylogeny, the evolution of avian communication and other life-history strategies, and the impacts of climate change on avian behavior evolution and conservation.
• Conservation Biology Research Dissertation: Students undertake a novel research project in the area of conservation biology, developing a critical awareness and insight into relevant theoretical and applied aspects of their subject area.
• Conservation Field Course: Students apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the taught modules in a Conservation Field Course, developing, executing, analyzing, and reporting on a small research project in the field.
• Genetics for Conservation Management: This module introduces the application of molecular genetics tools to a range of problems in conservation biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, with a focus on the applied use of genetic and genomic technologies for in-situ and ex-situ conservation and population management.
• Practical Techniques and Analysis in Conservation Biology: This module provides an introduction to the essential techniques for the collection and analysis of data needed for advanced studies within conservation, including Geographical Information Systems (GIS), behavioral recording in lab and field, census methods using Distance Sampling, analyzing species distributions, video and sound analysis, camera trapping, and social network analysis.
• Species Conservation and Recovery: This module focuses on conservation actions that aim to reverse declines in threatened species, addressing the evolutionary and ecological background to species conservation and critically evaluating the role of natural and anthropogenic factors in promoting extinction.
• Statistics and Research Design: Students design scientific studies and correctly interpret research output, introduced to a broad range of the statistical tools used by scientists, from formulating hypotheses, choosing the appropriate statistical test, and collecting and presenting the data ready for dissemination.

Study and Assessment

• Full-time: 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 70% independent study
• Full-time: 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination

Entry Requirements

• A UK honours degree – normally a 2:2 – or the international equivalent, in a relevant subject
• Several years' professional experience in a related field may also be considered
• Overseas applicants require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification

Fees and Funding

• UK and Channel Island students: Full-time fee £12,500 per year
• EU and non-EU international students: Full-time fee £22,500 per year
• Additional costs may include:
  • Specialist costs: £2,500 (optional)
  • Professional costs: £10 (compulsory), £200-£700 (optional)
  • Other costs: £20-£50 (optional)

Careers Support and Prospects

• The course provides a route into various career paths, including ecological consultancy, wildlife trusts, local authorities, government departments, conservation NGOs, animal management, pest control, teaching, environmental education, and PhD level study
• Some graduates have gone into roles for organizations such as Defra, the Peak District National Park, the BBC, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as zoos and aquaria in the UK and abroad.