Program Overview

---

Master of Science in Integrative Marine Ecology and Conservation

Target Students

The IMEC programme strives to deliver a comprehensive learning experience by engaging top international experts to guide students through problem-based learning and exposing them to cutting-edge science, technology, and policies for sustainable ocean management. The student-centred curriculum is designed to equip students from diverse backgrounds with foundational knowledge and offer opportunities for customised experiences through research or internships. Internship opportunities with local partners are anticipated, and workshops and guest lectures will provide students with a wide range of transferable skills. The programme aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particularly focusing on climate action and life below water. It also aims to address critical environmental issues in the South China Sea through multi-disciplinary cooperation and forward-thinking strategies. IMEC offers three distinct career paths in academic research, government/NGO work, and entrepreneurship, catering to the evolving demands in the field of ocean conservation and sustainability.

Admission Requirements

1. To be eligible for admission to the programme, you shall have a Bachelor's degree in any field;
2. Applicants shall possess knowledge of basic biology, ecology, and chemistry with a record of relevant coursework;
3. Applicants shall pass a qualifying examination if deemed necessary;
4. Fulfil the University Entrance Requirements.

Application

Applications open in November 2025. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and applying early is advantageous. The closing dates for non-local and local applications are 12:00 noon (GMT +8), April 30, 2026, and 12:00 noon (GMT +8), May 29, 2026, respectively.

Fees

The tuition fee for the programme is HK$300,000 for the intake. The fee shall normally be payable in three instalments over 1 year for full-time study. In addition, students are required to pay Caution Money (HK$350, refundable on graduation subject to no claims being made) and Graduation Fee (HK$350). With effect from the intake, all full-time students will be charged a student activity fee of HK$100 per annum to provide support for activities of student societies and campus-wide student events.

Programme Highlights

• English as the medium of instruction
• 1 year (full-time)
• Designed to empower environmental practitioners specializing in ocean science and policy
• Emphasizes applications of marine ecology and conservation principles in real-world scenarios, focusing on biodiversity, fisheries, conservation strategies, and sustainable practices
• Curriculum covers a broad spectrum of subjects including marine biodiversity, seafood trade dynamics, biogeochemistry processes, conservation methodologies, mariculture techniques, and restoration practices
• Aims to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and practical experience through hands-on projects and interactions with industry experts

Programme Structure

To qualify for the award of the MSc in Integrative Marine Ecology and Conservation, students shall complete at least 66 credits of courses, which include core courses (54 credits), a capstone course (9 or 12 credits), and elective courses (0 or 3 credits). Core Courses are delivered in one-month intensive modules, with three courses sequentially in semester 1 and another three sequentially in semester 2. The Dissertation spans across both semesters.

Compulsory Courses (54 credits)

• IMEC7001: Ocean Biodiversity (9 credits)
• IMEC7002: Fisheries (9 credits)
• IMEC7003: Seafood: Mariculture & Trade (9 credits)
• IMEC7004: Conservation Genomics (9 credits)
• IMEC7005: Blue Carbon Ecosystems (9 credits)
• IMEC7006: Sustainable Development and Engineering (9 credits)

Capstone Courses (9 or 12 credits)

Select one of the capstone courses:

• IMEC8007: Dissertation (12 credits)
• IMEC8008: Project (9 credits)

Elective Courses (0 or 3 credits)

Depending on the capstone course taken:

• IMEC7008: Tropical and Temperate Marine Ecology Field Course (3 credits)
• IMEC8009: Internship (3 credits)
• BIOL8022: Science Communication (3 credits)
• ENVM7016: Environmental Policy (3 credits)
• ENVM8006: Environmental Impact Assessment (3 credits)

Course Description

Compulsory Courses

• IMEC7001: Ocean Biodiversity This course will serve as the basis for understanding the role of biodiversity in underpinning healthy and functioning ecosystems. Coastal marine ecosystems are studied with respect to how biodiversity is measured in these systems, the functions it serves, and the major drivers of biodiversity loss. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of the foundational role of biodiversity in providing services to the environment, economy, and society. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC7002: Fisheries This course will lay the foundation for understanding of global capture fisheries and their management and sustainability. Fish biology will be studied in the context of quantifying maximum sustainable yield, and evidence-based stock assessments of targeted species. The course will also explore socio-economic considerations for both the developed and developing world, emphasizing government subsidies in the former and food security in the latter. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of natural fisheries exploitation and management, and will critically evaluate mechanisms for achieving sustainability and equity across the planet. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC7003: Seafood: Mariculture & Trade As a natural extension to the Fisheries module, this course will highlight the past, present, and future potential of aquaculture and global trade, along with the challenges they face. Aquaculture will be studied in the context of a cost-benefit analysis with particular attention to 1) the merits of sustainable production to enhance the conservation of natural populations of exploited species and 2) the environmental costs of land and sea-based mariculture. This course will also focus on the global seafood supply chain with respect to the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of global seafood production and trade, and how technological innovation can improve the tractability of aquaculture and traceability of seafood products to the consumer. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC7004: Conservation Genomics This course will provide students with state-of-the-art genomics tools for the conservation and management of coastal ocean resources. Topics include genetic connectivity of focal species; natural selection and local adaptation across dynamic environments; and the emerging role of assisted evolution in conservation and management. The major emphasis will be on understanding the principles of evolutionary genomics that underlie these analyses/concepts with a focus on the protocol designs, their limitations, and the data interpretation. In collaboration with BGI, students will be introduced to the emerging technologies in the field and cutting-edge genomic science. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC7005: Blue Carbon Ecosystems This course will cover the fundamental concepts of coastal biogeochemistry with emphasis on the elemental cycling of carbon and other nutrients. It explores how these cycles can be harnessed as ecosystem services, particularly focusing on Blue Carbon/Blue Finance vehicles for investment in climate adaptation and mitigation. The course primarily centres around examples from Blue Carbon Ecosystems (wetlands, mangroves, and seagrasses) will be the focus of this course with a critical examination of major gaps in translating ecosystem functions into ecosystem services and constraining uncertainties relevant to the realisation of fit-for-purpose financial products. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of coastal marine chemistry and cycling, while being introduced to vital socio-economic considerations for Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) frameworks. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC7006: Sustainable Development and Engineering This course will focus on active restoration and engineering techniques that aim to restore healthy and productive coastal ocean environments. Students will be challenged to apply the foundational knowledge gained in previous courses to integrate environmental conservation goals into economic development plans. They will be introduced to the basic concepts of sustainable development and the important role of various stakeholders, i.e., business and financial sectors, local communities, civil society, government, and academia. Assessment: Course work (100%)

Capstone Courses

• IMEC8007: Dissertation All students are required to undertake a capstone course as either IMEC8007 or IMEC8008. The Dissertation course is an individual and independent research project carried out under the supervision of one or more faculty members. Students may propose their own topics and approach possible supervisors, or they may consider those topics suggested by Faculty members. Normally, students develop the research outline in collaboration with Faculty advisor(s), and then collect data, carry out analysis, and write the reports prior to the research colloquium where they will present their work. The candidate shall make a formal presentation on the subject of his/her research during the second semester of the teaching programme. Substantial work, particularly data collection and analysis, is required in this course. Assessment: Written report (75%) and oral presentation (25%)
• IMEC8008: Project All students are required to undertake a capstone course as either IMEC8007 or IMEC8008. This is a group project (2-3 students per group) to be carried out under the supervision of one or more teachers. The topic and content of the project will be agreed upon individually by students and the supervisor(s), subject to endorsement by the respective course coordinator. Students may propose their own topics and approach potential supervisors, or they may consider those suggested by Faculty members. Apart from research projects, creative projects such as the production of field guides, books, websites, videos, apps about the environment, environmentally sustainable business models, technological innovations, and action projects such as waste upcycling, biodiversity conservation, environmental education, and public campaigns are encouraged. Assessment: Written report (75%) and oral presentation (25%)

Elective Courses

• IMEC7008: Tropical and Temperate Marine Ecology Field Course This course utilises a field-based approach to equip students with an advanced understanding of marine and estuarine ecology in both tropical and temperate regions. Students will acquire scientific techniques in Hong Kong and then leverage the techniques to compare the ecosystems in Australia, gaining insights into their similarities and differences. The course culminates with students developing field-based research projects to unravel ecological questions, using creative and innovative thinking to overcome problems for successful outcomes. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• IMEC8009: Internship This course offers students the opportunity to undertake an internship related to integrated marine ecology in universities, NGOs, or commercial companies under the supervision of an experienced Environmental Practitioner or Faculty member. Students are required to work for at least 160 hours for the internship during either the first, second, or summer semester. During the internship, students need to conduct a desktop study on a topic related to the internship job duties, subject to endorsement by the course coordinator. The written report for the internship should include a fully referenced report for the desktop study, along with some sharing and reflection on the internship experiences. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• BIOL8022: Science Communication It is increasingly urgent that scientists effectively communicate their research findings to the general public to enhance scientific literacy and subvert pseudoscientific beliefs and misinformation in a ‘post-fact’ era. This course aims to equip students with a modern toolkit for effective communication of science while exploring other transferable skills related to professional development in the sciences. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• ENVM7016: Environmental Policy This course focuses on key aspects of environmental policy-making and the policy-implementation processes, such as the emergence and evolution of policy agendas, the shaping of policy outputs by environmental discourse, and the impact of institutions on the trajectories and outcomes of environmental policy measures. Making references to local, national, and international cases of both successful and not-so-successful policies that pertain to the sustainable development agenda, the course also examines the theories and praxis of policy transfer and policy convergence, as well as the perennial problematics of policy integration, policy learning, and policy failure. Assessment: Course work (100%)
• ENVM8006: Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the most important contemporary instruments of environmental management. EIA plays an integral role in many regulatory systems for the environment and is used widely around the world to identify the environmental impacts of development projects, strategic plans, and policies. This course reviews the development of different approaches to EIA, basic analytical principles, administrative and legal systems for EIA, assessments at the project and strategic levels (SEA), and case study applications in Hong Kong. Assessment: Course work (100%)

Staff

Programme Director

• Professor David BAKER School of Biological Sciences

Programme Coordinator

• Dr. Jon Cybulski BSc(Hon), MSc, PhD

Other Academic Staff

• Dr. Ada CY Lee BSc(Hon), PhD

Expert Lecturers

• Prof. Fabrice Not Station Biologique de Roscoff, French National Centre for Scientific Research, France
• Prof. Kelton McMahon University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, USA
• Prof. Daniel Pauly University of British Columbia, Canada
• Prof. Cui Liang Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
• Prof. Vicky Lam University of British Columbia, Canada
• Prof. Ling Cao Xiamen University, China
• Dr. Andy Cornish Cornerstone Strategies, Hong Kong
• Prof. Mónica Medina Penn State University, USA
• Prof. Matt Leray HKU, Hong Kong / Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
• Prof. Guanghui Lin Tsinghua University, China
• Prof. Laura Airoldi University of Padova, Italy

Enquiries

MSc in Integrative Marine Ecology & Conservation Programme Team The Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS), The University of Hong Kong.