M.Sc Courses:
M.Sc. in Palaeobiology: University of Bristol, Department of Earth Sciences
The Bristol M.Sc. in Palaeobiology is the longest-established and most
successful Masters programme of its kind in the world, with over 200
graduates since it was founded in 1996, many in excellent jobs around the
world. Students are mainly British, but there are four or five overseas
students each year, from countries as diverse as the United States,
Iceland, Venezuela, Belgium, France, and Mexico. The programme is unique in
the success of students in reseach and the number of projects so far
published.
The M.Sc. offers a broad-based overview of modern approaches in
palaeobiology. Students study core courses and a broad range of options,
with topics ranging from taphonomy & palaeoecology to vertebrae
palaeontology, to trace fossils and arthropod palaeobiology, biomechanics,
and systematic methods. Then there is a six-month independent project, and
students are offered a wide range of topics. The programme is designed for
students with a BSc in either a biological or earth sciences subject, and
conversion courses in evolutionary biology and sedimentology are offered.
Students also receive training in writing scientific papers, creating
websites, applying for Ph.D.s and jobs (both in Britain and overseas). So
far, 160 students have graduated, and many have gone on to rewarding
careers in palaeontology and related scientific areas.
The project is a major component of the degree, and we encourage students
to carry out cutting-edge workj and to present it in publishable form. So
far, some sixty MSc projects have been published, all in leading
international journals, and we aim to help and encourage students to
publish as many as possible.
Full details of the programme, of former students, and how to apply are
available on the course website. Application forms may be downloaded from the website, or they can be
provided by [email protected].
MSc in Geobiology at Cardiff University
Cardiff University School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences is introducing a new taught one year MSc degree course in GEOBIOLOGY in September 2007.
Geobiology is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary and holistic approach to Earth and Life sciences. It explores the inter-relationships of life and environment on Earth and their consequences for both.
The course reflects Cardiff’s research strengths in areas such as climate change, geomicrobiology, and palaeobiology. The Geobiology MSc consists of Taught Courses (late September -April) followed by a Research Project (May-mid September). The taught courses include: Biogeochemical Cycles, Climate Change, Geobiology Frontiers, Geobiology Residential Field Course, Geomicrobiology, Marine and Terrestrial Biospheres Past and Present, and Transferable Skills.
Cardiff is a friendly and vibrant capital city, and the School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences is a leading centre for research and teaching. We welcome applications from students with backgrounds in Earth Science, Environmental Science, or BioScience.
For further information see our website and contact Emma Paris.
M.Sc. Advanced methods in taxonomy and biodiversity: Imperial College London
Imperial College London College of Science, Technology and Medicine and The
Natural History Museum are jointly offering a Masters degree course in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity.
The one-year full-time M.Sc. course provides essential skills for all concerned with taxonomy and biodiversity. The course is composed of ten taught modules followed by a four-month research project. The series of modules seeks to provide as wide as possible an overview of the theory and practice of modern taxonomy and systematics, with associated biodiversity studies. During their four-month research project, students can specialise in their chosen area.
The course is based at The Natural History Museum, London, one of the world’s premier institutions for research on the diversity of the natural world. The collections include over 68 million specimens, 800,000 of which are type specimens, and the Museum houses a world class library covering all areas of taxonomy and systematics. The Museum is situated next to the main South Kensington campus of Imperial College, and there are close research and teaching links between the two establishments. Students will therefore be situated in the heart of London, and are able to make full use of the facilities at both institutions.
Students are trained to a high level of competence in systematics and a detailed understanding of the various uses and problems involved. The course provides methodological background, including quantitative skills, computer applications and practical skills in morphological and molecular techniques of taxonomy and systematics. The most up-to-date ideas and research in taxonomy and biodiversity are taught, to a large extent from primary literature. Hands-on training in conducting research in this area will be provided by project supervisors, with specialisation in the student’s field of choice.
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- apply a wide range of techniques to the study of systematics, including
collections management, identification, key construction, taxonomic revision, phylogeny reconstruction and comparative methodologies;
- understand the diversity of living organisms in space and time, and be familiar with methods for measuring this diversity and monitoring changes due to both anthropogenic and natural factors, and in Earth history;
- select appropriate methods to solve taxonomic and biodiversity problems, and be able to acquire and analyze taxonomic data, including both traditional and molecular data;
- understand fully the conceptual basis of taxonomy and phylogenetics and in particular, cladistics, and to understand “biodiversity” within this framework;
- apply these concepts to issues of biodiversity and conservation management and research, to set priorities for sustainable development, environmental assessment and inventories; apply these concepts to other areas of biology such as parasitology and epidemiology.
Who is this course aimed at?
The course is aimed at anyone concerned with taxonomy and biodiversity. It is relevant to those involved with biodiversity assessments, conservation and sustainable development, from biomedical sciences to agriculture and fisheries, as well as to those intending to pursue academic careers in systematics and related fields.
Entry requirements:
Applicants should normally either have or expect to gain at least a lower second class honours degree (or equivalent) in a biological or environmental subject (e.g. zoology, botany, microbiology, agriculture and veterinary science). Exceptionally students with different backgrounds or with related work experience will be considered.
Further details are available from:
Ms Amoret Brandt. Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5036; fax:+44 (0)20 7942 5229. E-mail: [email protected]
MSc/MRes in Global Environmental Change: University of Plymouth, School of
Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences
The MSc/MRes Global Environmental Change is a one-year, full-time course which aims to provide opportunities within a multi-disciplinary environment to gain both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in understanding the scientific basis of past, present and projected future environmental change.
A quantitative, multi-disciplinary training is provided for Earth, Marine and Environmental Scientists together with graduates from other scientific or engineering disciplines.
The course emphasises applying scientific knowledge largely through practical application to real environmental problems. The key objectives of the course are to provide: an understanding of the operation of the climate system, and its interactions with other elements of the Earth System (oceans, biosphere, etc); an understanding of variability in the global environment, now and in the past, and the methods by which long-term temporal variations can be reconstructed and explained; experience of the fundamentals of key data gathering processes and methods (e.g. electron microscopy, remote sensing, marine and non-marine palaeoenvironments, isotopic and geochemical techniques); aspects of biological diversity; and an assessment of the basis of future climate prediction, primarily through numerical modelling experiments. The Global Environmental Change course provides an interdisciplinary approach designed to evaluate the potential impacts of global change; a critical assessment of the political responses to scientific advice on 'global warming'; and aims to develop and promote of a sense of independent enquiry and the development of investigative and research skills, addressing particular aspects of environmental change.
Further details and application forms are available from:
Postgraduate Admissions Team, Faculty of Science, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 (0)1752 233093. Email: [email protected]
MSc/MRes in Micropalaeontology: University of Plymouth, School of Earth, Ocean & Environmental Sciences
This programme in Micropalaeontology operates within a scheme involving a range of M-level subjects in the Earth, Marine, Environmental and Biological Sciences. In the first term a range of taught courses are offered including both subject-based topics and skills training. After this is completed satisfactorily students then pursue a major research project through from January to mid-September. This may be based on field samples collected by the student, samples provided by an industrial sponsor, samples requested from the Ocean Drilling Program or other samples in the collections of staff. Projects undertaken by students in the last academic year include estuarine foraminifera, sea level change in S. E. Italy, foraminifera of the Cambridge Greensand and the use of foraminifera and stable isotope stratigraphy in dating volcanic activity on Montserrat, Caribbean Sea. During this period of research students have to generate assessed reports and give a full seminar presentation on their research.
For further information, contact the Course leader, Professor Malcolm Hart or use the University website. Application forms for postgraduate study can be downloaded from this website. Some University bursaries may be available.
MSc in Geology by Research: Royal Holloway University of London, Department of Geology
This programme is offered to prospective students who wish to pursue research in a selected field of the Geological Sciences for a period of one calendar year full time or two calendar years part time and be awarded a Masters degree. Students will receive training in research skills, including data collection, data handling and analytical techniques as well as transferable and presentation skills. Students will take a course in a subject area closely related to the chosen field of research, selected from a menu of masters level courses offered by the department. The main outcome of the programme is a piece of independent research presented in the form of a dissertation. Upon completion of the programme students will have gained experience of research and presentation of material in the geological sciences which equips them to publish work in international scientific journals.
Prospective students should contact individual members of staff in the department in the first instance to discuss potential research projects. The research interests of staff are available on the department website http://www.gl.rhul.ac.uk/staff/acad.html.