MSc

Wildlife and Conservation Management

As pressures on the natural environment intensify, there is a growing need for passionate professionals in conservation and environmental management. Join us to develop essential practical skills and specialist knowledge in a variety of locations to help address real-world conservation challenges.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £11,060*

  • International students

    £17,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,229*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
Make an Enquiry

Get a step ahead in your career as you gain a variety of key skills including survey techniques, monitoring systems and geographical information systems application, conservation principals and legislative systems.

DESIGNED FOR

We’re looking for students passionate about the natural world and protecting wildlife, in the UK and internationally. Whether you’re already on the path to your dream job or changing career direction, we’ll support you into conservation and ecology.

Accredited by

  • Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management

Career paths

  • Ecologist
  • Environmental Consultancy
  • Conservation Officer
  • Wildlife Ranger
  • Academic Research (PhD etc)

Skills taught

  • Wildlife Surveying
  • Environmental Legislation
  • GIS and Spatial Mapping
  • Conservation Practice
  • Restoration Management

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

msc-wildlife-images-3
Two students wearing warm-looking coats, waterproof trousers, winter hats and gloves point at the sky and smile while using recording equipment on a mossy bank near a lake with trees
Three students wearing waterproof coats and trousers, hats and wellies gather around a white specimen bucket on a muddy bank at the side of a river. One of them is wearing read rubber gloves for handling specimens, another is holding a white net with a wooden handle and the other is helping to unfurl the netting.

Course Highlights

Professionally Accredited

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

Fieldwork Opportunities

Various UK-based and international fieldwork opportunities, helping you develop a range of skills that are in demand by employers.

International Fieldwork

Enjoy an optional international fieldwork experience focussing on tropical ecology in Belize. Previous locations include Mexico and South Africa. (Additional costs apply for international fieldwork).

Digital skills development

Work with industry-standard equipment and software as you develop essential skills, including GIS expertise, for a career in conservation and ecology.

Module Overview

The MSc Wildlife and Conservation Management combines a broad understanding of the science and management of conservation, putting emphasis on integrating specialist knowledge and practical skills with IT and communication. What’s more, our extensive and exciting fieldwork programme will train you in a wide range of environmental survey and assessment techniques.

This course combines a broad understanding of the science with conservation management, putting emphasis on integrating specialist knowledge and practical skills with IT and communication. Our extensive and exciting fieldwork programme will train you in a wide range of environmental survey and assessment techniques as you gain other key skills.

Conservation Science
Study contemporary conservation practices related to populations, habitats and ecosystems. Explore ways to mitigate human impacts on landscapes and biodiversity. Study conservation challenges facing terrestrial and aquatic species and examine evidence-based solutions.

Research and Professional Practice
Develop and design your own independent research project. Learn practical skills in the design of conservation and ecological research projects, including data analysis and using industry specific software and equipment.

GIS and Conservation Technology
Discover Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and their use in environmental management and conservation. Learn remote sensing techniques; animal population modelling; pollution modelling and land classification techniques using industry-standard software. From drones to artificial intelligence, experience innovative conservation technology.

Applied Ecological Fieldwork
Enjoy immersive fieldwork, either in the UK or internationally, to develop core conservation and wildlife surveying skills, including habitat classification systems, botany, bird surveying, mammal surveying techniques etc. Learn key environmental legislation and wildlife conservation management theories. (Additional costs apply for residential fieldwork and international travel opportunities).

Ecosystem Restoration and Management
Study the ecology and biodiversity of ecosystems, re-wilding and reintroduction programmes, restoration approaches for various habitats and habitat management. Examine sites under active restoration and develop professional skills in environmental assessment and reporting.

Independent Research Project
Complete an independent research project, which you’ll have previously designed, based on your personal interests and career goals. Projects can be completed in co-operation with conservation organisations, both in the UK and internationally.

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

Full-time students spend 9-15 hours per week in workshops, seminars, practical sessions and fieldwork, typically delivered over two days. Part-time students attend the equivalent of one day per week, generally completing the course in two years. You’ll learn using a combination of lectures, laboratory sessions, problem solving tutorials, video presentations and practical workshops.

You’ll work independently on set tasks and learning activities delivered via our online learning environment. You will also undertake fieldwork excursions within the UK and potentially overseas (additional costs apply).

Students are assessed through a range of methods including practical class outputs, time constrained tests, and coursework such as professional reports of ecological data from field excursions.

Teaching staff

You’ll be taught by a specialist team of highly experienced and skilled lecturers who are backed by years of research in wildlife conservation and ecology, both in the UK and internationally. 

Facilities

You will enjoy using our impressive range of fieldwork equipment while on location – whether that’s in South Wales, further afield in the UK or internationally. Our students enjoy using camera traps, drones and GPS devices to study wildlife. We have our own wild meadow and other areas around our campus buildings in Glyntaff to observe the local ecosystem.

Gain essential practical skills through seminars and workshops and learn using specialist equipment in computer-based workshops and practical laboratories at Glyntaff. Our laboratories are equipped with all the specialist equipment that you’ll need for research projects including genetics facilities and Scanning-Electron Microscopes.

Fieldwork

Our students have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork expeditions locally, wider in the UK or internationally. While fieldwork is currently focussed on tropical ecology in Belize, it has previously been based in South Africa and Mexico.

During the Independent Research Project, students often complete projects in co-operation with conservation organisations in UK-based national parks and conservation areas. We also have opportunities for research projects to be conducted in collaboration with our international research partners in South Africa and Indonesia.

Additional costs apply for residential fieldwork and international travel opportunities.

Accreditations and partnerships

Accredited by

Why USW

  • 94% of students are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating from USW.

  • Named in the Top 50 UK institutions for research power by the Times Higher Education

Why USW

94% of students are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating from USW.

  • 94% of students are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating from USW.

  • Named in the Top 50 UK institutions for research power by the Times Higher Education

Careers and Employability

Graduate Careers

There is a wide variety of career paths available within the conservation and environmental sector, including ecologists, environmental consultants, conservation managers and in wildlife education. Our students enjoy careers both in the UK and internationally, and the invaluable skills you’ll develop during this course will help to create a strong basis for future career opportunities within the sector.

Our graduates have progressed to careers in the Environment Agency, utility companies, local, national, and international conservation organisations, environmental consultancies, and regional and national government. You can also progress to a PhD or research degree once you’ve graduated.

Industry Partners

We work with multiple industry partners so students can enjoy fieldwork in the UK and internationally. From working with park rangers to observing the Scottish wildcat breeding programme and beaver restoration project in Scotland. Our students are immersed in ecology and conservation with agencies like the Woodland Trust, National Parks; NRW, OpWall, National Botanic Garden, Environment Agency and Wildlife Trusts.

Our course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), bringing together the physical, chemical, biological, socioeconomic and legislative aspects of environmental management, providing essential skills for an exciting and rewarding conservation and ecology career.

Careers Support

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate. This includes one-to-one appointments from Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or online, and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree in an environmentally-related subject which could include Environmental Studies, Biology, Geography, Geology, Zoology or Wildlife Studies. Other applicants will be considered on an individual basis.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

The course welcomes international applicants and requires an English level of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our country pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your English Language pages is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£11,060

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£17,900

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,229

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

Students undertaking outdoor fieldwork must wear appropriate outdoor clothing, which includes suitable wet weather gear, rugged boots and temperature appropriate clothes. Costs may vary. 

Cost: Up to £200

Students will need to supply suitable stationary supplies, field notebooks and digital memory devices (USB etc.), for work both in the classroom and on fieldwork.

Cost: Up to £350

UK residential field expedition presently conducted in Scotland. Costs go towards support for accommodation, food and travel to the site and use of the field centre facilities.

Cost: Up to £250

Some international fieldwork may require visas and vaccinations, which are at the cost to the student and will vary depending on individual circumstances.

Cost: Up to £250

Belize Tropical Ecology fieldwork in a tropical location including marine and terrestrial study sites. Recent sites have included Mexico, Honduras and Borneo. Additional £350 for scuba diving qualification if not already held.

Cost: Up to £3,500

Students who may wish to complete their research project in an international location would be expected to pay their own travel costs to and from the venue during the period of field research. The cost of this will of course vary according to location, travel costs and duration of the research activity.

Cost: Variable

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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Pontypridd Campus, Glyntaff
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Postgraduate Open Events

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Next Steps

How to Apply
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