Program Overview
Home Study Postgraduate Taught home Courses Ecology and Conservation Conservation and Biodiversity MSc Please note: This page is for 2027 entry. MSc Conservation and Biodiversity UCAS code 1234 Duration 1 year full time 2 years part time Entry year 2026 Campus Penryn Campus Typical offer View full entry requirements Normally a 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant science subject Contextual offers MSc Conservation and Biodiversity with UK field course UCAS code 1234 Duration 1 year full time 2 years part time Entry year 2026 Campus Penryn Campus Typical offer Normally a 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant science subject View full entry requirements Contextual offers Why study MSc Conservation and Biodiversity at Exeter? Designed in consultation with multiple external agencies to ensure relevant training that maximises graduate employability and targets both research and practical conservation skills Offers substantial fieldwork opportunities in the UK and overseas, including a fieldcourse on African Biodiversity and Conservation or a low-carbon fieldcourse on Rewilding the United Kingdom Provides opportunities to connect with external agencies and organisations to further enhance your training Delivered by leading international researchers in Ecology and Conservation Offers access to excellent facilities including state-of-the-art research laboratories, greenhouses and controlled environment rooms, and long-term fieldsites Due to the high demand for this programme we highly recommend that you apply early. Applications can be made from September for entry the following year. If we experience high demand it may be necessary for us to operate waiting lists or close the programme.
Key Program Features
Why study MSc Conservation and Biodiversity at Exeter?
- Designed in consultation with multiple external agencies to ensure relevant training that maximises graduate employability and targets both research and practical conservation skills
- Offers substantial fieldwork opportunities in the UK and overseas, including a fieldcourse on African Biodiversity and Conservation or a low-carbon fieldcourse on Rewilding the United Kingdom
- Provides opportunities to connect with external agencies and organisations to further enhance your training
- Delivered by leading international researchers in Ecology and Conservation
- Offers access to excellent facilities including state-of-the-art research laboratories, greenhouses and controlled environment rooms, and long-term fieldsites
Due to the high demand for this programme we highly recommend that you apply early. Applications can be made from September for entry the following year. If we experience high demand it may be necessary for us to operate waiting lists or close the programme.
Career Opportunities
Careers
Employer-valued skills this course develops
This programme will provide you with a diversity of skills that will equip you for a range of sectors of work and further study. Skills include:
- Scientific writing and poster preparation
- Grant writing
- Public speaking and discussion
- Press release and the professional use of social media
- Data analysis
- Writing scientific information for a lay audience
- Use of “R” and GIS.
Career destinations
The programme prepares students for careers in environmental NGOs, government conservation agencies and ecological consultancy companies in the UK and overseas. The degree also offers thorough training in research skills and methods so provides an excellent basis for an academic career, with many students progressing directly to PhD positions.
Careers services
Our careers teams at the Career Zone can help guide you through a wealth of information to match your skills and interests to a career that will suit you. Our staff work with regional, national and international employers to develop new work placement, project and graduate opportunities. Supporting your career Being part of a large research-intensive department such as the Centre for Ecology and Conservation means there are multiple extracurricular research seminars per week and frequent on-campus symposia and employability-focused seminars involving invited external stakeholders, offering extensive networking opportunities.
Program Curriculum
Course content
This Masters programme is taught at our Penryn Campus in Cornwall by staff at the renowned Centre for Ecology and Conservation.
The course boasts a significant research component, with substantial field work opportunities in the UK and internationally, with a residential fieldcourse. A distinctive and integral feature of our MSc is the high degree of input from conservationists in collaborating governmental and non-governmental organisations. This participation takes a variety of forms, including guest lectures and field visits, but may also include providing research projects in their organisations. Collaborating organisations include: Cornwall Wildlife Trust , Marine Conservation Society , Natural England , Plymouth Marine Lab , Royal Botanic Gardens Kew , Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Thousand Year Trust , UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and the Zoological Society of London .
This applied degree provides excellent employability, with our recent alumni moving onto ecological consultancy work, government conservation programmes, NGO conservation projects and fully funded PhD positions in ecology and conservation.
If you would like to study this programme part-time please contact the Programme Director.
The modules below provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Taught Modules (with International Field Course) Please note that the module information displayed here is from a previous year and is subject to change. The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme. You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows, and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. If you have mobility or health disabilities that prevent you from undertaking intensive fieldwork, reasonable adjustments and/or alternative assessment can be considered. This could include replacing a fieldwork module with an alternative in agreement with the Director of Education. 150 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules: Compulsory modules Code Module Credits BIOM4009 Research Project 90 BIOM4025 Statistical Modelling 15 BIOM4049 Biodiversity and Conservation 15 BIOM4023 African Biodiversity and Conservation Field Course 30 Optional modules Code Module Credits BioP MSc C&B opt 2024-5 BIOM4014 Preparing for Ecological Consultancy 15 BIOM4051 GIS in Ecology and Conservation 15 BIOM421 Conservation Practice and Evidence 15 BIOM422 Animal Behaviour and Global Challenges 15 Taught Modules (with UK Field Course) Please note that the module information displayed here is from a previous year and is subject to change. The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme. You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows, and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. If you have mobility or health disabilities that prevent you from undertaking intensive fieldwork, reasonable adjustments and/or alternative assessment can be considered. This could include replacing a fieldwork module with an alternative in agreement with the Director of Education. 150 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules: Compulsory modules Code Module Credits BIOM4009 Research Project 90 BIOM4025 Statistical Modelling 15 BIOM4049 Biodiversity and Conservation 15 BIOM4043 Rewilding the United Kingdom 30 Optional modules Code Module Credits BioP MSc C&B opt 2024-5 BIOM4014 Preparing for Ecological Consultancy 15 BIOM4051 GIS in Ecology and Conservation 15 BIOM421 Conservation Practice and Evidence 15 BIOM422 Animal Behaviour and Global Challenges 15
Admission Requirements
Entry requirements
A 2:1 degree or above in a relevant science subject* is normally required. We will be happy to consider applicants with a non-scientific background who have a strong academic profile and/or significant relevant work experience of 2+ years, on individual merit.
*Relevant subjects include: Biology, Biosciences, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Geography, Marine Biology, Natural Sciences, Zoology.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications . Entry requirements for international students English language requirements International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required IELTS test scores for this course fall under Profile B1 . Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 15,950/year (international)
UK fees per year:
£15,700 full-time; £7,850 part-time
International fees per year:
£31,000 full-time; £15,500 part-time
MSc Conservation and Biodiversity with UK field course
UK fees per year:
£14,500 full-time; £7,250 part-time
International fees per year:
£29,800 full-time; £14,900 part-time
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year , including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships * . We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page .
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details. .
Find out more about tuition fees and funding »
Fieldwork The fees include costs of field trips including a 2-week residential course on ‘African Biodiversity and Conservation’ or ‘Rewilding the United Kingdom’. In line with our commitment to tackling the global climate emergency, we offer this programme with a low-carbon UK field course destination (the Highlands and Islands of Scotland) and with lower tuition fees. When participating in field courses, you may be required to provide your own specialist personal equipment appropriate to the field course destination, e.g. walking boots, rucksack, mosquito net, sleeping bag, binoculars. For Kenya, you will be required to cover any visa costs and purchase anti-malarial medication and relevant immunisations. Find out more about tuition fees and funding
About The University of Exeter
The University of Exeter
Botswana, Botswana
Visit the university profile page to learn more about this institution.
University Profile- Application Deadline 2018-06-21
- Start Date 2018-09-01
- Language English
- Duration 1 years (full-time)
- Credits 60–120 ECTS (confirm with the university)
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