Course description

Our innovative MSc focuses on how to prevent and control the contamination of land and freshwater. With its strong emphasis on applying scientific knowledge to real-world problems, it offers you the chance to specialise in an increasingly important environmental field.

• Study on a course which is recognised for high professional standards: our MSc is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences
• Gain a specialist qualification to advance your career with government bodies, local authorities, consultancies and industry – in the UK and overseas
• Gain an in-depth and holistic understanding of policies and strategies to assess, prevent, manage and control land and freshwater contamination
• Apply your knowledge to real-world situations and evaluate the outcomes to make effective strategic decisions
• Undertake work placements with employers in a range of settings for practical-based training and practitioner-based learning
• Learn from an expert teaching team who conduct crucial research and consultancy work on environmental themes
• Embark on a pathway towards becoming a Chartered Environmentalist or Chartered Scientist
• Choose a route to suit you: our MSc is ideal for recent graduates seeking a full-time postgraduate course and for mature students already in employment wanting to balance part-time studies with work commitments

How you will learn

• The design and teaching of this course is strongly informed by our teaching team's scholarly and professional activities, such as research and consultancy.
• Our team is highly qualified, having specialist expertise in the subject area and high professional standing, such as Chartered Scientist, Chartered Environmentalist, full member of IEMA, Senior Fellow/Fellow of Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Zoological Society of London.
• You will be taught in the classroom through lectures, guest lectures, seminars, and tutorials to develop a strong theoretical understanding of environmental aspects of contaminated land and freshwater to identify environmental issues. You will find practical solutions using case studies, field and laboratory work in independent and team settings, and attain employer-linked study experience through placements with employers.
• Assessment of knowledge and applied skills is by coursework, such as essays, practical reports, oral and written presentations, open-book assessment, and project reports/dissertations

Learn from an expert teaching team

• Dr Mark Bulling - Research interests include the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; application of statistics for data analysis
• Dr Andrew Ramsey - Uses multidisciplinary approaches to research the ecology and conservation of species in cultural ecosystems
• Professor Karim Vahed - Research interests include entomology, evolutionary/behavioural ecology and conservation biology
• Dr John Pritchard - Research Methods