MSc Wildlife Management and Conservation

Full-time 12 months

Wildlife Management and Conservation is an exciting and engaging topic that involves highly motivated and dynamic individuals.

This MSc targets employment in the conservation sector and is run through Biological Sciences (www.reading.ac.uk/biologicalsciences).The rationale for an MSc in this area is that the world's human population is expanding rapidly, imposing enormous pressure on the environment, wildlife and their habitats. Given that this population will continue to expand, there is an increasing need to be able to manage wildlife and their habitats. Whilst many authorities appreciate that wildlife needs space and sensitive land management policies, socioeconomic, political and financial obligations are not always compatible with these needs resulting in the decline of certain species. The responsibility to carry out conservation action is increasingly being transferred to charitable nongovernment organisations. The MSc Wildlife Management and Conservation has been in existence for many years and is, in fact, the oldest of its type in the UK. However, conservation charities are increasingly concerned about the reduction in time that young people spend interacting with nature and lament the associated decline in the ability of students to identify and survey species. To confront these issues, the MSc content has evolved to include hundreds of hours of field-based work that is placed in the context of current conservation issues and information transfer. To ensure that appropriate material is covered the MSc is supported by several conservation charities including RSPB, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Marine Conservation society, Hawk Conservancy Trust and West Country Rivers Trust.

Careers

This MSc is highly vocational and targets the conservation sector. Employment prospects are excellent and enhanced through the direct involvement of several conservation charities which consequently offers an outstanding opportunity to motivated students. Examples of employment are extremely varied but include conservation officers, project managers and field ecologists with, for example, RSPB, Local Wildlife Trust, County Council, FrogLife, Environment Agency, Natural England. Quite a high proportion of students also find employment overseas. Some students choose to continue onto PhD study.

Programme content

A large part of the taught component is spent in the field or laboratory, including several field-based assignments. This equates to hundreds of hours of field-based work over the first two terms. The programme consists of 12 credit-bearing taught modules and a dissertation project. The autumn term modules are: Quantitative Methods for Life Sciences I; Invertebrate Survey and Assessment; Practical Wildlife Management; Management of Vertebrates for Conservation; Conservation Genetics; Species and Habitat Conservation. The spring term modules are: Quantitative Methods for Life Sciences II; Aquatic Resources Management; Vertebrate Survey and Assessment; GIS for Ecology and Conservation; Mammal Conservation; Current Issues in Conservation.

The remaining 60 credits are assigned to the project placement (or dissertation) which will run from the end of March until the end of August.