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MSci Ecology and Wildlife Conservation with Placement Year
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UCAS code
CD98 -
A level offer
ABB -
Year of entry
2026/27 -
Course duration
Full Time: 5 Years
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Year of entry
2026/27 -
Course duration
Full Time: 5 Years
Learn about the ways in which living things interact with their environment on our research-led MSci Ecology and Wildlife Conservation with Placement Year. Apply this knowledge to tackling the biggest challenges facing the world today.
This course will equip you with the skills needed for a career in ecology or wildlife conservation through a combination of classroom learning and fieldwork.
You will learn to apply knowledge of ecosystems to environmental issues such as habitat conservation, the biological control of diseases, and the protection of the world's rarest plants and creatures.
You will also have the opportunity to take part in original research with a potentially global impact.
The University of Reading’s award-winning campus is home to over a thousand different animal species and is extremely useful for learning fieldwork skills. It offers multiple habitats for study, including lakes, hay meadows and woodlands, and allows you to step straight from the laboratory to the field. Additionally, the University owns a number of large farms, which can be used as sites for final-year projects.
Practise species identification and ecology skills through a choice of field trips in the UK and beyond. Our Ecology and Conservation Field Course takes place in South Africa, exposing you to diverse conservation and development issues, while our Marine Biology Field Course explores South Africa's incredible marine biodiversity. Closer to home, our UK Biodiversity Field Course takes you to Devon to explore the UK's diverse habitats and the animals that call them home.
Why study Ecology at Reading?
- Overall, 90% of graduates from the School of Biological Sciences are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data (c) HESA 2024, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022/23, includes all School of Biological Sciences responders).
- We are in the UK's top 10 universities for biosciences (ranked 9th in the Daily Mail University Guide, 2024).
- Most of our staff are actively engaged in research, and our work on wildlife ecology and conservation feeds into undergraduate teaching. 92% of School of Biological Sciences students said teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025, 92.3% of responders).
- All graduates are eligible for membership of the Royal Society of Biology and can apply for Chartered Biologist status.
- You have access to state-of-the-art facilities for your practical sessions and research projects.
What you'll study
The MSci follows the standard undergraduate curriculum, but with an additional year of study leading to a master's-level qualification. On this MSci Ecology and Wildlife Conservation with Placement Year, you will also have the opportunity to enhance your employability and put your practical skills to the test with an integrated year-long placement between your second and third year.
Your first year focuses on understanding the basics of ecology. You will begin practical training and develop skills through field trips and biodiversity sampling techniques. Explore the significant changes happening to our planet due to human activities and gain practical knowledge of the interactions between organisms, their environment, and human influence.
In your second year, you will deepen your understanding of ecological system patterns and processes by investigating recent methodologies and insights. Topics include biogeochemical cycles, microbial roles in ecosystems, food webs, ecosystem services, and more. A focus on quantitative and professional skills will teach you how to manage, analyse, visualise, and interpret different types of data.
You will have the opportunity to carry out a year-long industrial placement in your third year.
The fourth year of the programme will involve field research, placing strong emphasis on the application of knowledge and skills and preparing you for your final year. During your fifth year, you will undertake an Advanced Research Project, collaborating with experienced academics on cutting-edge ecological research.
We also offer a four-year version of this degree, MSci Ecology and Wildlife Conservation, that does not include an integrated placement year.
Your learning environment
Your studies will be based in our new £60m Health and Life Sciences building. This space features:
- research and teaching laboratories
- seminar rooms
- study and social space
- a cafe.
The building is also home to the Cole Museum of Zoology. The collection, comprising more than 3,500 natural specimens, provides a fantastic resource for biological scientists and the wider community.
The Museum will feature extensively in your ecology studies, offering unique opportunities to develop hands-on skills in taxonomy and natural history conservation. As a student, you can also volunteer at the museum and receive training in curation.
Acting as a living lab, with over 120 hectares of biodiverse woodland, lakes, and meadows, our Whiteknights campus, serves as an immediate field study site for biodiversity monitoring, ecological sampling, habitat assessment, and long-term environmental research.
Facilities and equipment
You will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience using our state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, including:
- equipment for animal behavioural assays
- advanced microscopy suites
- herbarium housing around 300,000 preserved plant specimens
- soil science, water chemistry, and palaeoecology labs for analysing environmental samples
- tropical glass houses
- animal monitoring equipment, including camera traps
- dedicated entomology labs
- multi-mode microplate readers (absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence)
- multicolour flow cytometry
- real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), digital gel scanning and documentation
- spectrophotometers, centrifuges and ultra-centrifuges
- large-scale growth, migration, harvesting, electroporation and introduction of genes of microbial and animal cells.
Build your skills portfolio with the Living Rainforest
Home to over 850 species of plants and animals, the Living Rainforest brings a vibrant rainforest ecosystem to life with a mission to educate the public about rainforests, conservation and sustainable living. Through our exclusive partnership, you will gain employer-verified evidence of your skills in a real-world setting. From animal observation and welfare, to public engagement and plant management, your skills will be officially signed off by the Living Rainforest team, boosting your portfolio’s impact with future employers.
Placements and field trips
At Reading, we also offer a wide range of field work opportunities as part of our ecology courses. Learning within the field provides essential knowledge and experience for anyone entering a career in ecology, conservation or zoology.
Students in previous years have worked at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, (BSPB) and the Environment Agency. You can also choose to spend a year abroad, typically conducting research for an academic institution.
Our department has a dedicated academic in charge of placements, who can provide you with advice and support. For more information, please visit the School of Biological Sciences website.
For more information on what it's like to study ecology at the University of Reading, please view our Ecology and Evolutionary Biology website, part of the School of Biological Sciences.
