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The University of Edinburgh: Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity

Institution The University of Edinburgh View institution profile
Department School of Biological Sciences
Web https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying
Study type Taught

Summary

We live in a period of exceptional rates of environmental change, including climate change, urban expansion, the spread of invasive species, and ocean acidification. These changes present an unprecedented challenge to biodiversity.

This MSc is designed to equip you to play a key role in developing solutions to this global change crisis. The programme will provide you with opportunities to critically evaluate and apply state of the art quantitative ecological and evolutionary methods, combined with practical field skills, and to tailor communications for a diversity of audiences, from scientists to government.

You will be based in the School of Biological Sciences, which ranked in the top 5 for the UK for research power (REF 2022). The School is part of the new Centre for Adapting to Changing Environments, composed of over 100 research groups.

Courses will draw on a breadth of case studies across different ecosystems, from long-term vertebrate studies to marine microbes. There will be an emphasis on practice, including fieldwork, statistics, and coding. Teaching is through lectures, tutorials, seminars, computer practicals, presentations and fieldwork.

Learning outcomes On completion of this programme, you will be able to: - explain how ecological and evolutionary processes can underpin biotic responses to anthropogenic change at a variety of spatial scales

  • identify the key steps and techniques involved with a major ecological project

  • design and implement an empirical or theoretical study to quantify impact of environmental change on any level of biodiversity

  • identify appropriate statistical approaches for analysing different types of data

  • apply and evaluate evidence quantitative methods for assessing evidence of evolutionary changed

  • account for the complexity and relationship of drivers and impacts in the face of sources of uncertainty

  • apply data-handling, statistical, modelling and visualisation approaches, including use of R software

  • communicate research outcomes to academic and non-academic stakeholders in written and oral presentations.

  • work effectively across a diversity of group settings, taking on a range of roles.

Career opportunities The Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity MSc will provide you with the skills, knowledge and experience for careers in research, conservation, environmental consultancy, public relations, media, industry and policy.

Teaching is centred around examining a breadth of global anthropogenic stresses on organisms, and you will learn how to apply state-of-the-art quantitative methods, critique findings and communicate results to different audiences.

The MSc programme was developed in consultation with a broad range of potential employers and includes training in the key skills they identified as important. These include field skills, data-handling, visualisation and modelling in R, GIS, and project design and implementation.

MSc

Edinburgh. Extraordinary futures await.

The University of Edinburgh is one of the world's top universities, consistently ranked in the world top 50, and placed 22nd in the 2024 QS World University Rankings.

Our position as one of Britain’s leading research universities was reaffirmed by the results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). The University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, ranked 4th in the UK for research power (Times Higher Education, Overall Ranking of Institutions), with 90% of our research activity classified as world leading or internationally excellent in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

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