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The University of Edinburgh: Marine Systems and Policies

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

Summary

Rapid climate change and the global expansion of human activities threaten the world's oceans. How do we realistically balance development with ocean conservation in a rapidly changing climate? How do we do this in ways that are also equitable and fair to society?

Our MSc programme places you right at the forefront of the fast-paced interface between marine science and policy that deals with these sustainability challenges. This broad programme is built around the science and policies spanning tropical to polar ecosystems, from wetlands and estuaries to the deep-sea, including the abyss.

From the outset, you will learn how marine ecosystems are structured and how they function from research-active marine ecologists and oceanographers. You will also learn how these ecosystems are used, valued, and managed from:

  • local people

  • social scientists

  • governments

  • industry

  • experts in marine law

During the programme, you will learn how to apply marine science and knowledge to critically evaluate and enrich policies and influence how new policies can be created through science communication. You will get to learn from real-world practitioners and people with lived experiences through global case studies and field trips. These experiences will be under the guidance of a research-active team of highly supportive and motivated university scientists with decades of experience at the science-policy interface from grassroots to international levels.

The capstone of your programme is an independent marine research dissertation project. It will be designed by you and a supervisor or host on a topic of your choice. You can either conduct an internship or a placement for your dissertation in either a desk-based, lab-based, or field-based setting.

By the end of your programme, you will be highly equipped with a portfolio of skills that employers are looking for, and that will support a future academic PhD career, including:

  • policy analysis

  • applied marine scientific survey and social science skills

  • science communication

You will develop a strong understanding of key marine ecosystems, the impacts of human activities and climate change, and international and national policy frameworks to govern these ecosystems.

MSc

Edinburgh University

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 34th in the QS World University Rankings 2026.

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 …

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