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Environmental Management (Taught)

Course details
  • MSc
  • 12 Months
  • Full-Time
  • 13 September 2027
  • Postgraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

Equip yourself with applied knowledge and skills to address pressing environmental challenges through this interdisciplinary programme that blends environmental science, policy and management principles. Develop environmental leadership and promote sustainable practices across various sectors. Study at a Queen's Anniversary Prize-winning university ranked 4th in the UK for sustainability, with access to the Cairngorms National Park and internationally unique field sites.

The MSc in Environmental Management will equip graduates with applied knowledge and skills to address pressing environmental challenges, fostering development of environmental leadership and promotion of sustainable practices across various sectors. This interdisciplinary programme blends environmental science, policy and management principles to facilitate comprehensive understanding of environmental change, its analysis, communication and sustainable management.

Students will explore drivers of key environmental issues and adopt a rigorous approach to assessment and management of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial biomes. The programme provides a strong foundation in core quantitative skills necessary to analyse environmental data, plus opportunities to branch out into advanced statistical analysis and mapping of complex data.

Alongside core knowledge, students can expand into environmental ethics, economics and politics, or explore biodiversity conservation and restoration challenges. Students conclude with substantial independent study with an external organisation, or a more academic project related to environmental challenges like climate change, pollution, or biodiversity loss.

Aberdeen received the Queen's Anniversary Prize in Environment and Conservation for innovations in soil science research and teaching to combat the climate crisis.

Modules

Course Modules

A wide range of teaching methods are used at Aberdeen to ensure that you are able to learn in a way that suits your learning style and enables you to achieve the best possible outcome. Our class sizes are small and we have a low student to tutor ratio, meaning you will have the full support of your group tutors. Our great diversity in teaching methods is coupled by the use of latest digital technology to ensure course content is accessible to all students through a wide range of electronic formats.

The MSc also provides students with ample opportunity to learn outside the classroom so you can apply both theory and practice to real life situations. The majority of courses regularly extend activities and learning to outdoor field work, visits by industry experts and insights into real-life situations and problem-solving. The MSc programme includes, without additional cost, a one week residential field course (at Ballater, Aberdeenshire) plus several day-long field trips from Aberdeen.

The dedicated research project you will undertake as part of your MSc provides training in study design, technical skills, recording results and observations and analysing results. Great flexibility is available in project selection; projects can be chosen from a list of developed by the students themselves in collaboration with supervisors. Projects can be field, lab and/or computer based and flexible to fit the student’s interests, aspirations and skill set.

Assessment method

The programme is assessed entirely by continuous assessment. There are no exams. The assessments have been developed to provide training in key transferable skills as well as assessments applied assessments in courses such as environmental pollution, environmental impact assessment, and environmental management plan. The final assessment is your project report submitted in the form of a manuscript.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Environmental Management and Assessment, Institute of

Entry requirements

Minimum entry requirement for this programme is a degree in a biological, environmental or physical science, geography, or other relevant discipline at 2:2 (lower second class) UK Honours level, or an Honours degree from a non-UK institution which is judged by the University to be of equivalent worth. Candidates with at least a 2:2 or equivalent in other disciplines may be considered if they can demonstrate relevant experience and motivation.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5Overall - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5 or above; Reading - 5.5 or above; Speaking - 5.5 or above; Writing - 6.0 or above. IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training are not accepted.
TOEFL (iBT)90TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Home Edition: Overall - 90 with: Listening - 17 or above; Reading - 18 or above; Speaking - 20 or above; Writing - 21 or above. DI code is 0818
PTE Academic62Overall - 62 with: Listening - 59 or above; Reading - 59 or above; Speaking - 59 or above; Writing - 59 or above. Online Test is not accepted
Institution's Own TestPassAcademic English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE) - Pass (valid for one year) Academic English Preparation Programme undertaken at other UK HEI - accredited by BALEAP and within 1 year of start of course

To study for a postgraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write academic English fluently. These skills will allow you to understand lectures, produce high standards of written work, and perform well in examinations. We can assess your English language proficiency through a variety of means: through your nationality, through the qualifications you gained in high school, through the degree you undertook or are undertaking at university, or through a recognised English language test. Postgraduate Standard requirements are used by the Schools of Biological Sciences; Engineering; Geosciences; Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition; Natural and Computing Sciences; and Psychology. Please note certification must be within the two years prior to commencement of your course, unless otherwise stated.https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/requirements-pg-266.php

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Fee information is not yet published for entry in Academic Year 2027/2028. For guidance, the fees on the University Online Prospectus website are for 2026/27.

Sponsorship information

Aberdeen Global Scholarship - Postgraduate International

The University of Aberdeen is keen to welcome talented students from all over the world. To help students fulfil their academic ambitions and ease the costs associated with studying abroad, the University is pleased to offer the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. The scholarship is available to all self-funded full-time on campus Masters students classified as international fee status. The scholarship applies to both taught and research Masters. The amount for students starting in Academic Year 2027/28 has not been confirmed. The scholarship is in the form of a partial tuition fee waiver and will be deducted from your tuition fees.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/funding/644

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