Postgraduate Environmental Sciences 2021-2022

The course will provide the students with valuable skills required in developing their research and general study skills, essential for their progression during the MSc programme, as well as to the rest of their academic and professional careers. The course introduces basic statistical analysis, teaches data handling skills and exposes students to literature searching and reference styles. During the course, students will get experience in handling real-life, large data sets and will work together with the lecturer and demonstrators in analysing the data and presenting the results.

Provides training in managing all aspects of a research project from inception to delivery of a thesis;

It's an independent research project that can cover any area of environmental science, and may be computer, laboratory, greenhouse, or field based;

There's a requirement for close supervision and training through individual meetings and tuition with a supervisor;

May use new technology and research or commercial deliverables to enhance learning experience and skill base of the student.

Provides students with a technical working knowledge of the environmental legislation, management and mitigation in a global context;

Evolution of technical skills in defining incidents through quantitative risk assessment;

Ability to use qualitative and quantitative data in understanding the fate and potential harm of environmental pollutants with specific reference to oil and gas;

Use of evidence based lines of evidence in developing critical thinking and interpretation;

Encourages presentation of quantitative data and extrapolation to genuine scenarios.

Hydrocarbon contamination of land and water has developed into a major issues in the recent decades. This course will allow students to utilise risk assessment models to predict the risk that contaminated site have on both humans and the environment. You will explore how remediation techniques can be used to remediate sites that have recently been contaminated and those that have a long history of contamination.

Structured workshops provide you with opportunities to become familiar with ArcGIS software and to build your employability.

An individual project allows you to explore a specific application that you are interested in and demonstrate your proficiency with the software and your command of the conceptual underpinnings.

Flexible teaching and learning environment allows for individualised learning and enrichment for students with existing skills in GIS.

The mixture of applied science and theoretical work on this course places you in a valuable position for understanding the procedures and applications in modern environmental science. A number of laboratory classes allows you to familiarise yourself with the current analytical instrumentation in environmental science. The course uses examples of environmental issues allowing you to understand the problem, how the analysis was conducted and the implications of the results. The main assessment in this course is a practical write up that is written in the style of a scientific report giving you an opportunity to perfect this style of writing.

Students examine why and how management plans are created for conservation and other sites. Field work in a multiple use site is followed by data analysis, practical tasks and writing provides training required to construct a management plan.

Structured practical sessions provide experience with spreadsheets, ArcGIS and other technical software and increases your confidence with data handling and analysis.

The main assignment in the form of a management plan allows you to develop your skills to a professional standard.

The mixture of science and management offers you a unique range of skills required by employers.

This course is a residential field course that takes place in the Cairngorm National Park. During this course will gain experience relating to the broad theme of environmental science. It is hoped that you will develop a greater understanding of the dynamics of the landscape and the interactions and conflicts between stakeholders. You will be focusing on issues associated with different land uses within the Cairngorms National Park and associated decisions which impact directly the environment. This will be done by a number of site visits to sporting estates, forests, farms, and national nature reserves.

In 2021/22 the residential part of this course will run 4th April – 8th April 2022, with assessments due 15th and 22nd April 2022. 

Please note that the information provided is subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 government guidelines

The three-month individual Research Project can cover any area of environmental science and is undertaken under the supervision of a member of staff who is an expert in your chosen field.  Many projects are also done in collaboration with an external organisation. The project provides opportunities for you to develop your abilities and skills, generate hypotheses and design ways of testing them and to analyse, report and discuss your findings. You will learn to take responsibility for implementing your own plans and modifying them as necessary. The project is written up in the style of a scientific paper manuscript or a consultancy report.

The three-month individual Research Project can cover any area of environmental management and is undertaken under the supervision of a member of staff who is an expert in your chosen field.  Many projects are also done in collaboration with an external organisation. The project provides opportunities for you to develop your abilities and skills, generate hypotheses and design ways of testing them and to analyse, report and discuss your findings. You will learn to take responsibility for implementing your own plans and modifying them as necessary. The project is written up in the style of a scientific paper manuscript or a consultancy report.

The three-month individual Research Project can cover any area of environmental pollution/remediation and is undertaken under the supervision of a member of staff who is an expert in your chosen field.  Many projects are also done in collaboration with an external organisation. The project provides opportunities for you to develop your abilities and skills, generate hypotheses and design ways of testing them and to analyse, report and discuss your findings. You will learn to take responsibility for implementing your own plans and modifying them as necessary. The project is written up in the style of a scientific paper manuscript or a consultancy report.