Master of Science in Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation in Action Middlesex University London, UK

The crisis in biodiversity is a crucial challenge for current and future generations. Every day, species diversity is rapidly declining. Despite the effort of evolutionary biologists to describe biodiversity patterns and processes, they are often missing from the dialogue about conservation of the biodiversity. This course is designed for those looking for an interdisciplinary programme at the interface of social and ecological systems.

This course combines expert teaching with unique experiences of work in real environmental and conservation settings to develop your ability to evaluate the biological and social processes that underpin interactions between biodiversity loss and human society. You will learn to gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative genomic ecological and social data; skills which are at the forefront of current research in conservation science and evolutionary biology.

You will gain invaluable practical experience through our field trips, in Mauritius for example, to work on a real research project, with an additional week in Jersey to learn about captive animal management and the role of zoos in conservation.

The program is suitable for

• Students who have a strong interest in evolutionary processes on biodiversity and conservation
• Graduates of biology and related degrees
• Professionals working within NGOs or research institutes who wish to further develop their skills

Course Highlights

• Field trip in a tropical environment (e.g. Mauritius) to undertake tropical biodiversity and a one week field trip to Jersey focusing on captive animal management and role of zoos in conservation
• The program is wholly grounded in practice and students develop field skills in ecology, laboratory skills in genomics, computing skills in statistics and GIS analysis, as well as proficiency in complex data analysis and mapping
• Integrated approach to teaching the themes of conservation, evolution and biodiversity within and across all of the topics you will undertake
• Specialist input from partner organisations including the Durrell Conservation Trust, Ebony Forest and Mauritian Wildlife Foundation