MSc Ecological Survey Skills with Placement

This course will provide all you need to work in the competitive consultancy and conservation sectors. To achieve this, the School of Biological Sciences has teamed up with ecological consultants at RSK Group Ltd since 2011, and more recently with Aspect Ecology, to deliver a course that provides the skills and knowledge demanded by these industries.

This programme was previously named MSc Species Identification and Survey Skills and has been renamed to better reflect learning outcomes. It's taught by experienced ecologists with visiting lecturers from our partner consultancies – many of whom are alumni from the programme. In fact, more than half of all credits on this programme are overseen by consultants, making this course unique in the UK.

You’ll participate in hands-on and field-based training with all of your assessments being skills-based and fit-for-purpose, with no written examinations. You'll gain a thorough grounding in the skills needed for ecological surveying and species identification, including specialised report-writing and hands-on activities such as species translocation.

In addition to the taught component of your degree, you will be expected to take a six-month paid work placement with a leading ecological consultancy to apply your learning in the workplace. A bursary for this period is provided by the employer.

Overall, 97% of graduates from Biological Sciences are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes postgraduate (taught) and postgraduate (research) Biological Sciences responders).

A new feature of this programme is our module on molecular species identification and surveying. On this module, you’ll learn about the molecular methods used to survey and identify species, and you’ll also get practical experience in designing, collecting, processing, and analysing environmental samples.

This programme emphasises the practical skills that employers need, whether it is the ability to identify plants, carry out environmental assessments, or use the latest cutting-edge molecular techniques.

As a University of Reading MSc Ecological Survey Skills graduate, you will be in demand with a degree well-recognised in the ecological consultancy sector.

Many of our graduates find immediate work with their placement provider or with other consultancies across the UK. Others have used their skills to move onto conservation roles.

You normally need a good undergraduate honours degree (2:1 or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK, in a related subject such as biological sciences, geographical sciences, agricultural sciences or environmental sciences, but each application will be considered individually.